Dunhinda Waterfall 

Dunhinda falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka. The waterfall, which is 64 metres (210 ft) high, gets its name from the smoky dew drops spray, (Dun in sinhala means mist or smoke). It is Located in 5Km from Badulla Town. However Dunhinda is  not leading from its height. But, it is a remarkable waterfall when considering the beauty of it. 

The best time to see them is June and July, but you are welcome to visit at any time. It gets more fascinating on the months from November to March.

Entrance

You can reach it from the city by local bus, which departs every 30 minutes from the bus station next to the town clock (Clock Tower). From the entrance gate, you have to walk about 1.5km to reach to the waterfall. 
Walk itself is a fascinating experience to see wild birds, butterflies, monkeys etc as it worth very much for the tourists interested in wild life. Before reaching to the main waterfall you can see another waterfall which is known as (Punchi) Kuda Dunhinda. Anyway it is difficult to walk near that waterfall because of you have to go through the forest in mountains.

At the end of this journey you can meet a secured stage constructed for the viewers and enjoy the water fall. If you are very much confident, you can reach the foot of the water fall and cross the river. While enjoying the fall it’s better to remind that do not go closer to the fall or bathe as it is deep and full of slippery rocks and stones near the bottom of the water fall.



History of Dunhinda 

Waterfall is enriched with Uma Oya, Hal Oya and small rivers from Bandarawela and Welimada areas.

This fall is steeped in history. The area was once inhabited by indigenous people – the Veddha tribe. During the time of King Rajasinhe, a giant fern got stuck at the top of the fall, between two mountains. This acted as a dam, which resulted in the flooding of Badulla town.

Seeing the gravity of the situation, the king entrusted the task of clearing the sluice to a person named ‘Ranhavadidaraya’. After toiling for three months he managed to clear the water and the town re-emerged. The fern was swept away but got stuck again at a place now known as Pussellawa (‘pus’ meaning fern)