It is entirely apt that Sri Lanka is becoming more and more recognised as an activity and adventure destination. Not surprisingly, the hill country plays a central role in such tourism. Trekking and mountain biking readily come to mind. But rappelling a waterfall? The Devon Falls, 6 km west of Talawakele, Nuwara Eliya District on A7 highway, is a location for that.

 
The entire waterfall itself is in three parts: the top, middle and bottom. The top part is almost one tenth of the fall. From the very top, you will be able to rappel down about 5m along the rocks on the left side of the waterfall. You will then be geared up in harness and helmet. A quick demonstration is given and those who had never rappelled before are given a chance of a trial run on the flat rock before they go off over the edge. The actual thrill come when one has to walk along a narrow rock, almost like a ridge. As a safety measure, however, a belay or support system is set up to control the climber’s fall in the event of a slip. The best part is reaching the end of the rope, from where one could lean back and look over the edge. From that point, while leaning over the edge, what you see as the bottom of the fall is in fact only the top of the middle part of the fall.
 

So if you’re the kind of person who’s looking for some adventure this summer, Sri Lanka is the perfect place to be in. If you are on a tight schedule and don’t have too much time to spend driving through nerve-racking traffic to reach a waterfall, hire a car and head towards Avissawella or Kitulgala (just about one to two hours drive along the Colombo-Avissawella-Hatton road), where you can either do some rock climbing, rappelling, mountain biking, white water rafting or even kayaking – it’s all there just waiting to be explored!
 
(Content Source : Travel Sri Lanka Magazine)
(Image Source   :  sarisara.com)