Kitulgala is a small town that one meets along the Colombo – Nuwara Eliya road and is becoming more and more one of the most visited ECO destinations in Sri Lanka. Kitulgala with a beautiful shallow river winding through it, shrouded by the rainforest is a place for nature lovers.
The film location of “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was Kitulgala and the famous bridge that was blown up in the film was built over the Kelani river flowing through Kitulgala.
This location in which the bridge was built still attracts fans. The river can be crossed by walking across the shallows and crossing the deep channel in a dugout canoe with an outrigger during the drier seasons. This is place for those interested in bird watching, white-water rafting and trekking.
Most of the rainforest bird species found in the Sinharaja forest reserve can also be found here. Large numbers of people travel to Kitulgala at weekends to enjoy the beautiful scenery and play in the river.