Waulpane Limestone Cave

Waulpane Limestone Cave: The one and only internal waterfall in Sri Lanka

ROUTE:

Gampaha/Colombo ->Ratnapura->Pelmadulla ->Madampe ->Pallebedda ->Thuntota Junction ->Waulpane.

IMPORTANT FACTS AND POINTS TO REMEMBER:

·         It is important to have a bottle of water for consumption as well as an umbrella for protection from sunny/rainy conditions.

·         Since the road between Thuntota Juntion and Bulutota is being expanded, you mace face certain difficulties while travelling.

·         Waulpane Sanwardana Mawatha is situated 10 km from the Thuntota Junction and 14 km from Bulutota by the Deniya- Rakwana Road. From this point, the famous Waulpane Limestone cave is just 3 km away.

·         Waulpane Sanwardana Mawatha consists of many narrow zigzag bends. As such, you cannot travel by bus or low height cars.

·         Once you get to the vehicle parking spot, the cave is just 15 minutes away by foot.

·         The Waulpane cave is home to hundreds and thousands of bats. Due to this reason, the cave floor is covered in layers of bat feces and you will have to explore the cave by climbing over slippery rocks. Unless you wish to place your bare feet on bat feces, I suggest you wear a quality shoe with good friction in the sole.

·         The interior of the cave is very dark, so be sure to take a torch along with you, preferably one that can be attached to the head.

·         If you wish to take photographs, you will need to take a powerful source of light. Be aware that the bats tend to get excited in the presence of light, so they may attack you.

·         You will also need a cap or some other form of head cover to protect your head from bat feces. As far as ticks are concerned to protect yourself from getting bitten, it is advisable to wear long sleeves and ¾ pants.

·         You can choose to either explore the cave and turn back or come out of the other end of the cave. If you choose to come out of the other end keep in mind that you will have to swim across the Halvini stream which is neck high and mixed with feces.

·         Do make it a point to take a bar of soap, a towel and other necessary items to have a bath after exiting the cave.

·         Do not leave anything behind except for your footprints. Do take back everything that you bring in.

Dedicated to all passionate tourists.

Have you ever been to the Waulpane natural limestone cave? If the answer is no, it is high time you visited this ancient marvel rich in stalagmite and stalactites. It is a must for a tourist to have this unique experience of exploring the Waulpane cave in order to complete his/her life time.

The act of exploring the Waulpane cave stands as a test set by nature. The battles you face while getting across will completely put you off your comfort zone unless you appreciate the functions of nature. Bat feces in every nook and corner and the possibility of coming in contact with them, frequent attacks by ticks, cockroaches running across your body and the sound of animals passing by in pit darkness is nothing less to a challenge. If you are not up for it, you can always choose to explore just the doors of the cave. 

My friends and I got into a jeep and set off on an unbelievable experience of exploring the Waulpane cave. Of the 2 routes that lead to Waulpane, we felt the Pelmadulla route was the closest, so we made a turn at the Thuntota junction towards Bulutota. Although travelling was rather inconvenient due to unfavorable road conditions, at the end of 10 km, we managed to locate the Waulpane Sanwardhana Mawatha with ease.

Sanwardhana Mawatha consists of several steep slopes. Eventhough the road has concrete surfaces here and there, it is not advisable to travel in vehicles with low ground clearance.

After being impatient for 2 km, we finally reached the Waulpane village. There we found a parking lot for vehicles and also small shops to buy essentials. The motive of our journey was not just to explore the cave but also to make a documentary of it. Hence we decided to take a tour guide with us.

We managed to convince a villager to accompany us. We had to walk 400 m down a gritty road till we came to a pathway parallel to the Halvini stream. We then made a turn to a by road just 300 m away from the pathway and in no time we found ourselves facing a manmade platform to view the cave. With a mind eager to explore the contents of the cave, we climbed down a slope to reach one of the cave openings.

The Waulpane cave complex consists of 2 main caves. The entrance to the cave is approximately 18x15 feet and according to sources the entire length of the cave is 450 m. As we entered the cave, we could feel a creek of the Halvini stream running through our legs. The stones on the floor were wet and covered in bat feces, which made it slippery and extremely hard for us to move ahead. Hence, we decided to travel on bare feet subduing the disgust that was cropping up in our minds.

The light from outside slowly disappeared as we made our way through the cave and after a few meters, split darkness began to rule over us. We could feel the presence of hundreds of cockroaches and tiny little insects including swarms of ticks attempting to invade our bodies. Regardless of these disturbances, we were able to view amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites at the top and bottom of the cave respectively. There were hundred thousand bats hanging from the roof and another hundred of them flying around. Some of them got excited by the torch light, so my team had to avoid bat attacks by ducking every now and then. We were also aware of feces attacks, so none of us had the guts to stare at the ceiling of the cave for too long.

The Waulpane cave is said to have an estimated amount of five hundred thousand bats that belong to 6 different species. It is also the natural habitat of species of lizards, frogs, rats and various insects and fish that have adapted to darkness.

This exploration was a particularly challenging one for me because unlike my other team mates, I did not have a torch that could be attached to my head. Instead I had to hold the torch in one hand and the camera in the other while balancing over slippery rocks. At times, I was even compelled to use all 4 extremities to move around.

At the heart of the cave, cascades a spectacular creation of nature; the one and only internal waterfall of Sri Lanka. It is 60 ft tall and is considered the tallest internal waterfall in Sri Lanka and also the 2^nd tallest in the world. The unusual fact about this waterfall is that the volume of water that cascades down the rocks remains uniform throughout the year. The climate, amount of water in the stream or other environmental factors do not affect the volume of the waterfall.

At the beginning of the fall we also found a smaller cave, without doubt home to a kingdom of bats.   The Halvini stream continues to flow through a short port like opening pass the waterfall and if you wish, you may follow it till the other end of the cave, though it is neck high and contaminated with feces. Considering the fact that we were carrying expensive equipment such as video cameras we decided not to get into the stream. So we turned back and came out of the main entrance, climbed up the slope, onto the roof of the cave and hiked 600 m forward till we reached the rear opening of the cave. On our way to the rear end, we also came across carvings and marble sediments that have the possibility of being fossils. We then re-entered the cave and followed the stream Halvini to its inlet. Thus ended our exploration of the cave.

To the left of the cave, we also found the water stream responsible for creating the waterfall. The point at which it enters the cave is known as “Andaaraya”- a name given by the villagers. A few meters above this point, the villagers have made a gutter out of a Kithul trunk and people have been using this to have a bath after viewing the cave; so did we. According to our guide, this water has medicinal values and it is particularly useful in curing dermatologic issues if used without soap but because our bodies were covered in bat feces, we decided to stick to the soap.

The source for the internal waterfall is 100 m away from the point it enters the cave. Villagers state it is a spring but geologically it is known as pore-water. Since the volume of water and the speed of the waterfall remains uniform throughout the year regardless of environmental factors, it is assumed that the water comes from a very deep layer under the surface.

If you do not wish to have a bath outside the cave, you can walk up to the Halvini Oya bathing area allocated for villagers. If not you can have a dip at the natural twin pond named “Yodhaya Kapu Vala” which stands for the pond built by the giant in Sinhala. I sometimes wonder if these were specifically created by nature itself to treat the travellers that explore the Waulpane cave.

After an eventful day, we got into our jeep and while enjoying a sizzling drizzle we headed home. Thus, concluded our journey.