Exploring the Beauty of Ambuluwawa: A Serene Mountain Retreat
From the top of Ambuluwawa, one can get the most amazing views, sometimes covered by the ongoing mist. Sometimes the view could be scary and freak out climbers after the mist is cleared off, especially with those who have a fear of heights. Note that hiking Ambuluwawa is not dangerous or risky at all, though it wouldn’t be the ideal kind of adventure for those with a fear of heights. Avoid leaning on the railing to capture photographs, especially at the top, as this is extremely risky and one could easily slip off from here. Ambuluwawa is a relatively easy hike to do that allows one to see 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, forests, rivers, and towns.
The Ambuluwawa Hill and the adjacent forest is designated as a forest reservation which is named as the Ambuluwawa ICC Forest Reservation. The history of the Ambuluwawa Temple dates back to the 13th century during the reign of King Buwanekabahu IV. It is said that the Ambuluwawa Peak was the center of the Gampola Kingdom during his reign. But there is nothing with historical or archaeological values in here.
Ambuluwawa Tower Height
Ambuluwawa is situated approximately 1,965 feet from the level of Gampola town. The Ambuluwawa Mountain stands approximately 3560 meters above sea level. The tower stands at a height of approximately 48 meters and the elderly and kids are not recommended to climb to the top of it. The mountain road runs along the serpentine surrounded by mountain landscapes, cliffs and unique plants, which cannot be found anywhere else. Interesting places to visit include three ponds, a sacred Bodhi tree, water Park, stone Park and garden of herbs.
The Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Center was inaugurated by Sri Lanka’s former Prime Minister, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne, popularly known as “Di Mu”, who was born near Gampola. For those going from Colombo, Ambuluwawa is situated 85 km from the capital city.
The tower is set within a multi faith temple complex, with an ornate church, mosque, Hindu temple and Buddhist shrine. All the places of worship sit peacefully next to each other, arranged around a central fountain. There is a larger park and biodiversity complex on top of the mountain, but on this occasion we were there to climb the tower.
The view from the base of the tower was amazing, climbed so high up that treated to a spectacular view over Gampola town and the surrounding hills.
From Kandy take the Colombo – Kandy Road and go past Peradeniya and Gelioya up until you reach Gampola. Take the Ambuluwawa ICC Road to reach Ambuluwawa Trigonometrical Station.
How to get to Abuluwawa Tower
1. Travel by train
Gampola railway station is easily accessible by train from Kandy. Sitting along the famous Ella to Kandy route the station is only half an hour away. However, as it is on the popular route, trains can be very crowded and tickets will sell out quickly. If you don’t mind standing, and don’t object to queuing for a while, third class tickets are almost always available. It is only a short journey so standing shouldn’t be a problem. From Gampola train station you will need a tuk tuk to either; the entrance of the Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex (4km up from the train station) or, if you’re lazy like us, a tuk tuk all the way to the tower (a further 2km up more mountainous roads).
2. Travel by Bus
Head to the bus station in Kandy, where all the buses tend to park along Station Road in some sort of orderly fashion. You can ask for the Gampola buses and someone will point you in the right direction, but they were quite far down the end of the line when I was there. The Gampola bus is 718 which travels to and from Kandy. They leave frequently, multiple times per hour all day. The trip from Kandy to Gampola takes around 1 hour including stops. The one way trip costs 120 LKR (USD $0.50). The bus will drop you off at Gampola Bus Station right in the middle of town.
3. Travel by Tuk-Tuk
On a whim, John checked the PickMe app and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was only 2500 LKR (£6.01 or $6.85) to get from the centre of Kandy to Gampola town. We had previously been offered a round trip for 20000 LKR (£48.08 or $54.80) to see the tower (this was earlier in our trip and the high price may have been due to the fuel crisis)! As we had missed the first train of the day, and Google Maps was telling us the bus would require a connection (lies) we wimped out and ordered a tuk tuk on the app. When our driver arrived, we had a brief chat and agreed 6000 LKR (£14.79 or $16.86) for the trip. This would be for the 25km drive to the tower, the driver to wait for us as we climbed and for the return drive to Kandy.
4. Private Tour
You can book a private tour in advance to take you to and from the tower. You can use Get Your Guide.
Ambuluwawa Tower Ticket Price and Opening Hours
The ticket price and entry for the Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex is 2,000 LKR (USD $7) per person for foreigners.
The ticket office and gates are open from 8.30 am to 5 pm every day. The road up to the tower is closed after these hours, so don’t arrive too late expecting a sunset view.
