By Dimithri Wijesinghe
Located in Ginigathhena, standing at 322 feet, Aberdeen falls is ranked the 18th highest waterfall in the island. It’s a horsetail type of a waterfall which essentially means the descending water maintains contact with the bedrock most of the time.
The waterfall does not appear too frequently on must-visit lists, considering the fact that it’s an off-the-beaten-path destination. Despite being one of the more picturesque locations, it’s still quite secluded, cloaked in a framing of high rock clusters that protects it from the outside world.
The dry season is the perfect time to visit the falls as there is less danger of quicksand and the fall is relatively mellow with the water currents being almost non-existent.
Considering that rainfall isn’t too heavy this time of the year, we chose our destination and set out in search of Aberdeen falls.
From trains to treks
We got on to the 5.55 a.m. express train. Having been too late to actually make reservations for seats, we resigned to stand throughout the journey. But kindness of strangers is a real thing in Sri Lanka; as the journey progressed, we were offered to share seats and eventually managed to get ourselves comfortable seating arrangements all the way to the end.
Beauty worth the journey
Thanking our lucky stars, we managed to cut our potentially three-hour journey into a 30-minute van ride and we started yet another hike – this time, a 2.5 km walk down the path leading up to the entrance to the waterfall. Once again, we managed to catch a tuk tuk for about Rs. 200 and the tuk uncle agreed to pick us up once we were done and drop us off at the bus stand.
Finally, we were at the entrance, but the journey had barely begun because we soon learned why the waterfall is very rarely visited – it’s all because of the steps of doom. The few hundred steps leading down are built close together and slightly slanted in a way that makes the descent a little tough on the knees, leaving you dreading the climb back up. Regardless, considering how far we’ve made, we started to climb down.
The way back up was taxing. Having played around in the sun for hours, it was difficult, but we made it back and there’s a house just opposite the beginning of the steps. The owner offers water and a place to sit and rest for those who make the trek.
We soon gave up all pretence of waiting for the bus and called our new friend – the tuk uncle – who arrived soon enough and dropped us off at the bus station for just Rs. 200, and we took the last bus to Awissawella which came right on time at 4.15 p.m.
Getting a three-wheeler is of no concern as the man who owns the house near the steps has a three-wheeler of his own, and there are others who park there to transport people who come to see the waterfall. There’s also a bus that drives past every hour until four in the evening.
Round-up
When we first set out to go on the trip, our biggest concern was the budget: How much is this going to cost us? So we took clear precautions to prevent any unnecessary expenses, and when it was all done, we had spent exactly Rs. 720 each. However, we must mention that purchasing food was at a minimum; we mostly had tea and isso wade in the train, and the rest was brought from home.