Horsetail Waterfall is the first of the timed photo stops on Sri Lanka's Dunhinda Odyssey and Ella Odyssey tourist trains. It is a ribbon of white water on a forested hillside above the Main Line, seen shortly after the train leaves Nawalapitiya and begins the long climb into the tea country.
Where Is Horsetail Waterfall?
The fall is on the section of the Colombo to Badulla line between Inguru Oya and Galaboda stations. Travelling from Colombo or Kandy towards Badulla, it appears on the left-hand side of the train. There is no road access or viewing platform: this is a waterfall you see from the carriage window.
The name describes its shape. "Horsetail" is the term for a fall whose water keeps contact with the rock face as it drops, spreading into a long, narrow plume rather than leaping clear of the cliff.
Seeing It from the Train
- Odyssey trains pause here for about three minutes so passengers can photograph the fall. Stay on board: the stop is on open track, not at a platform.
- Regular trains do not stop, but the fall is still visible. Take a left-side seat from Nawalapitiya and watch the hillside after Inguru Oya.
- Season. Like every hill-country waterfall it is fullest during and after the monsoon rains, and thinner in the dry months.
The Rest of This Section
Beyond Galaboda the line threads a series of short tunnels and climbs towards Watawala and Hatton. The next photo stop is the view of Adam's Peak, the sacred mountain whose cone rises above the tea ridges on a clear morning. Nearby, but reached on foot rather than from the train, is Galboda Falls.