Bandarawela
Bandarawela, the city of 4250 feet above sea level. is the base station for excursions around Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Central Provinces. Midway on the route between Yala Wild Life Sanctuary and Kandy.Bandarawela is framed by Haputale, Diyatalawa range on one side and Idalgashinna and Ohiya mountain tops on the other sides.
Bandarawela is the second largest town in Badulla District which is 28 km away from Badulla city. Due to a higher altitude, Bandarawela has a cooler climate throughout the year. Bandarawela is 210 km away from Colombo and about 150 km away from Kandy, Colombo and Kandy being two major cities in Sri Lanka. Both roads and railway transportation are available to reach the area. Bandarawela town, tinted with a colonial past resting among lush forestation has found its niche among its visitors as a base for eco-tourism.
Heritage
The main heritage sites in and around Bandarawela are ancient Dhowa Buddhist rock temple, the Roman Catholic Church- St. Anthony's Church and Methodist church. Ancient dhowa rock temple was founded by the King Walagamba in the first century BC which is located 6 km away from the Bandarawela city. It has a 38 ft Buddha image sculptured from a rock and some paintings belonging to the Kandyan era, depicting various Jataka stories.
Geography and climate
During colonial times, the picturesque town of Bandarawela was once hailed as possessing one of the healthiest climates in the world, & nothing much has happened here to change that. Therein this was the most favourable climate in the island. Geographically, the Bandarawela area is hilly and surrounded by the large number of mountains in Uva and Central Province.
According to the local climatic zone classifications, Bandarawela is classified under Up Country Intermediate Zone (UCIZ) which is spread over the Badulla and Moneragala Districts. The elevation above the sea level at Bandarawela is 1300 m, the annual average rainfall is between 1100 and 1400 mm and the monthly average temperature are between 15 °C (in February) and 27 °C (in May and June). The Bandarawela area consists mainly at Red Yellow Podzolic soil which is strongly acidic and favorable for the tea plantation.
Picturesque Places
Front view of the Adisham Bangalow
Rawana Ella (131 ft in height) and Diyaluma (628 ft in height) are the most beautiful waterfalls in this region. Rawana Ella is situated on the Ella, Wellawaya main road and Diyaluma situated near the Koslanda village. Adisham Bungalow, Bandarawela Hotel and Lipton's Seats are other historic places in Bandarawela area.