Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It is in the wet zone rain forest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country. Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month. 

In the west of the hill country is the scenic village of Kitulgala. The landscape here is particularly dramatic with vertiginous forest-clad cliffs plummeting down to the wild waters of the kelani River. This is also the site of some of the best whitewater rafting in Sri lanka with grade three rapids some 5km upstream. Kitulgala’s other claim to fame is that it was the site for the filming of the 1957 Oscar Academy Award winning film, The Bridge on the River Kawai. On a clear day, you may even dive to see the remains of the actual bridge and the carriages used for the film, although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge (supposedly, the submerged train cars that plunged into the river in the climactic scene). only for experienced divers with proper equipment.