Ohiya & the Devil's Staircase
Uva Province
About Ohiya & the Devil's Staircase
Ohiya is the hill railway at its most romantic: a lonely 1,774-metre station wrapped in pine and cloud forest, where trains pause between tunnels and the silence afterwards is absolute. It serves walkers two famous ways. First, it is the back gate to Horton Plains - a stiff but beautiful road-walk climbs to the park entrance, far quieter than the Pattipola side. Second, and wilder, Ohiya is the top of the Devil's Staircase: a ferociously steep concrete-and-gravel estate road that plunges through V-shaped valleys, tea terraces, and the eerie beauty of the Ohiya gap down to Kalupahana beside Bambarakanda Falls. Hikers walk it in four to five hours (knees complaining); local tuk-tuk and 4x4 drivers run it for the brave. Waterfalls, rock arches, and villages hang off every switchback. Do it downhill, end at Sri Lanka's tallest waterfall, and you have the hill country's best adventure day.
Top Activities
- ✓Devil's Staircase hike or 4x4 run
- ✓Horton Plains via the Ohiya gate
- ✓Remote station photography
- ✓Tunnel-and-pine railway rides
- ✓Finish at Bambarakanda Falls
Nearby Attractions
Travel Tips
Walk the staircase downhill (Ohiya→Kalupahana) and arrange pickup at the bottom.
Skip it entirely in heavy rain - the gradients are genuinely dangerous.
Carry food and water; there's nothing between the ends.
Quick Info
Best Time
January to April
Weather
Cold, misty mornings; the staircase road is treacherous in rain.
Estimated Daily Budget
6.8236°N, 80.8511°E
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