Victoria Dam
Central Province
About Victoria Dam
Victoria Dam is modern Sri Lanka's answer to the ancient tank builders: a slender double-curvature arch of concrete, 122 metres tall and 520 wide, flung across the Mahaweli river's gorge at Teldeniya to create the island's largest hydropower station and one of its most dramatic man-made sights. Completed in 1985 as the flagship of the Mahaweli scheme (and of British aid - the Queen's namesake project), the dam holds back a reservoir that drowned a valley and filled it with silver, its arms reaching toward the Knuckles wall behind. The public viewpoint above the dam delivers the full vertiginous sweep - arch, gorge, spill gates, and lake - and an information centre tells the engineering story; when the radial gates open after big rains, the spectacle draws crowds from Kandy, forty-five minutes away. Pair it with the drowned-town history of Teldeniya and the Knuckles foothill roads.
Top Activities
- ✓Dam viewpoint and information centre
- ✓Spill-gate watching in high water
- ✓Victoria Reservoir photography
- ✓Knuckles foothill drives
- ✓Combine with Kandy or Digana
Nearby Attractions
Travel Tips
Photography of the dam face is restricted in places - follow the signage.
After monsoon bursts, call ahead to ask if the gates are spilling.
The Kandy–Mahiyangana road passes right by - a natural stop.
Quick Info
Best Time
Year-round; after heavy rains for the spill gates
Weather
Warm; the viewpoint is exposed - mornings are most comfortable.
Estimated Daily Budget
7.2431°N, 80.7847°E
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