Daha Ata Wanguwa is the 18 Bends Road
Daha Ata Wanguwa (18 Bends Road) is a famous drive in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The road features 17 hairpin bends (not 18).
Is Daha Ata Wanguwa (18 Bends Road) paved?
Tucked away in the central mountainous terrain of the country, the famous stretch of road is part of the main A26 road, linking the cities of Kandy and Mahiyanganaya. It’s totally paved and was feared by many drivers as one of the difficult roads in the country. The famous 18 hairpin bends made it a difficult road even for many experienced motorists and became one of the roads to test their driving skills. But for more than one and half centuries, this road was the only road that linked these main cities. Though it is famous as the 18 bend road people come across only 17 bends in reality as one bend was removed long ago after widening that section of the road.
How long is Daha Ata Wanguwa (18 Bends Road)?
Located to the west of Mahiyanganaya, Daha Ata Wanguwa (18 Bends Road) is 6.2 km (3.85 miles) long. The entire stretch of road includes 10 bridges and 320 box culverts with 37 widened culverts. Renovation work on the 18 bend road which commenced in April 2008 completed construction in less than four years providing motorists a safer and a comfortable journey reducing travel time from four to 1 ½ hours. This dual carriage highway with a width of 8.25m was completed with assistance provided by the Asian Development Bank. This road was an attractive road among the local and foreign travellers as it was a very rare experience for them to pass this terrain during their voyages to Mahiyangana or to the eastern part of the country. For many children and also adults, counting these 17 bends during their journey and to have a brief stop over at the top of the hilly part to enjoy the picturesque scene in the valley of Mahiyanagana from the top of the hills was a very enjoyable experience.