Rapid action

From whichever direction you approach Kandy and by whatever form of transport, it is immediately obvious that you are in one of the more beautiful regions of the world. Thick jungles, tea plantations built at seemingly impossible angles, imposing colonial houses, free-flowing rivers and mighty waterfalls drift by slowly outside your windows.

Twenty-five scenic miles from Kandy, you'll find it all concentrated in the village of Kitulgala. The pace of life is slow and relaxed, but what is not so slow and relaxed is the mighty Kelani river, which charges through the village and offers some of the world's most exhilarating white-river rafting in one of the subcontinent's more glorious settings.

Award-winning British director David Lean was so taken with the village that he chose it to fill in for Burma, the setting for his 1957 spectacle The Bridge on the River Kwai. The foundations of the bridge built for the film can still be seen, but chances are you'll have eyes only for the rapids.

Democratically enough, the river has rapids that can be negotiated by beginners, as well as those that challenge advanced rafters. For beginners, the Head Chopper rapid - a one-hour-long experience - is a good starting point. After a sedate build-up that lulls you into sitting back and drinking in the beauty that surrounds you, the river suddenly picks up speed as it forces its way through a channel. The boat spins around, directly into the path of a low-lying branch. Adrenaline surges through as you realise that you are going very fast, entirely at the mercy of nature. The initial reaction is to cling on to whatever you can and this is probably correct, whatever the boat captain may tell you. After what seems like an eternity, but in reality is a few seconds, you are told to duck if you haven't already, for in front of you is a whopping great big branch.

Prayers are offered silently and sometimes with great vocal force, everyone ducks, eyes are opened, the water calms, stragglers who have fallen out of the raft are picked up and then you look up.

In front of you in the middle distance is a vast tea plantation, spread across a virtually sheer hill face, the brightly dressed tea-garden workers glistening like raindrops in the sun. Thick jungles lie on either side of the river, rising up interminably to the glorious mountain peaks, punctuated by the odd house and villagers bathing, washing or fishing. A silence envelops you, invigorating rather than disquieting.

The experience is complete when you fling yourself off the boat for a swim or a float in the calmer waters towards the southern end of the village. To look up while drifting on your back, having just conquered eight rapids, inhaling deeply of the fresh tea-scented air, while gazing at a landscape untouched by man, is to feel alive.

This may sound like madness for a family day out - or any day out - but it is not. The rafts are skippered by locals who have grown up on the river, and however unmanageable you may feel the situation is, they are always in control. Helmets and life jackets are compulsory and, even if you fall out of the raft, you are in no real danger.

For adventure-seekers who want even more, there is an interesting alternative on Poya days. For the three days on either side of the full-moon holiday, operators offer "black rafting". Given sufficient ambient light (though each rafter is kitted out with a headlight), these night-time forays down the river make for a totally different experience, with a greater adrenaline rush and sense of achievement. The silence can be eerie - but the experience is one you will carry with you for the rest of your life.