The Pass—or Gap—at Haputale is one of the most astonishingly beautiful spots in the country; astonishing because, no matter how many times one has been there, a cold shudder is generated every time the summit is reached and the steep descent begins on through the other side. To quote Raven-Hart, 'Haputale, where the arrival in the main street is startling, especially from a front seat—the street is there, and shops on both sides; but at the far end of it a drop into nothingness. Actually, the road makes a very sharp right turn there; but on first arrival it is obvious that the bus is going to become airborne where that road ends.'
The town clings precipitously to both sides of a razor-sharp ridge, the sides slipping away steeply into the distant valleys below. Spread out, to the north and east, is the great amphitheatre of upper Uva, bounded by the mountains of Idalgashinna, Ohiya and the Horton Plains, the peaks of Hakgala, the purple cone of Namunu-kula and the ranges of Poonagala and Bandara-Eliya. And on the other side is a view equally breathtaking—the foothills of lower Uva, the southern Sabaragamuwa and the coastal plains of the Southern Province right down to the sea. On a bright day the ocean is clearly visible.
Haputale has a year round pleasant cool climate.
Haputale Climate