Breathe in! Traveler films heartbreaking video of her ascent of “crazy narrow” spiral steps on the outside of a spectacular tower in Sri Lanka, with barely enough room for two
- The stairway at Ambuluwawa Tower is shielded only by a waist-high handrail
- Footage from blogger Janet Newenham shows that the climb is not for the faint of heart
- She said, “The busier the tower is, the more claustrophobic you can feel.”
The view from the top of Sri Lanka’s Ambuluwawa Tower is heavenly, but some may find the climb there pure hell, as evidenced by a traveler’s footage of her ascent.
The Ambuluwawa Tower looks innocent from a distance – but if you get closer, visitors will see that on the outside there is an extremely narrow spiral staircase that winds upwards, with a stone handrail that is barely waist-high. To enjoy the spectacular view from the 48-meter summit, visitors must climb this stairway, which is barely wide enough for two people to climb to the top.
Janet Newenham, who runs a travel company called ‘Janet’s Journeys,’ filmed herself climbing the ‘crazy narrow’ stairway and revealed in her nerve-wracking clip that the climb is definitely not an experience those with a fear of heights or claustrophobia would enjoy.
Janet, 36, told Web Travel: “I’ve climbed this tower five times on different trips and it was different each time. The busier the tower is, the more claustrophobic you can feel. It can get a bit scary, especially if you’re afraid of heights.”
Janet Newenham, who runs a tour company called Janet’s Journeys, filmed herself climbing the “crazy narrow” staircase of Sri Lanka’s Ambuluwawa Tower. Janet is pictured with her friend Veronica at the top of the tower
Janet, 36, told Web Travel: “It can get a bit scary, especially if you’re afraid of heights.”
Ambuluwawa Tower is located on the top of Ambuluwawa Mountain, 1,087 m above sea level
Any moments of panic?
“Not for me,” she said, “but a lot of my friends refused to go upstairs and some definitely had their moments as we got higher and higher.” The wall isn’t very high so it can be very intimidating the higher you go.”
However, the ordeal is worth it.
Irish travel blogger Janet continued: “The view is absolutely spectacular and it gets better the higher you go. You get a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. You can look down on nearby towns and villages, rivers and rolling hills.’
Shooting her video while on a 20-day tour of Sri Lanka with friend Veronica, Janet described climbing the tower as “one of the highlights”, adding that “driving a tuk tuk to the trailhead is an adventure in itself”.
The view from the top of the tower is described as “absolutely spectacular”.
Those suffering from claustrophobia may not find climbing the tower particularly pleasant
From the top, visitors can see nearby towns and villages, as well as rivers and rolling hills
The cone-shaped Ambuluwawa Tower houses a Buddhist temple pagoda, reveals Visit Sri Lanka and is located on the peak of Ambuluwawa Mountain, 1,087 m above sea level.
The nearest major city is Kandy, which is about an hour’s drive north.
For more information on Janet’s tours, visit janetsjourneys.com. For more of Janet’s videos, visit www.youtube.com/@JanetNewenham.
The cone-shaped Ambuluwawa Tower houses a Buddhist temple pagoda and is located on the peak of Ambuluwawa Mountain, 1,087 m above sea level