After successfully completing the Chilaw to Mundalama stretch I wanted to do the rest and end the hike at Puttalam.

In 2015 I shifted to Chilaw from Monaragala and I was seeking for places to travel. When I was in Uva I was fond of hiking along the railways and ended up doing rail hikes covering Badulla to Nawalapitiya by foot. So I was wondering what this coastal line would provide me with.

During the dry month of August I wanted to explore Nathagane complex which was always tempting me while I was passing by Kurunegala.

Kalinga Island is located in the center of Mahaweli River at the boarder of the Wasgamuwa NP & it consists of 7 islands. The main island harbours ruins of a forgotten era. It’s said that princes of Kalinga sailed upstream along Mahaweli River to the interior of the country and this mini island was once believed to be their ship manufacturing yard.

After tackling Handurukanda in the morning we wanted to explore something new. The best thing is I selected this location with the help of Google earth and it did pay off as predicted. After having lunch at Ridigama we took the B264 route which was been carpeted and reached Ankumbura.

After tackling Bopaththalawa in the morning we decided to head towards the elusive Dell Mountain. I saw this mountain for the first time when I was hiking Great western 6 years back and ever since that I have been staring at it on my successful attempts to Adams peak.

I wanted to do something new so decided to go through Google maps and thought of heading towards Bogawanthalawa on a Saturday morning with Chamara. First day we had a failed attempt on Kotagala mountain which we only managed 60%. So after a tiring attempt we decided to call it a day and we lodged at Bogawanthalawa.

It was a 3 day holiday and I really wanted to go somewhere. So I decided to hike few Rocky Mountains around Kurunegala. After many years I got a chance to get Anupama involved and Chamara also joined in. we left early to reach Mallawapitiya at around 7.30am where we had breakfast. From Mallawapitiya we took the Indulgodakanda road and on our way we saw a jackal caught in a trap near a road side forest patch.

I have been to Bathalegala twice and on both occasions I did note the massive mountain close to it which is called Ura kanda / Ashraff kanda. It is well known by many because in year 2000 a helicopter carrying Minister Ashraff and 14 others crashed mysteriously causing their tragic demise. This 980m mountain is said to be tough to tackle and many who have attempted have done it from the rocky side, during the rainy season.

After my last two visits to Thanamalwila and Hambanthota I decided to head further south towards Ambalantota.

In 2013 I did a grand tour around Thissamaharama and Kataragama and this year I thought of extending it further away towards Hambanthota. In this report I have focused on few places I haven’t visited already. As usual I left early morning and reached Bandagiriya to start off my day.

After my last visit to Wellawaya I thought of proceeding further south and my wife did join me on this venture. As usual we took of early from Monaragala and reached Thanamalvila. There were few places on the way to Thanamalvila which we thought of visiting while returning back.