It was late 2009 and we were returning back from Bambarakanda while the bus stopped at Balangoda I noted a huge rock which looked like Kunudiyaparwataya and wanted to climb it on the very next weekend. This mountain prompted me to make a forum post on Lakdasun for the first time (at that time I had a forum account but hadn’t done any posting). Guess who gave me words of wisdom it was Priyanjan and he gave me all the details I wanted but I never had the opportunity to complete this hike. This year the ongoing mini drought around Rathnapura area prompted me to complete my dream.

It all started after seen an article on Lakdasun shared by Sheham about a worlds end in Seetha eliya. On that article it seemed like the mayor wanted to give the place bit of publicity and attract many visitors too. I wanted to visit it as soon as possible before the place lost its natural beauty thanks to our irresponsible public. Lahiru gave his confirmation few days prior and Amila was on the pending side until the very last moment. On a clear Saturday we got together at Colombo at around 10am(which was a very unusual time for us) and took a bus towards Nuwara eliya. At around 3.30pm we reached our destination where we immediately had lunch and packed some for dinner too. After collecting some more resources we took a bus towards Magasthota and got off at the end of Gregory lake from there we hired a trishaw which took us towards the potato farm where there was a locked gate.

It’s very unusual of me to visit the peak wilderness twice within one year but 2013 was a special one. Suddenly out of nowhere the idea popped out and I called my better half and agreed her to join me this time and as usual few lakdasun members answered my calls. I was so happy because Kasun and Sri were joining us, so we won’t feel lonely with their company. I have been through both Rathnapura and Hatton trails but I have not ascended from Rathnapura and after almost 5 years the trail was said to be totally different than the one I knew previously.

It was a while since we walked around, so both of us decided to visit Dambadeniya and return back before dawn. Though Dambadeniya was not far from Chilaw we had to take 5 buses to reach there ;-D . Our main target was a famous rock called “Waduwa ketu gala” which has an interesting folklore. I never thought this could be climbed until one of our fellow Lakdasun members climbed it. So Lahiru was the one who gave me all the information I wanted before attempting this steep climb.

It has been a long journey since I joined Lakdasun in 2009 actually it added some spice in to my life and enforced my passion for traveling. Now it’s almost four years since I have transformed in to an ideal traveler. The knowledge the experience I gained from Lakdasun is immense and that per se was enough for me to do 100 write-ups voluntarily for the betterment of future travelers of our pearl island. I still remember the day Mithila asked me to write a trip report on Adams peak which was the second trip report on this forum and since then I have been writing continuously(except 2011 latter half) on Lakdasun

Mini world’s end of Elamanna is the best out of all four known worlds’ ends in SL for me and that’s why I visited the same place thrice within a period of one year. This time though I was lucky because there was no mist and I did enjoy the full view which I was craving for. On the previous two days I had hiked strenuously by visiting Udawadiya, Lunugala peak, Bambaragala pathana, Kohonawala villege and to add on to that I had to walk 18 more Km’s to achieve something I dreamt of.

It is fascinating what you could observe around your own residence sometimes! some people travel to places to see wild life but if you are observant enough there are plenty of things right at your doorstep. This is a collection of images taken around my second home while having a chat in our garden. The canal which lies at the boarder attracts many birds and its a great pleasure to walk along it when the water levels are low.

Degal hela (Diggalahela) is also known as Rock of Siyambalanduwa. This isolated monadnock was first seen while climbing Govinda hela last year, since then it was a dream for me. Though I found a guide to show me the way the weather was always turning from bad to worse when ever I plan to do so. On a Saturday early morning I met Ajith from 2nd mile post at Siyambalanduwa and proceeded towards Helamulla ancient temple which lies at the base of the mountain where I was introduced to Sena who promised to take us uphill. The weather god’s made sure that a bit of drizzle would make it bit more challenging to us. We curved along the mountain climbing boulders and reached a slope which was not much difficult to tackle and at last we were almost at the top after a one and a half hour hike. The summit has two rocks hence Degal hela(450m).

It was long ago I did a rail hike that was in February. So with the upcoming long weekend and been clueless, I decided to do a 3 day rail hike which I had to fast track to two days because Kasun invited me for another trip. Doing 65 Km’s for two days is more like a rail run but guess what I didn’t miss a thing. Walking speed was around 4.2Km’s/hour and I have never walked on a road even that fast. As most of you’ll know this stretch is not known for any special locations or scenery but I found out that there was lot to offer. My main focus was on flowers, may be wild or grown at stations as garden flowers, so please forgive me for adding many images of these beauties.

This year the monsoon seems to be getting late letting me venture around more and more taking the upper hand of it. There was an old post on a trail from Udu dumbara to Rathna falls which was hanging around my long list for many years. So I thought of giving it a shot. With few calls Sri, Danushka and Lahiru were in to it. It was supposed to be an easy hike which was 2.5Km’s.
On the previous day I reached Mahiyanganaya and loitered around in the evening enjoying some unseen water bodies called Dambarawa lake and Mapakada lake.

Kingdom of Magama which is also guarded by lord Katharagama is one of the most visited areas by Sri Lankans and most of the time they only manage to visit few places which are commonly known. First of all Hasitha’s report was the guide I used to plan my journey and succeeded with what I attempted in! Im not going to mention anything related to the history of Magama kingdom in detail since Hasitha has done a good job in his report! As the title says this is a summery on Kataragama, please do enjoy the images!

Neelagiri hela been the only prominent rocky mountain around Lahugala was on my list for many months not because of it been a mountain but the archeological value it had. Last year when I visited Neelagiri Sthupa I was told that there’s plenty to see around Neelagiriya in addition to the huge extensive complex of Neelagiri seya. The forest which engulfs this area extends for miles with ancient buildings belonging to Neelagiri monastery. I got the opportunity to re visit the gigantic sthupa with few of my colleagues few days back and when we reached the sthupa I met Amila who was on duty. My first question was “do you know how to get to the ruins at Neelagiri hela?” and he promptly replied by saying If I wanted he could show me the way.