Hanthana Mountain range is made up with various mountain peaks and it is a popular destination among the mountain hikers in Sri Lanka, especially among the university students as well as foreigners. This hike was a sudden decision of us since we felt the months of heavy rains just over. We were thinking where to go, then without wasting days we decided to explore Hanthana.

Year and Month 20th-21st September, 2014 Number of Days 2 Crew 9 ( 5 kids & 4 adults ) Accommodation Kalpitiya Coastal Environmental Centre, Kandankuliya, Kudawa, Kalpitiya  (0714436293 –Mr.Wanniarachchi) Transport 2 SUVs Activities Family trip Weather Excellent weather – sunny and bright Route Colombo -> Katunayaka Expressway -> along A3 -> Palavi -> Norochcholai -> […]

It was nearly a year and a half since we (Ashan, Amila, Hari and me) went on a bike tour covering Yatiyanthota-Seepoth and Parussella-Dedugala roads and saw many waterfalls. There were more than a dozen of them at the time making me think that the waterfalls headquarters were here. What’s more, there’s no need to go for treacherous hikes searching for these beauties as they’re more or less located either by the roadside or with a short hike.

So you’re blessed to go see more than a dozen of gorgeous falls within less than 12 hours that is something you won’t get anywhere else. So, having done it once didn’t stop me from getting back again. The intermittent rains made the thought more appealing and I managed to find Atha to accompany me after a numerous put-offs.

This is an unknown hidden beauty found in Doloswala Kanda area few meters from foot path to Pitakele from Doloswala Kanda….. It is roughly 30 feets in height and has three main sections. Amount of water is less now a day as there is a diversion for mini hydro plant. The name “Kamani” which some people in Doloswala unheard of given after a 16 year old girl committed suicide by jumping from the top of the fall few years back.

Little I knew about the mysterious mountain, which is quite close to my friend’s organic farm. Once he described about the caves with inscriptions, I was skeptical. All sorts of thoughts were running inside my head….. Would it be a new discovery? What kind of history would it unveil? Or are they simple inscriptions done by villagers? etc. I was eager to visit, but it kept on postponing for several months due to various reasons.

Back in October of 2011 I had this bright idea of cycling to Jaffna. The easiest way of doing this was to travel on the A9, but then again that would be so boring and the whole point of riding to Jaffna was not complete the journey from point A to point B but to enjoy journey and experience the solitude and the care free way of travel. The only road that meets my expectations is the Costal road; this road hugs the western coast line of Sri lank all the way to Jaffna!!

When Hariya called asking if we could go see Doovili Ella in Kalthota, I couldn’t have been happier. It brought back the sweet memories of our old gang doing a tour in and around Kalthota. Kalthota Doovili Ella is one of the most beautiful of all I’ve seen to date. She has this unique way of falling down very much similar to a pyramid. The whole Walawe River squeezed through that tiny opening with so much pressure creating millions of water drops scattering the entire area.

Even the base pool is nice and surrounded by some gorgeous rock formations. So thinking of the prospects of seeing her once again made my heart beat ever-so-faster. So we set our plans for the 6 Dec despite all the weather forecasts predicting heavy rains. As Hari hadn’t been to Kirindi Ella or Doovili Ella before, we decided to visit them plus another two, Kuda Ella and the evading Diyawini Ella that we missed due to lack of time even after going all the way to her.

The first remaining ruin of the Kingdom of Kotte which we were able to see was the Gal Ambalama. This was a resting place during the Kingdom of Kotte for people who visited the Kingdom for various purposes.The Gal Ambalama 20 feet and 15 feet in length.There are 10 posts made out of stone and the roof has a beautiful Kanimadala.(Configuration of the roof at that time).This is being used by people even today as a resting place.

River Boarding is a board sport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, depending on the type of board used.
Unlike the white water rafting It is quite challenging and you will need some practice before you take the ride. We didn’t know this so just went and took the ride but couldn’t get pass even the third rapid due to lack of training.

The North – East monsoons were setting in almost after two years so it was time to hunt some cascades around Dambethenna. There was an old trip report from Priyanjan which guided me through this adventure. I took a bus from Haputhale towards Dambetenna and got off at the tea factory. From here onwards my guide was the kmz file given by Priyanjan in his trip report. Better to refer that otherwise you would not see or find these beauties.

Year and Month 2014 December 05th and 06th Number of Days Two days Crew 3Ns- Nirosh, Niroshan and Nadeesha Accommodation N/A Transport By train, bus and climbing Activities Mountain climbing, Photography and spiritual activities Weather Slight showers and misty. Overall weather is good. Route Colombo -> Hatton -> Nallathanniya (නල්ලතන්නිය) -> Sri Pada peak -> […]

I didn’t wanna turn around having come so close coz not being able to visit especially a waterfall going all the way is something that tastes bitter. It not only tastes bitter and it keeps nagging at me. Reluctantly, we decided to let Sheham go and Shareez and I walked up for another 1-1.5km along the road till we reached a sign board giving details about a Asupini Ella Village Project with half a dozen faces of politicians. The road forks into two here and you have to take the right turn that goes uphill.

Another 500m or so will take you to a stream that flows across the road. Pass this and you’ll come to a sharp right bend with a black wooden electricity pole on the left. On this about 6ft up is nailed a tiny board saying “To Ella” with an arrow. We were grateful for this and followed it. The path hasn’t been used recently, must be due to rain and was infested with leeches. We kept going uphill and Shareez who had had very little physical activities in this kind was ready to give up after a 1km or so.