This trip was planned by our crew when we hiked Eratna to Sri Pada last year. We were informed about this route by the shop owner at Indikatupana, so with the help of Lakdasun team members we were able to fulfill our dream this year.

We started around 4.30 am from Kolonnawa, had our Breakfast closer to Deraniyagala. We had bought all our requirements on the previous day so we did not have any problems in the morning.
We were at the Dik elikanda Primary School junction by 9.am; We got down from there and asked our Driver to meet us at Nallathanni following morning. We were at the Trail head by 10am..

Due to the dry weather we did not have many problems from the leeches, for which we were thankful though we were prepared with Tobacco spray and other things..

Tobacco spray was good enough to get rid of few leeches which climbed, but I am not sure if they in larger quantity.

Crew looks very happy….
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.	Click Image to Enlarge
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Now you can see the worried and tired faces…	Beautiful jungle……
Beautiful jungle……	Beautiful jungle……
Beautiful jungle……	Beautiful jungle……

.	Beautiful jungle……
.	Beautiful jungle……
Elephants had been here before us	Elephants had been here before us
Elephants had been here before us	.
Kuru ganga crossing…	Kuru ganga crossing…
Kuru ganga crossing…	At Eranthna Trail (Click Image to Enlarge)
Happy faces having seen the lights at Erathna Trail	At the summit…
At the summit…	At the summit…

At the summit…	At the summit…
At the summit…	At the summit…
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Panorama shot inside the jungle… (Click Image to Enlarge)

This was a quick family trip done with least planning on the insistence of my M-I-L (you know how they are has to be done then and there) we had an accidental discovery with the help of a local guide.

The trip started from Colombo early around 5AM and we took the route above stopping for breakfast at the Kurunegala rest house, place was not well maintained and had lost its old splendor. Staff was friendly. Arrived in Anuradhapura around noon, was a little hard to find the place as I had not been in a’pura for a long time. Settled in and the evening was the usual pilgrimage to Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanweliseya etc. The food, cooked by the owner’s mom was really good and the staff was very helpful. They even cooked the kiribath for the early morning offering to the Srimahabodhi.

Saw many birds in and around the lake such as the pheasant tailed jacana, purple swamp hen, Asian paradise flycatcher, Brahmini kite, Black hooded oriole, purple heron, white throated kingfisher, blue tailed bee-eaters, golden fronted leaf birds and common moorhen to name a few.

We left after breakfast around 10 heading to the other sites Samadhi Statue, Abhayagiriya, etc.

Now here the reason to post this report, a local boy at Isurumuniya who said he was a guide convinced my sister in law that we must see a little visited archaeological site next to the car park. We reluctantly agreed and headed there with him, access to this place had been overgrown with scrub and the civil defense force staff was clearing the area as we visited. The place is “රන්මසු උයන” (Ranmasu Uyana) This had been built in the 10th century according “වෙස්සගිරිය” (vessagiriya) inscription of Mahinda IV this is the place where Prince Saliya (son of King Dutugmunu) met Asokamala. This was their royal baths with separate chambers for the royals.

A short distance away behind ponds was the real find it is a Stargate an inscription of about 3½’ x 4’ on a stone slab, apparently created by intelligent aliens and if one mastered the symbols and signs this is a kind of an entrance for time/space travel, the Wikipedia explains this as “Stargate productions center on the premise of a “Stargate”, a ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole enabling personal transportation to complementary devices located cosmic distances away.” Similar ones are found in Egypt and Peru according to Anura Milinda, our guide.

The signboard

One of the large ponds

Private pond and rest room

Rock carving of bathing elephants

The Stargate

The canter of Stargate

A conch shell on the outer rim

This is a very interesting place and is calm and quiet on the bank of the “තිසාවැව” Thisa-wewa. Ideal for meditation and Anura Milinda is quite knowledgeable having guided many visitors from all over the world, he has many theories and it is interesting to listen to him.

So next time you all are in Anuradhapura and visiting Isurumuniya, and have an extra half hour to spare stroll over to Ranmasu uyana and the Stargate, if you can’t find it call Anura Milinda on 071-702-0655. He will be happy to oblige and take you around, and explain the hydraulic workings of the Goldfish ponds and the Stargate theories.

We chose Madu-Mannar as the destination for our year-end office trip after reading a number of trip reports on Lakdasun. We started form the suburbs of Colombo at about 12.30 in the night/morning as we had only two days to explore all interesting places that had been discussed in those reports. The crew was forty and we travelled in a 55-seater Ashok Leyland bus. As we started early, we reached Medawachchiya Rest House by 5.30 am and refreshed ourselves with a cup of tea. (Prior arrangements made to have tea so early!)

Dawn was breaking in as we turned off from A9 towards Madu along A14 and the misty surroundings made us feel as if we were travelling through the hills in up country.

Misty fields along A 14 towards Madu

Misty fields along A 14 towards Madu

The drive towards Madu was effortless and the road condition was superb. The only disappointment in the trip was we could not make the detour to Thanthirimale (only 8km from the main road). Actually it was not in our agenda and we saw the sign board far too late. But it would have been a wonderful experience to visit the temple at 7 in the morning!

We found an ideal place to have breakfast with the advice of Army personnel at a checkpoint. We turned towards left at Madu Police Road and after 2-3 Km came to a irrigation project called “Periyamurippu”. We had a relaxed breakfast (brought from home) and enjoyed going over a suspension bridge built recently.

Periyamurippu Irrigation Project

Periyamurippu Irrigation Project (Click Image to Enlarge)	Periyamurippu Irrigation Project
The river below	The Suspension Bridge

After breakfast we proceeded towards Madu and the road was in great shape all the way up to Madu. By 8.30 we were in Madu and we spent nearly three hours enjoying the surroundings.

Madu Shrine at a distance

Inside the Shrine

We left Madu around 11a.m and proceed towards Murunkan. We stooped at the Giant Tank for a short break but could not witness any bird activity as it was almost noon. The “Jana Awanhala” operated by the Army has also closed down its operations.

Our next stop was Thirukketiswaram Kovil, a famous Hindu Kovil, which was only a few kilometers away from the main road. It was the time of the Pooja and we all took part (none being Hundu). At the end of it tasted the “Muruthan bath” – which was delicious- as well.

The turn off from A14 towards Kovil

Thirukketiswaram Kovil

It was almost 1p.m. when we left the Kovil and we had lunch under a shady tree and proceeded towards Mannar.

Mannar Causeway and Lagoon

Mannar Causeway and Lagoon

The first attraction in Mannar was the donkeys loafing all over the town.

donkeys loafing all over the town

The huge Biobab tree nearby was the next stop

Since our crowd was large accommodation was arranged in two different places; Golden Guest Inn, Mannar and Four Tees Rest, Thodaweli (7km on Talaimanar Road). Golden Guest is a large house in the heart of the town converted into an inn. It has eight clean rooms with attached bathrooms and three have AC facilities. (Tel. 023 – 2250494) FourTees Rest (discussed many times in this forum) is away from the hustle and bustle of the town and has five large rooms in its old wing and five more double rooms in the new wing which was nearing completion when we visited early De cember. (Tel: 023-3230008)It has a spacious garden full of mango trees and the rooms are clean and well maintained. There are two ruined buildings opposite Four Tees Rest – remnants of the old Thodaweli Railway Station.

Remnants of Thodaweli Railway Station

Remnants of Thodaweli Railway Station

One of the new occupants of the station!

After a refreshing cup of tea we headed towards a nearby beach for an evening sea bath. It was a deserted beach with a few fishermen preparing their gear for the evening catch. The water was calm with hardly any waves but the Navy personnel nearby advised us not to go far. We had a dip in the warm waters till sun went down and it was so refreshing after a long day!

The deserted beach

We had a delicious dinner of string hoppers, prawn curry, parripu and sambol at Four Tees and were fortunate to witness the full lunar eclipse in the clear Mannar sky. We ended the long but very fulfilling first day of our trip with that reward.

Day 2

We planned to visit Adams Bridge and had to leave the Inn by 6 in the morning. We had only a cup of tea and Mr. Lawrance at Four Tees was kind enough to prepare sandwiches to be had on the way. We were in Talaimannar by 6.30 and it was a bright sunny morning. The early rays touching the golden beach made a lovely sight.

First sunbeams kissing the beach!	First sunbeams kissing the beach!
Eligibility for Sand Tour	Tours to Adam's Bridge (Click image to Enlarge)

The boats waiting on the golden beach

They had three boats which could accommodate 22 including children. (8+8+6). Since there were 40 in our crew half the crowd had to wait until the first group returned. The first group was given life jackets and instructions by the Navy on what and what not to. The ticket to the sand dunes – they are called Dancing Islands – as they are known to shift their position a bit – costs Rs.600/= per head and that includes a picnic snack and a bottle of water to be had on the way. Each boat was given a lifesaver in addition to the Navy person who operated it. So safety was ensured.

Boats ready to leave the shore

Young travelers eagerly waiting with picnic bags!

The one hour long boat ride was most enjoyable in the morning golden sun. There were many larks and seagulls around and we saw fish jumping on the waves. Our three boats were accompanied by a special life saving boat so there was hardly anything to worry – even if the boat topples there were many to save you!!

Urumalai Beach fading away

Enjoying the boat ride

The lifesaving boat accompanying our three boats

We landed on the second sand dune and spent a wonderful half-an-hour there. It had shallow pools everywhere and we saw some eggs may be laid by the sea-gulls. A different kind of grass and some flowering plants were the only vegetation on the island. It was a unique experience.

Breathtaking scenery on the Dancing Islands	Breathtaking scenery on the Dancing Islands
Breathtaking scenery on the Dancing Islands	Breathtaking scenery on the Dancing Islands
Patterns of nature	Patterns of nature

A young traveler on a lonely planet!

Mount Everest on the lonely planet

Crossing Nanthikadal???	Young explorers!
Life on the island	Life on the island
Heaven on earth…..	.

As we were about bid good bye to the miracle island our second group arrived. Luck was on our side that day. A bigger boat had come there as a ‘test ride’ and the rest of our crew had been brought in that boat. That saved us nearly three hours. Had not been for the unexpected the big boat, the second group would still be on the shore waiting for our return to get into a boat!

The rest of the crew arriving in a larger boat

The rest of the crew arriving in a larger boat

Thanks to the Navy all forty of us were safely back on the shore by 10 O’clock – before the harsh Talaimannar sun could show its full force.

After that most enjoyable boat trip we headed back to Four Tess, refreshed ourselves and bid good bye to Mr.Lawrance thanking him for making our stay comfortable.

We collected lunch packets from Choice Restaurant in the town. (023-2223261) Since we had given the order in advance the packets were ready for us. Must commend the food at Choice – it was delicious.

We returned on A 14 and turned towards Silavathura from Murunkan and up to Silavathura the road was in good shape. From Silavathura we turned to the right and headed towards Arrippu. It was a gravel road in bad shape running along the beach. We visited Doric House and had our lunch there.

Doric House at Arippu	The ruins
Our bus from Doric House	Doric Tower

After lunch we proceeded towards Vilpattu. We were concerned about the road condition via Vilpattu and made inquiries at a number of check points and at the Silavathura Police station. As we were given the green light we proceeded. After travelling along the gravel road full of pot holes for nearly two hours we reached the Marichchukaddi Check Point. It was past four and the response at the checkpoint reg. road condition was not positive at all. They warned us that it had rained inside the jungle and a number of vehicles got stuck in mud. But it was too late to turn back and our two experienced drivers were ready to take the challenge and we decided to proceed. We were passionate to pass through the jungle. The army at the check point warned us that we had to cross nearly 40 km of thick jungle and that we will be cut off from all communication – no phone signals inside the jungle. We understood the gravity but had no option but to proceed. I feel the Silavathura Police Station should be more aware of the road condition and this advice should be available at that point so that a traveler could go back to Murunkan and proceed via Anuradhapura without exposing himself to greater risks. Turning back at Marichchukaddi is a total waste.

Although Mannar did not receive rain during that weekend Vilpattu jungle had received rain. It was not raining when we proceeded but the muddy road witnessed previous rains. The road condition was getting worse from each step and it was becoming slippery. Although we had two very experienced drivers they had to try very hard to keep the bus on the road. We all were praying that the road condition would improve but our prayers were never answered. All we could see was the muddy road lying ahead looking more like a swamp.

The muddy road ahead….	Its 5 in the evening and we are still crawling through the mud….
Mud….mud….and more mud…More like a swamp than a road	Navigating through the slippery road…..

Although our drivers did their best and navigated through the mud bath we got stuck thrice and each time it took nearly ½ hour to 45 minutes to pull the bus out of mud – it being a giant 55 seater Ashok Leyland. It was getting dark and we were still in the middle of thick jungle without any modes of communication with the outside word. We were beginning to question the decision we took, but it was too late.

Stuck in mud….. and trying to pull it out

Stuck in mud….. and trying to pull it out

The sun went down and we had nearly 20 more kilometers to cross. The drivers had taken the challenge well and were doing all they could to avoid getting stuck another time. As the sun went down their task became more and more difficult and we all were praying for safety.
It was pitch dark when the bus got stuck the last time and it was too dangerous to get out as we were in the thick jungle. But a few got off with torches in their hands. It was past 7.30 and all our phones were dead. To our great relief we saw a light ahead and saw some people walking towards us. It was a troop of army personnel doing their routine patrol and they were travelling in a “unicorn”. They were from the Illavankulam Check Point. They were god sent saviors and with great effort they helped us out of the mud. We were told that Illavankulam was about a 45-minute drive. That was a great relief and we proceeded in the dark. The road condition improved thereafter but we had to cross one last barrier – a narrow causeway over Kala Oya – over which water was running about 1 foot high. It was so narrow that we all feared for safety. But our experienced driver was able to navigate through that last barrier successfully and we all cheered with relief when we reached the Check Point.

It was past nine when we reached Puttalam and we stopped at a Appa Kade and had our dinner. It was past midnight when we came to our destination – completing two full days of fun and excitement. It was a miracle that we did not have to spend the night in the middle of the Vilpattu jungle. May be we were blessed as we worshiped Madu as well as the Thirukkethiswaram Kovil on our way!

The wild explorers!

It was about 7.30am when we started our journey from Kaduwela and our only stop was for breakfast past Avissawella. The scenery changed after the turn off at dehiowita, it was a gradual ascend with the not so good road conditions giving us ample time to admire the beauty of mother nature.

Along the way…

Eli hatha as seen from the road

Sri Pada close-up on the way to uda maliboda

It was 11am when we reached the end of the motorable road and by 11.30am we were at the trail head.

Nade…

At the trail head-pandeniya river crossing

The crystal clear water at the river was so inviting that we were tempted to have a bath before the start but decided against it which in the end was the correct call with what we were about to encounter along the journey.

Pandeniya river

Entering the forest..

The initial phase of the journey was through thick undergrowth in some areas with ascents and descents..

Ascents..

Through the thick jungle..

And obstacles….

Also an occasional glimpse of wildlife…….

Minding it’s own business…

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Time for refill of water and to take care of leeches….

As the journey continued we deviated off the track on 2 occasions in spite of carrying and following the trail through GPS, due to the fact that my friend who is using his GPS for the very first time had missed a couple of waypoints when downloading the trail to his device.

We were lost for more than 2 hours…climbing a mountain not mentioned in the Lakdasun trail guide, the elephant dung, foot marks created by elephants with their constant travelling along the paths and the changing GPS readings to the next waypoint made us realise that we were lost.

Elephant dung…

Lost…deciding which way to go with the help of Lakdasun guide..

View of the surroundings on top of the wrong mountain..

Climbing back down…..

Back down..

Back on the correct path…

After getting back to the last correct waypoint and searching for any clues to identify the correct path, did we realize that there are cuts made by knives on the trees on either side of the path and other markings…these cuts and markings helped us when we got lost again afterwards .We were very much hungry by this time, the chocolates and the biscuits was not enough and was yearning for some pol rotti and katta sambal..we were desperate to reach the kuruwita trail by now…

Having lost a considerable amount of time being lost it was almost 6pm and dark when we reached the kuru ganga ..

Kuru ganga

Since the light was fading, it was very much difficult for us to find the correct point of crossing and we were scurrying to find the crossing point not wanting to spend the night in the jungle.

After about 30 minutes of searching it was pitch black when we found the crossing point and entered into the jungle again..

Finally…the entrance to the jungle after crossing Kuru ganga

And into the darkness…

It was an eventful 1 ½ hour hike with constant slips and falling over rocks in the wet conditions till we arrived at the erathna trail at around 8.30pm.

Kuruwita-erathna trail

After a 1 hour rest and change of wet clothes at the ‘indikatupana’ ambalama, we were back on the trail looking for a shop that would serve us ‘pol rotti’ and ‘kiri kopi’ and it was not until we came to ‘galwangediya’ did we find the one and only shop.

After a meal of rotti, soyameat, katta sambal and kiri kopi some of us decided to take a nap..

Some of us decided to take a nap..

4th glass of kiri kopi before the final ascent..

At about 1.30am we started the final phase of the climb and reached the summit at around 3am.
The summit was crowded with people eagerly awaiting the sunrise and was a dreadful 3 hour stay at the top with the gust of wind making the cold unbearable…

It wasn’t the day for a clear view of the sunrise because of the heavy mist and cloud cover.

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Mist and cloud cover dampened everyone’s expectations..	.

At the summit

At about 6.45am it was time to leave..

It was time to leave

The views when getting down was stunning..

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.	Two becomes one….meeting of two rivers

It was about 3pm when we reached the end of the trail at erathna and after a cool dip in the river it was time for us to head back home after one unforgettable journey..

It was a short Backpacking session [Travelled alone]. Left Colombo on the 23rd Dec [Friday] night and reached Pattipola on the 24th Dec at 04:30 hrs. Slept at the Pattipola train station till dawn and commenced my walk to Thotupola Kanda, 3rd highest peak in Sri Lanka, via Horton Plains at 07:10 hrs. Reached the summit and got back to the Pattipola Station by 11:46 hrs [18Kms by foot]. After a short break I started my railway trek to Ohiya from Pattipola at 12:00 hrs [06 Kms by foot]. Was able to arrive at the Ohiya station by 13:50 hrs and on my way I have walked through 04 railway tunnels including the 3rd longest Tunnel in Sri Lanka [Tunnel No.18]. Got to Badulla by train from Ohiya by 18:30 hrs [train was delayed a bit] and got into the train from Badulla on the same day and got back to Colombo by 06:00 hrs on the 25th Dec 2011.

I started my Journey from Colombo on the 23rd Dec 2011. Though I was informed that the tickets for Colombo – Badulla Night-mail train was fully sold out I tried my luck again on that day as I got down from Pettah Station around 18:00 hrs and I was lucky enough to obtain a 3rd Class Pre-booked Seat for my Journey.
The Night- mail train left the Colombo Fort Station exactly at 20:00 hrs and I reached my destination Pattipola Station at 04:30 hrs on the 24th Dec.

After I got down from the station I looked around for the friendly face of our dear old Station master Mr. Jayathileka. But to find out that he is been transferred to a nearby station and a new humble Station Master by the name of Mr. Rajarajasinghe [Hope I got the name correct] has been appointed for the Pattipola station who will be officially commencing his duty from 1st of January 2012. He is a very down-to-earth gentleman who is a nature enthusiastic as well.

Since it was still dark I had a little nap of around 2 hours at the Pattipola Station on a cold frozen bench when the temperature was around 12C.

After having an early Breakfast at a small shop nearby I commenced my walk to Horton Plains from the Pattipola Railway Station @ 07:10 hrs

NOTICE BOARD NEAR THE PATTIPOLA RAILWAY STATION (Click Image to Enlarge)

PICTURES TAKEN BY ME ON MY WAY FROM PATTIPOLA TRAIN STATION TO HORTON PLAINS

On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains	On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains
On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains	On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains
On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains	On the way from Pattipola Station to Horton Plains

FAMOUS AMBEWELA FARM GREENLAND

I reached the Horton Plains Pattipola Entrance at 08:20 hrs and was met with my Trekker – Thushara [21 years] who is a young energetic person who is working for the Wild life Dep on volunteer basis! With him I commenced by journey to Thotupola Kanda which is the 3rd Highest Peak in Sri Lanka standing at an altitude of 2359M from the Mean Sea Level. It was just a 02 Km hike to the summit from Horton Plains. However as we climbed we felt that the O2 percentage is comparatively less hence we had to control our breathing and to inhale air as much as possible which will be a very good experience for those of you who have not encountered such an altitude before. On our way Thushara explained to me many things and also about how the maintenance of the trek is done and as per to him the path which leads to the summit is been cleared by the help of YZA [Young Zoologists’ Association

Thotupola Kanda (Click Image to Enlarge)

PICTURES TAKEN BY ME ON MY WAY TO REACH THE SUMMIT OF THOTUPOLA KANDA

On the way to summit of Thotupola Kanda	On the way to summit of Thotupola Kanda
On the way to summit of Thotupola Kanda	On the way to summit of Thotupola Kanda

The GPS point at the summit

From the summit of Thotupola Kanda you are able to get a superb 360* Arial view of the Horton Plains and of course all the mountains that are quite a picturesque sight!

Adams Peak in a distance

On completion after spending sometime at the summit I returned to the Horton Plains Pattipola entrance and bid farewell to my Fellow Mate Thushara and walked back to the Pattipola Station on foot.

After a walk of around 1 Hour and 10 minutes I reached the Pattipola Station by 11:40 hrs. I rested until 12:00 hrs while getting ready for the rail Hike. I have kept my mobile phone inside my back-pack while bringing out the torch where I can reach it easily and with my jacket and boots well tucked to avoid any wet condition that I may have to encounter during the hike.

Finally I checked with the station master about the train timings to check if I am to expect any trains while I am hiking upto Ohiya along the rail track [AN IMPORTANT FACTOR TO CHECK TO AVOID UN-EXPECTED DANGER]

Then by 12:00 hrs I was on my way along the rail track. ETA for the next train was approximately around 14:00 hrs.

PICTURES TAKEN BY ME DURING MY RAIL ROAD HIKE FROM PATTIPOLA TO OHIYA

.	Summit Level
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Tunnel Number 18 - The 3rd Longest tunnel in Sri Lanka 321.95m long	Tunnel Number 18 (Click Image to Enlarge)
Tunnel Number 18 - Halfway through the tunnel it is pitch black and the ground below is slippery

The exit from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

If you walk through the Tunnel No. 18 from one side to the other you will realize how unique it is since the climates of the two ends are quite different from one another. While the Pattipola Entrance to the tunnel is comparatively warm and hot the exit towards Ohiya side is with a chilling/cold climate as you can see in the picture above

TUNNEL NO. 20 - My favorite..!

TUNNEL NO. 20

Even though you can see the exit at the other end of the tunnel, when you enter it just keeps on going and going like in those nightmare movies where the light is running away from you when you try to reach it

Though it is not very obvious you need a torch to go through this tunnel as well since it get’s pitch dark towards the core of it even when you can see the end at the other side.

During my trek from Pattipola to Ohiya I came across 04 tunnels.
Tunnel No. 18, 19, 20, 21 out of which Tunnel No 18 & 20 are comparatively long.

Just before I came across the below shown metal bridge all of a sudden out of nowhere there was a flying insect buzzing in my right ear and I believe it bit me before flying away leaving me with an aching ear [didn’t get a time to have a proper look at it but it was more or less like the common “kumbala” insects you get here in Colombo] to get rid of the pain though that is not the proper medicine for such incidents I applied Salonpas which I carried in my medikit just to be on the safe side since I do a lot of walking

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After 06 Kms by foot along the rail road I arrived at the Ohiya Railway Station at 13:50 hrs

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As usual the station master at the Ohiya Railway station greeted me with a humble smile and a chat about my journey so far and I enjoyed the chat with him pretty much.

The train which was expected around 14:00 hrs arrived pretty late around 15:30 hrs only. I got in and reached Badulla around 18:30 hrs from where I purchased a 3rd class ticket for the Badulla – Colombo Night-mail train putting an “End” to my short back-packing session for the Christmas 2011!

We organized this trip during our university vacation.

We started our journey from Kandy to Matale by morning 7:10 train and arrived Matale at 8:30 a.m.

Katugastota Bridge

All the crew members gathered at Matale town. After buying some necessary food items at Matale we hired a van to go to Riversturn.

Our Team

On the way to Riversturn we visited Bambarakiri Ella which was located about 1-2 km from Rattota. It was a short and easy path about 100m to the falls from the main road.

towards Bambarakiri Ella	Hanging Bridge
Hanging Bridge	Kuda Bambarakiri Ella
Maha Bambarakiri Ella

Then we continued our journey towards Riversturn through the tea estates, mountain range and mist.

On the way to Riversturn

Tea Estate

There is a radio transmission tower at the summit of Riversturn.

Riversturn	Riversturn
Mist	Mist
On the way to the summit	.
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Summit	Freeeeee

We had our lunch at Pitawala patana, then we walked along the pathana towards mini-worlds end.

.	Pitawala Pathana
Mini-worlds End

We arrived Telgamu oya wana niwahana at about 4 p.m. We introduced ourselves to cook and helped him to arrange the place.

At Ilukkumbura	Wana Niwahana
Wana Niwahana

Then we took a bath and spent unforgettable night with ghost stories, fearful sounds of wild animals and delicious dinner.

Telgamu Oya	Relax
Dinner Time	Ghost Stories
Good Night

Next day we had our break first and start our trial to Manigala. It was a dry season for Ilukkumbura area. We spent our evening at Telgamu oya and returned by a hired van.

Good Morning	.
.	.
.	Early morning at Thelgamu Oya
.	Our break first
Manigala Nature trail Head	Manigala trail
Manigala trail	Manigala trail
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Trip Video at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0215-5522-92f2

This is my second trip report (I never thought I’d finish even one). We had our plans to go on a trip by our study group at the university which never came true until this December.

The trip wasn’t planned extensively but was well executed at the end. The trains were booked from the Fort railway station just that morning. Third class sleeper-rest was our choice (quite economical) and due to the fact that it was a Monday evening of a non-vacation time we were able to book the train on the same day. We were able to get contact details of a cab to do the day traveling in Nuwara-Eliya. Pello Resort was booked by one of our group mates.

We got to Fort by bus around 7.00 p.m. by bus with all our packs ready. Train was due to leave Colombo at 8.00 p.m. We got on to our relevant seats and got ready for the journey. Train left on time to my surprise. We had good time in the train singing, reciting jokes etc. Tried our best not to disturb the fellow passengers who were a minority (13 to 8).

Music in the train

We got some things ready to eat bread, seeni-sambol, salmon and had it around 10.00 p.m. The train was heading slowly but seemlesly to our destination.

Dinner in the train

Then it was time for some jokes from the past, things went out of hand sometimes. Then people wanted some nap. Some never slept though. When we were up again around 2-3 in the morning it was Hatton and we knew it was only few stations from there. Then people started seeing a UFO outside the train (I never believed). It was 4.30 a.m. When we reached Nanu-oya (We were planning to get there 1 hour early). I was chilling to the maximum around that time. Our transport had arrived 1 hour early to the station and he was waiting eagerly

Nanu-Oya station

We got to Pello Resort by 5.00 a.m. and we washed ourselves and got ready for the day-off. It was still chilling and was a wonderful experience.

Pello Resort near Gregory Lake, Nuwara-Eliya

From the balcony of Pello Resort

Breakfast due at 7.30 a.m. and we had a walk in the Gregory lake for site-seeing.

Pony by the lake	Our Pro
This is what he was aiming at	Sun rising on to the Gregory Lake
Birdy by the roadside	He too was busy
Good project	Not very far from the lake
Bell was ringing (In the tummy)

Tea was ready. A hot tea would be second only to water. Then we spent some time inside the resort singing until breakfast. Breakfast was ready by 8.00 p.m. We were surprised by the arrangement. Well above what we expected and the food was awesome too (Special thanks to the cook).

Indian cuisine

It was time (actually way out of schedule) to start to Piduruthalagala mount top. The area is controlled by the army and arrangements have to be made beforehand to get to the mount top. The journey was through the Galwaysland National Park. It’s a bird park but we never so any birds.

MaXXXX Jeep	Galwaysland National Park
Galwaysland National Park

Then it was just five kms to Piduruthalagala, of course a 15 minute drive thanks to the good roads. Maha-rath-mal was a frequent flower we saw by the road. It was so misty and cold on the way. We comfortably passed through the army posts due to the pre arrangement. It was chilling on the mount top (stayed alive due to the jersey). Yes! We reached the top of the highest peak of Sri Lanka (I felt like Sir Edmund Hillary – not seriously), but it was a land mark I wished I visited for a long time. Special thanks to the soldiers who showed us the way.

Road to Piduruthalagala	Road to Piduruthalagala
Stone marking of the mount top	Our group
Nuwara-Eliya from the mount top – It was misty and we never saw anything	Nuwara-Eliya from the mount top - It was misty and we never so anything

We were not allowed to take much pictures due to the security reasons and we paid due respect to that decision. There were many antennas and the Rupavahini Co-operation antenna was one of them.

Our next destination was the Lover leap Falls which was on our way back to Thalawakele. What a beautiful waterfall. It looked like man made at first sight. It was a 300-400m walk in a high steep road to get to the base of the waterfall.

On the way to the Lovers Leap Falls – Flowers by the road	On the way to the Lovers Leap Falls
On the way to the Lovers Leap Falls – Flowers by the road

A Swedish family was enjoying the beauty of the waterfall. We were mesmerized. This is a good time to go on a waterfall hunt.

Lovers Leap Falls	Lovers leap falls
From the base of the waterfall Nuwara-Eliya town was clearly visible

The time was 11.30 a.m. when we go to the waterfall. Spent some time there and came back quickly as time was passing by. Then it was a long 1-1 ½ hour journey to Thalawakele. The tea estates by the side were so beautiful.

Tea

Tea

Our next destination was the Devon’s falls. It was almost 1.00 p.m. by then and was clearly short of time but we never worried because there was no strict schedule (it was anyway a getaway)

Devon Falls

Time spent by the Devon’s Falls

Then we went to the world’s largest tea museum (source- our friendly driver) The Mlesna tea castle. There was a huge sculpture of James Taylor, some historic pictures of tea in Sri Lanka and lots of kinds of tea. There was a Restaurant run by the same company but we resisted our temptation due to the high price tag

Tea Castle	Tea Castle
James Taylor

Time was 2.00 p.m. and everybody was hungry by that time but we couldn’t find a good shop to have lunch. Most shops did not have finished serving by that time.Our next destination was the

It was so beautiful and the rain did not stop us from going close to the falls. The purple flower tree close the falls drew our attention.

St. Clair’s Falls

St. Clair’s Falls

Then it was clearly the time for lunch and In-between snacks were un-compensatory. We found a descent place Just after Thlawakele and they offered fried rice for a reasonable price. Food was good but the service was pretty bad. We had no other option but to stick to that place because Nuwara-Eliya was 1 hour drive away. Had to stay for half an hour for the food.

It was almost 4.00. p.m. when we finished our lunch and we knew that it was the end of our journey. All other plans had to be cancelled and we directly came to the Nuwara-Eliya town. It was 5.30 p.m. Did some shopping in Nuwara-Eliya town (mainly fresh fruits to take back home) by then and we got to a pastry shop to grab some stuff to eat on the way as well as to have a hot cup of tea.

When we went to the bus stop the last bus starting from Nuwara-Eliya to Colombo was been parked in the stands. We quickly got on to it and reserved our seats. Bus started to Colombo around 6.30 p.m. It was a new CTB bus and the seats were like made out of rocks. It was a very uncomfortable journey back in the first 100 km where there were huge turns. Oh yes bus stopped for tea and some of us had hot coffee.

We got to Pettah by 12.00 p.m. Then it was three-wheelers that helped us get back to our destination.

This is one of the best quick getaways I’ve experienced. Nuwara-Eliya is a town that is always to be enjoyed.

Thank you for the photos by Madura and Jalitha. These are some other beautiful pics taken in our journey

Beauty	Beauty
Beauty

I was away from Sinharaja for too long…….  It had been more than a year since the previous visit. Its a place which you can’t stay away from for long so I had to some how squeeze a two day trip in July. It  was going to be Thihela’s first visit to Sinharaja as well.

We left Moratuwa around 8.00 in the morning.  With no stops, we straigt away drove to the Blue magpie lodge. We reached there just passed noon.

This was my first visit to the Bluemagpie lodge. The lodge was located bordering a paddy field and a tea field. In front of the lodge, across a narrow concrete village road, was a crystal clear stream which was so inviting for a dip.

Shallow pool was so inviting

View Upstream from where we were bathing

rest of the day was dedicated for relaxation (a.k.a sleeping ). The lodge was well maintained and had all basic facilities required for a comfortable stay. The staff was friendly and very helpful. All in all it was a pleasant experience at the Blue magpie lodge.

After a good night sleep, we woke up to a beautiful morning.

Early Morning at Blue Magpie Lodge

Dining area overlooking paddy fields

After breakfast we thought of doing a short walk inside the forest.

The forest department ticket office has now been relocated further towards the protected area entrance on the Jeep track. The road up to the new ticket office is well paved. There is a parking area in front of the office as well. This new setup effectively reduces the length of the walk to the entrance of the forest from 2.5km to 1.5km.  The jeep track is now closed for vehicles and therefore you have to use the alternative jeep tack through the village (check trail map) if you want to drive up to the forest entrance (4WD only)

After completing the formalities we were greeted by our guide “Ajith”. Since we had the little one with us, we decided to drive up to the forest entrance.

By the time we entered the forest it was around 9.00 a.m. It was way past the prime bird watching window. It wasn’t meant to be a bird watching walk anyway.

We started walking leasurely towards the research center along the jeep track. Thihela was throughly enjoying his first walk in the rainforest. A lot of things facinated him on the way but what really caught his eyes was the little pool with a large shool of fish, on the side of the road.

Lush Green

Walking in a new world!

Fascinated by the large school of fish in the road side pool

The forest was full of may other fascinating creatures such as this Caterpillar swinging in the cool breeze

Even though we were not particuallry behind birds, we were pelasantly surprised when we came across a fairly large feeding flock where we were able to observe species such as Red Faced Malkoha, Malabar Trogon and couple other regular endemic species of bablers along with other regular feeding flock species.

We leisurrly reached the summer hut at the second Mulawella entrace at which point Ajith told us that there was a pair of frogmouth roosting in a tree fern and went to see whether they are still their. After some searching in the forest he came back with the good news. He had located them!

We were really happy to see the pair peacefully perched on a tree fern. Eventhough the location and light was not ideal to take pictures, I managed to take couple of “Average shots”

Pair of Frogmounth

Location and Light condition was not ideal but manageable

A closer frame with a long zoom Point and shoot

We spent a considerable time observing and photographing these rare Owls and came back to the summer hut to find another beautiful visitor at close range.

It was a flock of Blue Magpies. There were couple of individuals hanging in and around the summer hut. They appeared to be very comfortable with us and I could get as close as couple of feet from them.

Eye Catching Blue Magpie at Close range

Another one

They appeared to be very comfortable with People. So much so that one of them would even perch on a pillar of one of the concrete benches where we were seated!

The blue magpies were there for the entire duration of our stay at the summer hut. It appeared that they gather there when ever a group comes there to rest. These were clear signs of people feeding these birds there. In my opinion it is a bad trend which I have not previously observed in Sinharaja (Even though feeding wild animals have become serious concerns elsewhere for an example people feeding wild elephants at Udawalawa, See discussions Begging Elephants at Udawalawa and Elephant Beggars….)

We left the blue magpies and started walking back to the entrance. Up on our arrival at the gate guard brought us news of a GreenPit viper at a closeby location. It was easy to locate it with the information privided by the guard and the conditions were good of some macro shots.

The last photo opportunity of the day was a good one

green pitviper - a more serious look!

After a satisfying couple hour walk, we thanked our guide Ajith, particularly for his enthusiasm to show us most of the forest and locating some “not so easy to spot” species on his own initiative. We got back in to the double cab and drove back to the Blue Magpie Lodge.

after another cool bath in the river, we had lunch and drove back home. It was a short but an eventful two days at Sinharaja.

We started the journey later than we expected, around 7 am from Battaramulla. After having breakfast we went straight to Belihuloya where we had planned to have a bath and lunch. But there was not enough water to have a dip and we found lunch was bit pricy than we expected. So we decided to go ahead. Finally we stopped near the double bridge before Kalupahana junction. It also did not have a lot of water but it had few rock pools where we could manage to have a dip. There were two small shops on either ends of the bridge. We had lunch from one of them named “Double Bridge Hotel”. Surprise, the food was very tasty and very cheap. Though the place was a small, the lady and guy (should be her brother or brother in law) were clean, pleasant and polite. They served 5 curries and fried fish with “wadei”. Food was very tasty and it cost just 110 rupees per head.

The Double Bridge Hotel

Our next stop was the Adisham Bungalow.

Adisham Bungalow	Adisham Bungalow
Adisham Bungalow

After spending some time at the Adisham we hit the road again towards Ohiya. Road was not in the best condition, so it took us some time. After the Ohiya Railway station the road condition was good and started to be scenic. It was around 5.30 pm when we reached the turnoff to the Hill Safari’s gravel road. We were mesmerized by the stunning view and simply forgot to proceed towards the Hill safari.

We were mesmerized by the stunning view	We were mesmerized by the stunning view
We were mesmerized by the stunning view

When we realized we have a difficult road ahead it was already dark. Our vehicle was wider than an ordinary van, so it was not easy to get it from two hairpin bends in the dark.

We preferred walking admiring the nature…

Our vehicle down the estate road…(අපේ පාන් වෑන් එක .... )

Hill Safari was a good place, the cook was OK but not the best. All 3 bathrooms had hot water, 1 of them was working well, 2nd one took much time to heat the water and the last one which was instant heater, hardly heated water. However we liked the place pretty much.

Next day morning was a bright and very cold one. The splendorous view from the bungalow towards the Walawe Valley was stunning.

මනස්කාන්ත වලවේ නිම්නය...	.
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Hill Safari eco Lodge

After walking around the Udaweriya estate admiring the nature we left the place and headed towards the Horton Plains. Road was steep but was in good condition without pot holes.

Then we had a walk through the Horton Plains to the World’s end and Baker’s Fall before heading Colombo via Nuwara Eliya

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World's End	.
.	Baker's Falls
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This trip too was organised for 2 purposes. The first day was dedicated for all the religeous activities.We started at 6 from Battaramulla and went to Saman Devalaya in Ratnapura and took part in the morning poojawa.Afterwards had breakfast that we had prepared in Pelmadulla and took our time taking photos of Birds and the Elephants near the fence in Udawalawe and arrived at the guest house for lunch. In the evening we went to Sella Kataragama, Kiri vehera and to the main devalaya and went to bed early.

The following day we hired a 4* 4 defender that has 9 very comfortable jeep which came and picked us at 4.45 ( For the full day he charged 9000/-) The driver was Janaka a very experienced and an interesting young boy. We were the first to enter the park at 5.40am and our tracker was Shalika may the best tracker around. (0776808666)

As soon as we entered the 2 started taking us to most of the rocky places famous for LEOPARDS and at 6.10 we came across this family at Rukwila and the pictures will tell the story.

At Play.....	.
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At Play..	.
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Mother Leopard in a pensive mood	Mother Leopard in a pensive mood
Relaxing...	Relaxing...
Relaxing...

It was amazing to watch and after that we had the luck to see 2 more during the day : one on a rock and another on a tree.It was a treat to watch and one of the best movements in wild life encounters . This was followed by coming face to face with a herd of Elephants with the young who were just meters away from the vehicles. and it was a very satisfying and a good day for photography.

Sleeping while standing	Sucking Milk
Protecting the young	Protecting the young
Protecting the young	Protecting the young
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Expecting a baby...	Closer to the Vehicle
Closer to the Vehicle	Closer to the Vehicle
Closer to the Vehicle	Protecting the young
Protecting the young	Protecting the young
crossing the road	crossing the road
crossing the road	crossing the road
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Openbill Feeding	Openbill Feeding
Openbill Feeding	Openbill Feeding

Coming out of the hideout	Coming out of the hideout
Coming out of the hideout	Coming out of the hideout
Coming out of the hideout

Relaxing on a tree	Relaxing on a tree
Relaxing on a tree	Relaxing on a tree
Relaxing on a tree

Showing off...	Showing off...
Showing off...	Showing off...

Sunset at its best	Sunset at its best
Sunset at its best	Sunset at its best

This is my first trip report (Always wanted but never completed). We were on our family trip to Gal Oya Reservoir on the summer vacation (so cold) in September 2011. The interest to go on camping was drawn by my recent trips. We couldn’t get ready extensively (as we would do with my Uni mates) but adequate planning was done by my mother and me.

We planned the trip initially to the August school vacation but due to the National Elephant Senses which was on the way we had to reschedule the trip to September. All were enthusiastic on the trip and final number on for the trip was 10 with 3 teenagers, 2 youths and 5 adults. The campsite was booked in advanced and officers were helpful to provide us a campsite despite their strike. Cab service van was booked which was familiar due to the past experiences with the driver/owner of that van.

Kottawa- Kandy- Mahiyanganaya- Inginiyagala (Click Image to Enlarge)

Inginiyagala- Monaragala- Ratnapura- Kottawa (Click Image to Enlarge)

Splendid view of the temple of Tooth Relic and ‘Nuwara Wewa’

We started around 12.00 a.m. from Kottawa and last man was picked up from Borella. Driver was in no hurry and took his own time throughout the journey. We passed Kandy around 4.00 a.m. Cold weather made us stop near Digana for a tea break at 5.00 p.m. We passed one of the Fundamental Benchmarks of Sri Lanka (British survey point which is the center point of Sri Lanka) and the morning sun was rising and the view from the edge of the hill country was worthwhile of spending some time.

Fundamental Bench mark (Center of Sri Lanka)	board nearby (Click Image to Enlarge)
Road from Hunnasgiriya to Haslaka – Just before the great 18 Bends (දහ අට වංගුව	At the edge of the upcountry, golden sun is rising beneath the silver lake

All roads from Digana to Haslaka were under construction and even the road at the 18 bends was even widened.

Is this the 1st or the 18th bend? You need not reverse and take the bends anymore

We passed Hasalaka (Hometown of the war hero Gamini) and Reached Mahiyanganaya by 7.00 a.m. Passed the ‘Mahaweli River’ (longest river of Sri Lanka) and for our interest there was virtually no moving water in the river (it did not prevent people from enjoying a bath from the river). Whole Mahiyanganaya was getting ready for the ‘Binara Perahera’ (festival of September moon) and was busy and crowded (no traffic though ). Worshipped the temple of Mahiyanganaya but the temple area was pretty messy.

A salute to the great war hero Hasalaka Gamini	Mahaweli River – surviving the drought
Budun wedi Mahiyanganaya – The Mahiyanganaya Temple once even visited by Gouthama Buddha according to the legends

We had our breakfast by a man made waterway. ‘Seenisambal’ (Fried onion) and bread was great for the occasion

Lake, Van, Bread and our Friends and Family

From Mahiyanganaya we went to Bibile planning to go to Inginiyagala through Namal Oya Road. Our Driver was not that happy saying the road is pretty old and not good for the journey. With our persuasion he agreed to go. Around 10.30 a.m. we stopped for tea in Bibile and there was a warning that there is 7km of ‘Wedda territory’ (native peoples land) which we never understood until we reached that area. Road was not repaire for some time and was bad as anticipated.

Road to Inginiyagala trough Buttala from Bibile

We were passing the ‘නිල්ගල ඖෂධ වනය’ (Nilgala medicine forest) and there was more than a million butterflies mainly of two types(I’m not a specialist in wild life and I could only say one was predominantly Yellow and the other was brown). Butterflies were dead on the roadside

Nilgala Reservoir – Part of Gal Oya

A gang of Butterflies

We passed a Police post and our driver said that this route was used as the main route to Ampara in the war period. Rathugala would be a not nice to remember but an unforgettable experience of our trip. There was this wedda children by the road and two of them offered ‘Mora’ (a local fruit) and said one pack was 50 rupees. We did not want to buy Mora but we gave some money to both and started off. Only few hundred meters from their there were another bunch. They did not have anything to sell but asked for money or food. Then only we saw that it was continuous and there were more and more gangs of Wedda children ahead. When we said we don’t have anything to offer the wedda children started to put their hand in and tried to grab our stuff. We got pretty scared and one wedda child was hanging by the front passenger door (Where I was) and he did not let go. After a struggle with that child we started off and did not stop on any request. It was a pretty freighting experience.

Karandugala Police post – Used in the war time

We passed Namal Oya and the reservoir around 11.30 a.m. it was relieving as we knew that we are close to our destination.

Namal Oya

We reached Inginiyagala Wild Life parl office before 12.00 p.m. and the staff was welcoming. We did our payments for the booking of the campsite and other charges. We were asked to go to the Kossapola park office and we were told that a guide will join our journey from there.

Gal Oya, Inginiyagala Park office – Wild Life

Gal Oya, Inginiyagala Park office – Wild Life

We passed the Inginiyagala power plant and entered the Gal Oya resovoir. The sub office was 7km from Inginiyagala and was not so difficult to identify the route.

Inginiyagala power plant	Galoya Valley National Park
On the way to the campsite from the entrance

We met our guide and filled up the water bottles. Though it was said the water comes through a pumped well the water was not that pure. It was another 9km to the camp site. Our Guide Susantha ayya only had time to say that elephants drop down trees to the road we witnessed it. Had to spend almost 5 to 10 minutes to clear the road for 5 grown adult males.

Kossapola campsite office	.
Clearing the road to make way for the van	Termite mounds (වේ හුඹස්) were abundant on the way to the campsite

As we reached the campsite around 1.00 p.m. it was breathtaking to see a herd of 21 elephants near the campsite. The area was good for camping with a bit of slope towards the tank which prevented water collecting under a tent. There was a toilet without a door (a roofing sheet was close by to manually move and close the opening of the toilet. There was a concrete table and bench which were good as we could do the cooking on top of it. There was also a cloths line and a plenty of firewood around.

Breathtaking view of the herd of elephants with cubs having a mud bath	A toilet which was usable
Campsite ground

Then we got the chance to see elephants from close range. Guide Susantha took me pretty close to the herd and I was able to take some good pictures (with a Sony 14MP camera with 5x zoom – it was the best I could do).

Herd of elephants in close range	Solitary cub
Closer shot	Mother elephant and the cub

Watching elephants didn’t last more than 2 hours. We made too much noice and elephants head back in to the bushes. Some in our group were pretty scared of having an elephant herd so close and the retrieval of the herd in to the jungle was blessing to them.

Daytime view of the lake and the surrounding jungle was even worth it to camp at Kossapola. When we started to cook the wind started to blow everything off. The gas burner started to go off every minute due to the wind and we had to find an alternative place to do the cooking. Luckily Susantha ayya found a place nearby on a rock. It was difficult for the females to reach there and males had to do most of the cooking on the first day.

View of Gal Oya from the campsite – Splendid isn’t it?

Alternative place to do the cooking

We had lunch and went out for bird watching and had a wash in the lake. Water in the lake wasn’t so good due to the drought in that area and it was muddy. But it never kept us from enjoying a swim in the lake.

Birds in the dawn by the lake	Birds in the dawn by the lake
Enjoying a swim in the lake

We had the tents ready by evening and then came a heavy rain which was rather anticipated by all of us. We went to our tents and one of our crew members started to collect firewood and kept under shelter (something to be appreciated). Rain settled within 2 hours but our driver panicked and wanted to head back because the clay road would be slippery if the rain lasted like that overnight and he won’t be able to drive out of the jungle. After our persuasion he agreed to stay.

Why need an umbrella when there is 2 camps to share

Evening came so early but the change in the sky was something you would not forget for life.

Below: view above the tank in two hour intervals… (2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m.)

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Then it was night and a campfire was essential. This was the first time I experienced a real campfire done by an expert. A large trunk of a fallen tree was used as the base, then came the small sticks and branches on top of it, two polythene bags was the fuel that was only needed, a campfire was ready thanks to Susantha ayya

Setting up campfire	Setting up campfire
campfire

Two campfires were lit on both sides of the campsite and we were getting ready for the night. We had our pre-prepared dinner had a chat around the campfire. Though we felt pretty safe under the trees, for our surprise a large branch from a tree fell on to the camp site where we were having our dinner. No one was injured luckily. Everybody was scared whether animals would come to the camping area in the night after seeing the herd of elephant in the day time. The fully charged emergency lamp as well as the fully working (but very difficult to switch on ) torches were a blessing.

We were tired after the long journey and went to bed around 8 o’clock. It was neither cold nor hot inside our tents. Packing up some pillows and a ground cloth is invaluable though it is an extra weight. We planned to maintain the campfire in a shift but it was mainly two of the adults who did that job until 4.00 a.m. in the morning. I also joined the crew around 3.00 a.m. and the fire was kept until morning. For my surprise the whole trunk was in ashes by 3 o’clock. Morning was so beautiful

Panoramic view of the lake in the morning

Panoramic view of the lake in the camp site

Breakfast was prepared early and was taken warmly. We always had to eat more than what we eat back at home to fulfill the hunger. Then came bird watching by the lake and thanks to the Nikon Actionx binoculars we were able to identify a large amount of birds (my best experience in wild – I’m an amateur )

Best place to see most of the birds around	.
Bird watching in the morning	Bird watching in the morning

After some rest and tea we started to trek in the shoreline.

Animal dung of an unknown (by me) animal	Mating butterflies
‘හතු පිපිලා’ Mushrooms on an elephant dung	On the trekking pathway

We had another bath in the lake (with some swimming practices). We had our lunch and started back to Colombo around 1.00 p.m.

Large tree by the side of the road

We passed Siyambalanduwa and Mahiyanganayaand came through Wellawaya to Beragala and then to Balangoda.

Filling place in Siyambalaanduwa.	Work by the White – more than 100 years old
Work by the White – more than 100 years old

Diyaluma waterfall was on our way and we enjoyed time by the waterfall.

Waterfall was fascinating but water level was so low

Diyaluma waterfall (Click Image to Enlarge)

We came to Ratnapura around 9.00 p.m. and took the Panadura road. As it was the full moon of September the ‘Perahera festival of ‘Saman Devalaya’ was going on. We experienced some amount of traffic and a dely not less than 20 minutes.

‘Perahera festival of ‘Saman Devalaya’

‘Perahara’ festival in ‘Saman Devalaya’

We came home by 1.00 a.m. and that was it. Although we faced some rough time, Trip to Gal Oya is one of my best trips.

We started our journey at about 4.15 A.M on 27 th August from Colombo. Our crew consists of 07. (5 adults of between 45-55 and 2 children between 18-23.)

Our first stop was at Kurunegala for our breakfast. After the breakfast we drove through Dambulla,Nelumkulama and turned left to Anuradhapura air force camp road through Wilachchiya road to Nellikulama.

Nellikulama was a modern temple but its concept was little different from our traditional temple.

statues of 500 Arahat Buddhist monks	statues of 500 Arahat Buddhist monks
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After visiting Nellikulama temple we proceeded towards Wilachchiya and turned right to the Thanthirimale temple. The road was very good condition even a small car you can travel without any problem. In the Thanthirimale we had our lunch and then started to climb the rock temple.

Thanthirimale temple	Thanthirimale temple
Thanthirimale temple	Thanthirimale temple

This was an excellent location for Buddhist temple. Really very calm place. But I think the evening is preferred to visit this place because of the hot sun. In early days this area was called as Thivanka Bamunugama.The temple was on the top of the vast rock surface. Heavy wind in these days.

The temple was on the top of the vast rock surface

The temple was on the top of the vast rock surface

Road from Thanthirimale to Gajasinghapura camp junction at Madawachchi - Mannar road

We started our journey again at about 4.00 p.m from Thanthirimale to Mannar.
The road from Thanthirimale to gajasinghapura camp at Madawachchi- Mannar (A 14) road was a gravel road but not bad, easy to travel even a small car because no large pot holes. A14 road was a carpet road up to Madhu junction but after the Madhu junction also road was good condition.

A 14 road – Madawachchiya- Mannar road

Donkeys at Mannar road

Through A14 road we proceed up to Murunkan and turned left and go to Silawathura and from Silawathura again turned right to Arippu. From Silawathura to Arippu road was gravel road with lot of pot holes but can manageable for a car with slow speed.

In the Arippu you can visit old Doric house remains. We came to the Arippu at about 6.00 p.m. Very heavy winds at the beach area.

Doric house at Arippu	.
Inside of the Doric house - steps to the top floor	View from inside of the Doric house
.	Arippu beach
Doric tower	.

After a nice relax evening at the Arippu beach, we started our journey again to find our night station, Four Tees rest at Mannar. Actually to go to FourTeess you have to travel another 7 miles from Mannar to Thalaimannar road .Then you find small junction called Thottaweli junction and turned left to that junction and proceeded another 700 meters, and just next to the Thottaweli railway station you can find Four Teess rest inn.

Four Tees rest at Mannar	Four Tees rest at Mannar
Thottaweli railway station	A passenger waiting for the train!

We arrived to Four Teess at about 7.30 p.m , The owner of the Rest Mr. Lawrence was a good kind hearted person. He can speak English well but not Sinhala. But some of the helping people can speak Sinhala. After a hot cup of tea and having a good bath we have just relaxed till our dinner was ready. The dinner (rice and curry with prawn curry) was not much tasty but good enough to eat. The place was good clean and enough space, large rooms and not too much crowded. The rest has 4 large rooms with clean attached bathrooms. The large room has an A/C with 4 beds.

After a good sleep (no mosquitoes) next morning we get ready before 7.00 a.m, as planned for our boat trip to Adams bridge sand islands. Mr. Lawrence, as our request arranged idly for our breakfast. That was really tasty. After the breakfast we hurried to Thalaimannar pier. That was about 18 km trip and anyway we arrived to the pier at 7.45 a.m.
That was the time we got the heartbreaking news regarding cancellation of boat trips due to heavy winds. Then no choice and we have just relaxing few hours at pier and returned to the rest and get ready for the return journey.

Dung beetles	House sparrow
Great egret	Thalaimannar lighthouse

Thalaimannar pier

The boats used to visit Adams Bridge	Crabs removing Sand balls from their holes of the beach
Biobab tree –Circumference –19.51 m, Height -7.5 m	Biobab flowers
.	Mannar Dutch fort

Mannar old railway bridge blasted by L.T.T.E	.
.	Another Biobab tree
.	Giant tank at Mannar
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In return journey we have stop Jana Awanhala at Giant tank for our lunch operated by Sri-Lanka Army . The place was good and tasty foods and reasonable price also. After the lunch we have visited Madhu church and return to Colombo .

Maranda Madhu Church	No matter you are black or small ! We are friends…….
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