I haven’t been doing any hiking recently and I was starting to see leeches in my dreams too and finally it seemed like my dreams were converting into a reality. Krishani called me and asked for some information of a guide in Thangappuwa to do the Kota ganga trail. I asked her whether I could join them because this hike was in my long list and my request was accepted gladly by Krishani.

We went up cautiously as Nava mama fell the last evening coming down. We also found Tony’s hat fallen in his adventurous slide downhill. The tree cover was so thick blocking the morning rays kissing the earth. We came across another small cave-like place above us but not suitable for spending the night. From here we could see the sun falling on the Gombaniya and Knuckles Mountain Range. Sudugala which is towards the Kalugala was also visible. There was a thick layer of mist coming from Gomara side over the Knuckles. Nava mama said we could get a better view from the Hunugala so we didn’t stay long.

We went up until we came to the so-called Belumgala which is located to the left side of Hunugala. After maneuvering around the rock covered with vines, we got onto the top of Belumgala which wasn’t difficult at all. However the view was only towards the east from Udawannimana via Lakegala up to Galamuduna. The sun was almost up in the sky and taking the pictures of the eastern side was not so easy as we were facing the sun. Behind us was Gombaniya looking down on us and we could only see the top of her through the trees. Here are the pictures for you till now.

The historical legend of Sri Lanka starts from Vijaya, who was the eldest son of King Sinhabahu and queen Sinhasivali of Lata deshaya of India (Identified as present Rarh region of West Bengal) who landed at Thambapanni in 543BC with 700 followers. He became the ruler of the country starting the genealogy of kings of Sri Lanka. His administration was from Thambapanni, the area where he landed.

It’s been two years since I first visited Meemure and ever since I’ve visited Meemure a few more times. The pinnacle of all the journeys was climbing the Lakegala last year. Every now and then I get this longing to go see Meemure and the first thing I do is call Nava Mama and ask what we could do. Well, it looks there’s enough to do in Knuckles for a lifetime. When I called this time, he suggested we do the Kalupahana area which is popularly known among the villagers as the Leech Headquarters. After a half a dozen calls, we had a workable plan and fixed the dates at the last minute as the weather was so unpredictable. Meanwhile Uncle Tony managed to get leave and join me for this exclusive journey.

I met Tony at Fort Railway Station at 1pm on a hot and humid Saturday. We got into an already crowded AC bus and found those shaky jump seats in the middle. It was really tough sitting in them but we had no choice as we needed to get to Kandy as soon as possible. We reached there just after 4.30pm and went shopping. Now don’t get alarmed coz we didn’t go hunting for clothes but for the dry rations we’d need for the 3-day camping trip. Well to be honest, I’m not an experienced camper either so we all had to think carefully as to what we were going to eat and take with us. It was essential we carried the bare minimum without overloading our backpacks which would hamper our progress during the course of the hike.

As there was a long week end and (earlier months we were mostly abroad), we decided to explore the vicinities of Ranapura. We like many have been passing the town many times but not seen its historical and other important places. With my wife and son and daughter joining us with her husband and two kids we started off towards Ratnapura on 30July afternoon after lunch. We booked the Deer Park inn close to town to stay the night over.

Matale district is blessed with number of beautiful waterfalls. Waterfalls in Bambaralla and Riverstone are most popular. Following waterfalls are situated closer to Matale town, still have got less attention.

After reading few Lakdasun trip reports we were tempted to go on this hike. We knew it’s hard but going to be a lifetime experience. I was checking the weather situation frequently with Wasantha(Pitawala) and finally decided it’s going to be 5th to 7th June 🙂 Duwili Eli can be reached through few roads. The routes I heard are Rambukoluwa, Walpolamulla, Ranamure, Meemure and Bambarella.

Knuckles range is the all rounder in Nature sites. Why I am telling this because of its vast variation in climates, flora, fauna, geography etc…..Also there are hundreds of trails which can be categorized from easy to strenuous. Dangerous Lakagala, Tough Duwili Eli at Kalupahana, Strenuous Knuckles peaks, Moderate Manigala and easy Deanston are some examples….So you can satisfy any of your friends or loved ones at knuckles. Irrespective of their age, fitness level or other parameters ,Knuckles consist of one or more suitable trails for any of them. That’s why I called it as “THE ALL ROUNDER “

Few years back after the war there were some terrifying incidents in the East especially about vandalism of Archaeology sites by local ethnic population. One of those sites was Sagama Pagoda that was bulldozed and destroyed which lit up a big ethnic issue at that time. I thought it would be nice if I could visit this area and try to explore these sites to give the needed awareness. As always the Book of Ellawala Medananda thero was my guide. So me and my wife left towards Pottuvil early as possible to have some breakfast before initiating a hectic adventure.

Lankagama Waterfalls was in my to-do list for a long time and last year we went all the way up to Kosmulla Duwili Ella at Neluwa but couldn’t proceed beyond due to lack of time. (My Trip Report : Scenic Rakwana Mountains and Kanneliya Forest)

One of my friends is gonna get married in September so he wanted to go on a relaxing journey before his arms and legs are tied. As I’d not been to Udawalawe before, this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. Apparently the scary things bring along good and happy returns with them. So we planned the journey during the Vesak as we all could get away without an issue. However, this time there wasn’t any of my Lakdasun buddies to accompany me. It was just the four of us, my close friends outside Lakdasun. So we all got ready to spend a night at one of national park known to harbor more than 300 jumbos. Our biggest concern, if we’d get a better bungalow.

There are four known bungalows at Udawalawe. They are Seenuggala, Thimbiriya Mankada, Gonawiddagala and Weheragolla. When I visited the Wildlife Department website to make the booking online (this is a great thing introduced by them. It saves so much trouble and painstaking process many undergo until not so long ago), none of those bungalows was available. Gonawiddagala and Thimbiriya Mankada were highly recommended but I had no luck. There was however a fifth option, Pokunuthenna, and it’s not listed in the information page for the bungalows which has photos and accommodation details. I was in two minds whether to cancel our jumbo watching and do something else coz every wildlife bungalow at all the national parks was booked.

I still remember the day I visited Senanayake Reservoir for the 1st time in my life. It was a family trip to Ampara in 2001 & we reached Senanayake Reservoir in the evening around 5pm. Sun was going down. I was totally lost among the sceneries around me and looking at the top of Inginiyalaga Mountain I thought “If I go to the top how the sceneries will be”. Since that day, the idea was in a corner of my mind but due to the distance from Colombo and other various reasons I had to give up several times.