With the preference of majority last year’s company annual office trip was planned to Trincomalee.

With that we remembered that there was a news article in Defence.lk that SL Navy has started Whale & Dolphin watching cruises in Galle and Trincomalee recently. I have been to Trincomalee in 2003 during the peace talks and went to Muttur by ferry (named Seruwila 2). It was about one hour journey across the harbor and there were many things to visit. So we decided to get this arranged.

As the organizing committee we checked the possibility of arranging a cruise tour for Whale & Dolphin watching. When we inquired from SL Navy they said cost is LKR 5000 per person then (now it has been reduced to LKR. 3500/= with the profound request from public). Then we felt that it is not affordable alike

• Per head cost is too high, and hence for a family it would be too expensive
• Not sure about the possibility of seeing Whales & Dolphins (if that happens we won’t be able to survive the criticism from other colleagues  )

But we still didn’t give up. After having several discussions with project manager whale watching project by SLN we were able to obtain appropriate deal which is affordable. It is LKR 175,000 for 150 participants.
Since this is totally a new experience for all of us we had to face several challenges to organize this.

1. Since this tour starts at 7.00am at least we need to leave from hotel by 6.30am. Therefore we had to discuss with the hotel management to arrange an early breakfast buffet (by 5.30) for all of us.
2. Making everyone to get ready (130 members) by 6.30am, because usually our night time sing along session & booze runs till 1.00am, 2.00am.
3. Since we work for a private organization the nature of doing things are different from Forces like SL Navy. So we had to adhere to their system/practice.

Though our main objective is Whale & Dolphin watching we had several other objectives also.

• Visit strategically & historically important Trincomalee harbor which is the 5th largest and finest natural harbor in the world. This is 10 times bigger than the Colombo harbor. It is a marvelous creation of nature because it is overlooked by terrace highlands and any giant ship could be hidden in the harbor if you don’t have an aerial view. (They have actually done this during the war and they showed us where they hid Jetliner during our tour.)

On 23rd morning we got up early with lots of enthusiasm and left from the hotel by 6.45 after having the breakfast. When we were reaching to the Ashroff Jetty everything was ready and A543 Cruise was waiting for us. We started our long awaiting journey by 7.15am.

A-543 was waiting for us (Click Image to Enlarge)

A-543

Map (Though it is mentioned as short cruise it took 5 hours) - Click Image to Enlarge

1st they took us on a ride around the harbor and during this tour we could see several important things like:

• Foul point lighthouse where we didn’t have control till early 2007
• Koneshwaram Kovil
• Naval dockyard
• Prima Jetty, Mitsui Jetty and some of the beautiful islands inside the harbour.

Prima flour milling complex at Prima Jetty	SLNS Sayura berthed at Naval dockyard (Click Image to Enlarge)
SLNS Samudura berthed at naval dockyard (Click Image to Enlarge)	No whales or dolphins yet…

It was just 30 minutes and we were still in the Trincomalee bay. Suddenly the Commander Kosala Wijesooriya, project manager of whale watching project announced that our ship is surrounded by dolphins. Everyone ran out to see them.

100s of dolphins have surrounded us and they were swimming with us. It was very difficult to capture their movements with a single click camera. This is where the advanced technology became more important than a good eye!

Thanks to Roshan who owned a multi click camera we could capture some of their nice movements.

It’s play time! (Click Image to Enlarge)

Click Image to Enlarge

After watching the dolphins, the captain started the journey towards the deep sea where the Blue Whales are generally sighting.

On the way we got surrounded by another crowd of dolphins and they swam with us for a longer time. It was so interesting to see them; sometimes they seem to be playing.

.	Wow… (Click Image to Enlarge)
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We were lucky enough to see rare scenery – Flying fishes (පියාමස්සෝ in Sinhala) who come out from the sea and flying about 10m – 15m. They do this to protect from their predators as explained in a documentary program called ‘BBC Life’
Even after a few hours of journey we still didn’t see at least a single whale.

We went about 10 naval miles towards the deep sea and captain had a map with GPS locations where he had sighted whales in previous tours.

Alone in the sea…

With the sun rise and having spent several hours in sea we were a bit tired and crew onboard invited us to enjoy snack & refreshment. They had arranged us a very good snack with fresh fruit juice.

Suddenly there was another announcement from captain “there are 3 whales close to us”

We all ran out again. We could see 2 of them at a distance of 50m – 100m. They were there for about 10, 15 minutes. But we couldn’t take a good picture. We could see the Blue Whales “blow” (the large spray) several times at a distance.

But we couldn’t get closer to them. According to the captain some odd days they cannot approach them closely due to some reasons (weather and sea conditions, whale habitats etc.)He was also stressed that passengers should also got to have enough luck to see those giants at close proximity.

Impatient to see Blue Whales…they are close by…	Too late…
The only photograph we could capture – The Blue Whale	View from bridge of the ship
.	Bridge of the ship
.Koneshwaram Kovil from Sea	One of the natural hiding places for ships in Trinco Harbour

After a successful journey of 5 hours we came back to the Ashroff Jetty. It was a great/different experience altogether and everyone was overjoyed.

Green Ocean – which was used to transport injured in the rescue missions during the last phase of the war

Buses were waiting for us just after the cruise

In the evening we had another life time worth experience. It was snorkeling near the Pigeon Island.

Till I complete that report enjoy reading this.

This was our annual trip of school friends in 2008. One of our friends who works at CEB got an appointment as an Operation Engineer at Laxapana Power Generation Complex and he invited us to come there for 2008 annual trip since there are lot of things to see which we never experienced.

He arranged accommodation and other necessary things for us.

Day 1

We started our journey on 11th December around 5.00pm from Colombo. First day our destination was Laxapana Circuit Bungalow and we reached there by 11.00 pm with several stops in between; several security checkups were there since we were entering in to a high security zone and War was at peak during that time.

By the time we reached there we were very hungry and dinner was already waiting for us.

Kalugala Junction – Turn right from A07 Avissawella - Hatton road	“Laxapana” Circuit Bungalow
Seven Virgins – View from Laxapana bungalow

Day2

Because of our great friend we got a very rare & valuable opportunity which general public will never be allowed; which is a boat ride on “Maussakele” reservoir. This is the only reservoir in Sri Lanka which is directly fed from 4 waterfalls.

Hearing the specialty of the ride, we all got up early in the morning and got ready for the journey with great enthusiasm. We left the bungalow by 6.30am right after breakfast. It is about a 40 minutes drive from Laxapana to Maussakele through a narrow road (which is very similar to Riverston road from Mathale.) The fantastic view of “SAPTHA KANYA” (Seven Virgins) mountain range will be available throughout the journey. When we were reached Maussakele boats were ready for the journey.

There were 2 boats, 1 is from CEB and other is from SL NAVY. Since it is early morning the crowd who were in 1st boat got another rare opportunity. The water was so calm and they could see a clear shadow of Sri-Pada on water.

Mirror….

“Moussakele” in the morning

Entire boat ride was about 2 hours and we could see following water falls.

• Gartmore Ella (which can be seen from fishing hut as well
• Mooray Ella
• Lower section of Mohini Ella (on your way to Nallathanniya you could see the upper section on your right hand side.)
• Another anonymous waterfall

Rare Scenery : Gartmore Ella(Left), Moray Ella(Right)

1st one : Gartmore Ella

Closest Possible - Gartmore Ella

2nd one : Mooray Ella

Mohini Ella – Upper Section

3rd one : Mohini Ella – Lower Section

4th one : Anonymous, But beautiful

Other than that we could see closer view of Sri-Pada, the Kovil which was under the water, back side of the Maskeliya town and several tea estates. If you are travelling during the rainy season you could see several temporary waterfalls on surrounding mountains.

Closer View of Sri-Pada

After having this great boat ride we went to the “Saman Devalaya” which is next to Reservoir dam.

In the evening our plan was to visit Laxapana water fall.

Between Laxapana and Maussakale there is a junction called ‘Double Cut’ where the only ‘0th’ mile post in Sri Lanka is located.

The only ‘0’th mile post at “Double Cut” Junction

“Saptha Kanya” from another angle

The view of the area is breathtaking on your way to Laxapana, and you could clearly see the rock where the most tragic plan crash occurred on Saptha Kanya mountain range.

My father has gone to visit that ‘plane crash’ when he was young and he collected those newspapers for us to read in the future, and thanks should go to him!

Where the Plane Crash happened in 1974-12-04

My Father has collected all the News papers related to this accident (Click Image to Enlarge)

In the evening we went to visit Laxapana falls.

Laxapana falls in different angles	Laxapana falls in different angles
Laxapana falls in different angles	Breathtaking…

Day 3
The plan for the next morning was to visit Aberdeen falls. But suddenly our friend told that gates of “Canion” reservoir are going to open for an urgent maintenance work which will increase the water level of Laxapana falls. We cancelled all our plans and rushed to Laxapana before the gates are opened. But unfortunately we couldn’t reach the waterfall before that, but we could see the water flowing under the bridge which is located beneath the Seven Virgins mountain range and before the Laxapana falls.

We coudnt reach Laxapana Falls before it comes

Laxapana – After opening the gates

Laxapana – After opening the gates

Then we went to the “Aberdeen” falls and on our way back we stopped at Norton bridge town where you could visit another 2 important things.

1. The D. J. Wimalasurendra power plant (gratitude to father of hydro power in Sri Lanka)
2. Tyre of the crashed plane

“Aberdeen” falls

Nature Creations

Remainders of a Sarrowfull Memory

In the evening we went to Hatton to visit another 2 important places. Those are ‘Singimale’ tunnel (559.75m) which is the longest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka. This tunnel is at 5 minutes walk from Hatton station and you need to buy “Pandam” to walk through the tunnel. Houses at both the sides of the tunnel are selling Pandam(10/= each) for pedestrians. It was a very nice experience to walk in the tunnel with dim light.

The 2nd important thing is at the other side of the tunnel which is the largest tea plant in Sri Lanka. According to the worker we met there a single worker needs 1 full day to pluck tea from the entire tree. Weight of the crop would be around 20kg – 25kg at a time. But now this tree is abandoned.

Singimale Tunnel

After visiting all these places we came back to the Moussakale bungalow. During the night we had a singing session as usual before going to sleep.

School day Friendship

Next day morning we came back home and had a nice bath at Kithulgala.

Thank You!

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
.
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

.

.

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 decided to go on our 5th trip of this year (my 7th of this year during December. Since some of us (including me) had not visited Reversturn earlier, it was chosen as our destination. But unfortunately with tons of work at the office we could not book the forest department facility or any other guest house timely. Then Lakdasun came to our help, to find a contact of someone from that area and we were able to arrange a village house for our stay.

On the Friday eve, after office we started our journey from Battaramulla, typically very punctually, 2 hours behind our schedule. We stayed at a private place in Kandy on that night. Next day we wanted to leave Kandy as early as possible and again as usual we were way behind our schedule.

After having breakfast from a friend’s place in Rattota, we headed towards Riverston. Our first stop was at the small yet scenic “Bambarakiri Ella” falls. It is just a few hundred meters walk from the main road to the water fall.

සුන්දර බඹරකිරි ඇල්ල...

It looked like the Bambarakiri Ella is used for a mini hydro power project. A small cement dam and some pipes were seen on top of the water fall.

Bambarakiri Ella	Suspension bridge over the Bambarakiri Ella…
Seen at the Bambarakiri Ella and was so shy. Captured after much time…

After spending some time there we hit the road again. As our van’s engine groaning and showing its tiredness time to time wrestling with the steep climb, we witnessed the climate change and the change of the nature. With our GPS readings were changing rapidly from 700m to over 1200m within a few kilometers, the eye-catching, stunning views were unveiled.

A government owned tea estate on the way

It was almost noon when we arrived at the junction towards the Reversturn peak.

We started climbing the Reversturnalong the tarred road and were frequently disturbed by the drunkards climbing down singing and shouting. All the way from the bottom we could hear some drunkards shouting from the top of the mountain. But middle of all these disturbances, Mother Nature did not forget to bless us with perfect weather and to mesmerize us with her stunning beauty.

On the way to the peak… this is why knuckles range is also called “බට දඬු කන්ද....”

රාවණා රජුගේ දේහය තැන්පත් කොට ඇතැයි ජනප්රsවාදයේ කියවෙන “ලකේගල”

Panoramic view on the way…

Road to the Heaven….?

Finally we arrived at the VHF tower and decided not to climb the other peak as we were getting hungry and the foot path to that mountain was full of drunkards. Then suddenly a heavy mist came from nowhere and within few minutes surrounded us.

VHF Transmission Center

The Nature decided to cover its face not letting the mindless people seeing it….

Panoramic view from the top (Click Image to Enlarge)

As we started to climb down, we saw a small cement steps down the mountain slope leading into the jungle. One of our team said it is a shortcut to the junction where we started our climb, but goes through the forest and might be infected with leeches. Since we enjoyed the common road on the way up, we, except for four people, decided to try this route volunteering to offer the lunch for the leeches. We headed down the slope and soon entered the thick undergrowth.

Seeking an adventure

Soon the jungle started to test us offering the best possible resistance. The undergrowth was so thick and leeches were enjoying the feast. With the steep descend it was even harder to control our feet. Sometimes we had to walk crouching and for a few hundred meters we had to totally sit on the jungle floor and move. Finally we came out of the jungle after about 30 minutes of battle with the nature, sweating, tired and legs covered with the blood suckers

Just before we were buried in the thick undergrowth… After this all I could do was worrying about my camera and trying to protect it….

After the adventure we headed toward the Ilukkumbura village and met the person we contacted, Wasantha. He was one of the most innocent, humble and nice men I’ve ever met. As our stomachs were tumbling with hunger and tiredness, we enjoyed the delicious meal (ගමේ කෑම) Wasantha had prepared for us.

It was almost 5pm when we headed towards the village house Wasantha had arranged for us in Puwakpitiya village, Very close to the Sera Ella. We were told that there will be no electricity and other comforts which we really did not bother. But when we arrived there, which was owned by Wasantha’s relative, we were a bit puzzled because it was not an empty house. The owners of the house were also there, which was not a problem for us, but we thought our visit would be a trouble for them. But we were surprised by the way those villagers welcomed, treated and helped us. It was clear that they were not doing this for money, but just to help us. We made the arrangements for our dinner and went to the “Puwakpitiya Oya” flows close to the house and had the cool dip in the dark.

We started preparing our dinner, the BBQ under the moonlight, soon realized that we forgot it was the lunar eclipse day. We were so blessed to see the whole eclipse, with some disturbances from dark clouds time to time

The moon was covering with the earth’s shadow.	සඳ රාහු ගිලගෙන….
Coming out of the shadow…	Coming out of the shadow…
Our campfire continued…	Starting the BBQ

We went to sleep around 11pm on the mats (පැදුරු) Wasantha provided us

Our third day started with some doubts about our schedule. Our plan was to climb Manigala and have a nice cool dip in the “Thelgamuwa Oya” and leave after the lunch. But we missed two of our visits on the previous day, the Sera Ella and the Pitawala Pathana due to our late start. So we had to cover those places too. Huge black clouds also were gathering and that discouraged us on the Manigala plan. Then we decided to omit Manigala from the schedule.
After the breakfast we left the village house that sheltered us and those generous villagers. Sera Ella falls was very close to that place.

Climbing down to see the water fall along the cement steps…

Halfway down the way, there was a huge rock over the steps, which seemed to be part the same rock that forms the water fall.

.	No it’s not raining. It’s just the water leaking from the rock surface….

The last part of the journey under the rock was wetting us with the water leaking from the rock. We had to cover our cameras to protect from it.
Few yards down we saw the stream flowing and as we came to the end of the path we were speechless with what we saw. It was one of the most beautiful sights we’d ever seen. Sera Ella was on the full flow due to the rain it had got during past few weeks. One of my friends expressed the beauty of Sera Ella as “මචං මේක නම් හරියට ජේම්ස් බොන්ඩ් ෆිල්ම් එකක ලොකේශන් එකක් වගේ…”.

මනස්කාන්ත සේර ඇල්ල...

Majestic… Isn’t it….?

We were told that it is possible to go inside the cave of the waterfall and there was a stair way to enter the cave.

Into the cave….

Sera Ella, the side view…

It was the first time I’ve been behind a waterfall and it was magnificent. It was rare location for a photo session and we took the advantage of it.

View from behind the water curtain….

Inside the cave behind the waterfall

Panoramic View of Sera Ella

After the Sera Ella we went to the “Thelgamuwa Oya” for the cool dip and found it was very crowded close to the bridge. The water level also was low close to the bridge.

Water level was low near the bridge…

So we decided to walk up a bit to find a peaceful place for a nice bath. On the way we found a huge rock pool below the famous flat rock, which had a plenty of water, but were very distracted with what we saw. A group had camped on top of the flat rock. They were behaving in a very unacceptable manner, so we decided to walk up more. Their camp had littered the surroundings very much. A lot of cigarette filters, empty bottles, polythene and a smashed bottle were seen scattered around.

We went up a bit more and found good place with the water up to the chest height and had a nice swim and a freezing dip. But unfortunately it was raining time to time, so our cameras remained inside.

After the bath we had a nice lunch and said good bye to Wasantha and left the village.

Our last stop was at Pitawala Pathana. There also we found very distracted with drunkards behaving like animals.

Entrance to the Pitawala Pathana…

At Pitawala Pathana

පිටවල පතන... (Click image to enlarge)

Mini World’s End at Pitawala pathana

Paddy Fields below the mini world’s end zoomed…

Panoramic view from the mini world’s end…

Since it was getting late we hit the road towards Colombo. As we were climbing towards the Reversturnfrom Pitawala, the whole area was covered with a thick mist. The road was barely visible.

The Road was barely visible…

Misty road behind us….

We were safely back in Colombo around 10 pm after another enjoyable trip admiring the beauty of Mother Sri Lanka.

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	.
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.	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

Early morning on Friday we started from Colombo and headed straight to Back of Beyond – Gurugoda. We were greeted by Ajith and Anverdeen (a veteran trekker with excellent knowledge about Yala) along with Priyanjan who were waiting there to join the four day excursion to explore, particularly the block two of Yala national park. Yohan’s Nissan Patrol and Ajith’s Land Rover were quickly loaded with supplies and we left straight away to Palatupana Entrance.

At Back of Beyond - Gurugoda

Formalities at the park office did not take long. Wildlife department guide assigned to us was Premarathne. Premarathne is one of the most expreinced guides in service at the department today and he claimed that he is a descendant of Henry Engelbrecht, the first park warden of Yala. Well, he knew Yala well but largely his attitude and certain behaviors did not make us very comfortable with him.

Leaving park office we drove along the Yala main road to paranaganthota (a.k.a Parana Thotupola) where we crossed Menik River and entered Block 2. Our camp site was “Nuga Sevana”, one of the newer camp sites established on the bank of the river. It was only a couple hundred meters away from Paranaganthota (පරන ගං තොට).

Location of the camp site was good, particularly because of its proximity to the river. The river was so inviting with shallow flowing water and clean sandy bottom so that we couldn’t resist a long bath under the shade of giant Kumbuk trees every day! One of the negatives of the camp site’s location was its proximity to the Paranaganthota which is the designated resting place for day visotrs to Yala Block I. On Saturday and Sunday we got disturbed by their noise occasionally. Also there are couple other camp sites on the either banks of the river in some what close proximity. If a party at any one of the camp sites does not behave well, that tend to disturb the rest of the sites. On one of the nights we could hear people singing at one of the other camp sites (most likely Kosgasmankada). Wonder why the wildlife guide who should have been with them did not stop them.

It took some time for us to setup our tents. We had quite a number of them.

Crossing Over to Block 2 at Parana Gan Thota	At Nuga Sewana Camp Site
Menik River bordering the camp site	So obviously this is what we did for hours EVERY day

After setting up tents we had lunch we brought form BOB-Gurugoda. After lunch we relaxed a bit, and set out for the first drive in block 2. Passing Yala wela (යාල වෙල), we drove up to Katupila Ara (කටුපිල ආර).

Yala Wela with Maliththan Trees scattered

Water level in Katupila ara was too high for a vehicle to cross it safely at the usual crossing point. This is a usual occurance, particulalry in the dry season, when river mouth gets blocked with sad, forcing water to build up upstream.

Katupila Ara - Water Level was high due to closed river mouth

Mangrove Roots, Katupila Ara

We had to drive couple of kms  upstream to find a suitable crossing point with less water and we did a hassle free cross over to the other side.

Having crossed Katupila Ara, we drove back along the opposite bank of it and got back on the main road. Passing vast, dry, open, sandy sections of Pilinnawa Eliya (පිළින්නාව එලිය) we drove along the main road towards Kumbukkan Oya. On our list to see were fresh water wells at Pahala Poththana (also known as the Navaladi wells in Paada Yatra) and Uda Poththana Modara (උඩ පොත්තන මෝදර) (View Google Earth Trail Map (KMZ))

As soon as we entered Block 2, we immediately noticed two remarkable differences in the animals we saw, compared to block 1. The first was the size of herds of Deer, Buffalow and Boar. Every herd we saw had many dozens of animals which was a great sight to see. The second was their unfamiliarity with vehicles. Every creature we saw would start running like mad as soon as it saw our vehicles!

We came across large groups of Deer, Buffaloes and Boar but all of them were on the run!

A Large group of Wild Boar, again running like crazy for the dear life!

Occasionally there were "Brave Hearts" as well

We drove mostly  along the main road through scrub forest typical in the area. Passing open areas at Uda Poththana (උඩ පොත්තන), we drove further down towards Pahala Poththana (පහළ පොත්තන). To reach fresh water wells, one should deviate from the main road towards right, just before entering open areas at Pahala Poththana.

We first reached the place where there are three fresh water wells together. It immediately brought back memories of Pada Yatra we did couple of months back. While on Paada Yatra we spent couple of hours resting at this very same place. The only difference this time was that the huge Dun trees in the vicinity were full of fruits!

The three Wells

Dun Trees were full of Fruits

Signs of Pada Yatra

Signs of Pada Yatra

We left the three wells and drove few hundred meters further to reach another freshwater well. We were pelasantly surprised to find another hudge Dun tree full of fruits there as well. The Dun we found were much more tastier than what we had before .

Yummmmmmy!

Leaving fresh water wells we started our journey back along the main road. It was late in the afternoon and the light was perfect for photos.

Malabar Horn Bill in Flight	Herd of Spotted deer paused their mad run briefly and posed beautifully against the light
Harsh Dry Environment was certainly not forgiving the weak	Driving on the "Death Valley" - Uda Poththana
Spikes and the Spider Web	Closed River mouths force water to accumulate upstream like this, sustaining life in a death valley even during the height of the dry season

Once we returned to Uda Poththana area, which is supposed to be an abandoned saltern, we turned left from the main road and drove towards the sea to explore the river mouth (Uda Poththana Modara – උඩ පොත්තන මෝදර) and the Estuary. (View Google Earth Trail Map (KMZ))

We parked close to the beach and explored the area. With pure white sand and calm water of the Estuary bathing in the late afternoon light, it was such a beautiful sight to see.

Sky, Sand, Water and exposed Corals - Uda Poththana Modara

Magical setup at Uda Poththana Modera kept photographers busy!

Lonely "Krishan Putha" at Uda Poththana Modara; most likely brought here by the Tsunami

We tried to locate “earthened wells” some of the previous travellers had described at Uda Poththana but we couldn’t locate any signs of them. Both Anverdeen and Premarathne were of the opinion that those must have been washed away by the Tsunami as they had been located very close to water.

The day was coming to an end. We started our journey back to the camp site. On our way back we saw fresh paw marks of a leopard on the jeep track but were not luky to see it.

Fresh Paw Marks on the Jeep Track

Heading back to Camp Site

Day 2

We left the camp site early morning on Saturday. The Plan was to explore Pilinnawa sand dunes and “Miniha gal Kanda (මිනිහාගල්කන්ද)”.

We crossed Katupila Ara and reached Pilinnawa Eliya driving along the main road. Then we turned right towards the sea and drove until we reached Agara Ara (ආගර ආර). Turning left at Aragara Ara, we continued to drive along the bank of the Ara until we found a point where we could safely cross over to the other side (just like Katupila Ara, water level was high in Agara Ara too; both share the same river mouth). Once we crossed the Ara we tackled some steep climb up to the sand dune and parked right at the base of it. (View Google Earth Trail Map (KMZ))

Parked at the Sand Dune at Pilinnawa

The sea is right there on the other side

It was very early in the morning (just past 6.00 a.m.). Sun had just started to emerged from the sea (Yes, we were in the east coast!). We climbed up the sand dune and reached the undisturbed, beautiful beach on the other side. To reach Miniha Gal Kanda we had to walk 2.1km along the beach. We thoroughly enjoyed this early morninng walk on the beatiful, undisturbed, remote beach. On our right had side it was the Indian Ocean meeting the horizon and on our left was the tall sand dune with perfect patterns created by wind, complimented by dune vegetation.

Sand Dunes complimented by dune vegetation

Rising Sun and the Ocean

The Walk; looking for the "lonely man in the beach"

Patterns on Sand and the colorful rock formations

Closer look at the patterns

……and the man came to our sight!

The rock was certainly resembling a man looking towards the vast ocean in a relaxed posture with his hands on the hips. “Miniha Gal Kanda” is said to be an ancient Coral reef which had been elevated from water a long time back and since then had been eroded by the wind and water to create some unique shapes like this “lonely man”. It is constantly changing, as per Anverdeen, who has seen the lonely man for more than half a century now,the man used to be even more prominent before.

The Lonely Man by the Sea - Miniha Gal Kanda

This is what the man is made of - A coral reef elevated from the sea many million years ago

The area immediately around the man was a fascinating geological formation. Continuous erosion of lose rock have created massive, roughly semi-circular craters with vertical walls. The rock wall was a live demonstration of what lies underneath, a perfect cross section with clearly segregated layers of earth in different colours. Travelers who visited the area before had called these gigantic craters “Amphitheaters” and they had described three of them.

One of the Gigantic Amphitheaters

Vertical Rock wall with layers of earth in different colours

We spent some times exploring the “Amphitheaters”. The rocks were so fragile and would trun in to powder with the ligthest pressure applied. Again Anverdeen recalled that the rock walls had changed drastically over the past few decades due to continuous erosion.

Travel literature describes three Amphitheaters along the coast. Even though we thought we saw all three,  Priyanjan’s studies of Google earth images afterwards suggests that we may have seen only the first one, or the first and the second. Certainly future visits are on plans to Verify

From the base of the Amphitheater

More like Martian Land than Earth

We also found evidence supporting the elevated coral reef theory. Hard shells of sea creatures could be seen trapped in lose rock. They appeared to be in some stage of fossilization.

Lose rocks that formed Amphitheaters

Evidence of early day sea life - Are these shells in some stage of Fossilization?

The sun was rising and the whole area was starting to heat up. Since we had a 2km walk back along the beach, we started our walk back by 8.15 a.m.

Light was getting Harsh

But photo opportunities were not all exhausted

A long the beach we walked back to where we started. Rather than walking back to the vehicles, we decided to continue the walk along the beach to reach the place where the Estuary opens up to the sea. We were also looking for an archaeological site where some stone pillars are said to be there. Again Anverdeen and Premarathna were able to show us the stone pillars scattered in the scrubs.

Pilinnawa Modara (Pellussa Modara) - Where water form Menik Ganga, Katupila Ara and Agara ara meets the sea

Two of the Stone Pillars. We saw couple more standing in the scrub forest close to the Modara

Estuary at Pilinnawa

Estuary at Pilinnawa - from another view point

We then returned to our vehicles. Getting them out of the dunes was not that straight forward!

Sand Dune 4X4 Action

Getting the Land Rover out of it was not that Straightforward

We drove back along the same track we came, crossed Agara Ara and approached the Estuary from the side of it. We found a large tree under which we settled down for breakfast.

Egg + Some sort of sauce + cheese sandwhich - Near Pillinnawa moya

After breakfast we returned to the main road and again continued along it towards Kumbukkan Oya. The plan this time was to explore “Mahirawa – මහිරාව” where a camp site from the hunting days with a waterhole that persists through the dry season were supposed to exist.

Passing Uda Poththana and Pahala Pothathana, we drove up to Ethiliwela Eliya (ඇතිලිවෙල එලිය).

At Pahala Poththana we drove passing the lonely Dan tree, known as “Boer’s Tree” which is said to be where Henry Engelbrecht (The first Park warden of Yala National park during the colonial era) used to camp. (View  Google Earth Trail Map (KMZ) )

"Boer's Tree" at Pahala Poththana where Henry Engelbrecht said to have camped.

Ethiliwela Eliya is another open, dry stretch of land around an Estuary (The water ways that feed this estuary are Athurumithuru Ara – අතුරුමිතුරු ආර and Nabadagas Ara – නාබඩගස් ආර).  Again we turned right towards the sea and drove around Ethiliwela Kalapuwa (Lagoon) in an attempt to reach Mahirawa beach. Again, water bodies were pretty full and we could not approach the sea. We parked beneath a large Dun (දං) tree, again full of fruits, and decided to have lunch there.

The five Dead Bodies! (and the authorities discussing how to dispose them)- After Lunch at Mahirawa

We did not particularly attempt to locate the fresh water hole or the camp site. Water levels was restrictive and we had no specific clues to look for on the ground. Anverdeen and Premarathne were also not too sure about the exact location of the campsite/water hole.

After some rest at Mahirawa, we headed towards “Walas Kema – වලස් කෙම”, another camping location said to have been frequented by the hunters in early 1900 when Yala was a game reserve.

At Walaskema we found a large rock scattered with several water holes (Kemas), most of them had water even in this height of the dry season. View from  top of Walaskema was nice too. Also there were signs of steps cut in the rock surface leading to one of the water holes. May be work of hunters or can this also be an archelogocal site?

Walaskema - Three of the water holes in the rock bed	View from the top - Walaskema
.	Clean Bones of a beast, according to Anverdeen and Premarathne it is not uncommon for animals to fall in to these waterholes or get ambushed by a waiting leopard in their desperate search for water in dry season

On our return journey to the camp site we explored the large earth mound right by the jeep track, close to Katupila Ara, known as “Weheragodella – වෙහෙරගොඩැල්ල”. The inch maps shows a Dagaba in ruins here but we couldn’t locate any signs of it. The soil and the rokcs appeared to be different in color and heavier than ususal. The surrounding and the rocks reminded us of a large meteorite impact site.

Weheragodella as seen from the main road	Climbing up
View from the top	Unusually heavy, colored Rocks - Can this be a Meteorite impact site

Leaving Weheragodella we came back to the camp site along the usual track. A gentle giant proved that our decision not to cross Katupila Ara at the usual crossing point was a very rational one!

Crossing the road between the two Jeeps

Getting in to Katupila Ara

Crossing over to the other side - as you can see there was enough water to submerge this giant so a vehicle crossing the Ara at this point is impossible

Day 3

We had explored most of the key places in the block 2 during past two days. Several other places we wanted to see were lying in areas not open to visitors (inside the strict nature reserve) and we did not want to break any rules. Also the drives in block 2 did not give us opportunities to observe wildlife. Therefore we decided to dedicate the third day to explore block 1.

An elephant feasting early morning at Buthawa lake

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Driving by the Elephant Rock also know as Akasa Chaithya - You can see ruins of two Dagabos at the top of this rock

An egret

A common Kingfisher

Early Morning at Parana Gan Thota

As we return to the camp site after the morning drive, we were called up on to help a jeep stuck in Katupila Ara.  Some 4X4 craze had foolishly attempted to cross the Ara from the wrong point. They had no guide with them and had not got proper permission to enter block 2 even! Apparently he drove the jeep in to the water with women and kids on board just of the fun of it and and ended up like this!

Stupid and Irresponsible are the most suitable words to describe the situation

We Pulled it out. Since the vehicle could not be started, they had to tow it out of the park with the help of the other vehicle which accompanied them

After breakfast Anverdeen shared some of his experience with us. It was very interesting to listen to him. We were particularly interested to find about  ”Ali manthara – අලි මංතර” from Anverdeen. Our conclusion on  අලි මංතර was that it is the aggressive and dominant behavior demonstrated by the person who chants the Mantra that deter the elephant, not the Mantra it self!

How about some sweets after breakfast - we had a load of sweets

Anverdeen Relating a Story

Around 3.00 p.m. we again headed towards Block 1 in anticipation of seeing more wildlife. It certainly was a good start with a peacock in full display.

Beautiful Display

The next sighting was this bear. It was feasting on Maliththan seeds and we watched it in close range for a quite long time

Bear feasting on "Maliththan" seeds

Closer look

Leaving the bear we drove towards Darshana wewa (Modaraagala Digana Wewa). On our way, we came across a family of yellow wattled lapwings. Two parent birds and their three little chicks. As soon as the parent’s saw us approaching, they forced the little ones under their wings. One of the chicks however kept coming out despite the parent bird’s desperate attempts to keep it under the cover.

Mother's protection - One chick is already hidden (you can only see its legs) and another one is hurrying in!

One brave chick kept coming out despite its mothers desperate attempt to keep it under the cover

By the time we reached Darshana Wewa it was late in the after noon. We drove along the earth bund enjoying the tranquility.The place looked very calm and quite with only some birds and couple of crocs in the vicinity.

Crocodiles at Darshana Wewa

1...2...3....

The silence did not last for long. A herd of elephants (with young) got in to water form the opposite bank of the lake. They walked right in to the middle of the lake and started drinking and bathing. It was such a lovely sight to see . The herd would keep the little ones right in the middle of the pack and would chase away anything that came close to the herd, including birds and even Crocs, quite aggressively.

The herd walking in to water with Young in the Middle

Enjoying the cool dip - All what the Croc could do was to watch

Drinking.....

After some time, the herd decided to get out of water. Again, chasing anything and everything that came in their way, the whole group came out of the lake.

Walking out of water

" Being BIG means a lot" - this young calf learnt it first hand (it was just a mock charge and there were no casualties!)

The herd then started spreading sand/dust all over them and we decided to leave them alone.

With the last rays of  sun hiding behind the tree line, we returned to the camp site with exciting memories of the day.

Sun Setting behind the tree line over a lake

Day 4

It was the final day!

We decided to do a one last round in Block 1. The very first destination of the morning was “Padikema – පඩි කෙම” rock to see whether the famous “Rukvila” cubs are around. Sure enough, they were there.

Wake up brother

Jumping out of the bed!

The play continued at the base of the rock

Siblings In Actions!

.	Walking against the Light

It was such an amazing sight to see!

The place started to become congested with more and more jeeps gathering there to see the cubs. Therefore we decided to leave them and explore more of the park.

Seen on the opposite side of "Padikema" rock	Flowers seen close to Patanangala beach
Buthawa Lake	More early morning activity

The last treat of the trip was again a herd of elephants. This time, they were busy playing on a newly built bund of a tank (breaking a good part of it in the process!)

Pushing and Pulling	A closeup
Colorful Dust Bath	.
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Well it was time to say goodbye to all the wonderful things at Yala. We left the paradise behind and faced the relaity of having to go to the office and start work on the following day

We began our journey from Kohuwala at 8am on Friday morning. After brief stopovers at Ratnapura and Balangoda to purchase some items we reached Bambarakanda Eco Resort.

Bambarakanda Eco Resort is run by Mrs Sera Mayakaduwa and her nephew Parashara. It’s a perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life in the city. While the facilities are very basic, the “back to nature” concept is very appealing. Waking up early morning to the sounds of birds and seeing the waters of Bambarakanda falls cascading down in all its glory is an unforgettable experience. The wonderful hospitality shown to us and the delicious food made us wish we could stay a few more days at Bambarakanda Eco Resort.

Bambarakanda Eco Resort with Bambarakanda falls in the background

Having stretched our legs a bit after the long journey and having had our lunch, we set off for our first hike.

The first hike of the day was to Lanka Ella falls. While at first we were contemplating skipping this, Mrs. Mayakaduwa strongly recommended that we do this hike and it’s a decision that we did not regret. The hike at first began through a pine forest and this was the trickiest part since the ground was very slippery.

The trail leading through the pine forest

Thereafter we hiked through a grassy mountain and then reached a forest patch before emerging near the base of the waterfall.

Walking through the grassy area

Walking through the grassy area

Lanka Ella falls was quite breathtaking. A sheet of water cascading down into a pool that is shaped like Sri Lanka. The pool is said to be extremely deep and legend has it that a portion of King Walagamba’s treasure can be found at the bottom. We were warned not to even think of swimming in that pool since quite a few people had drowned there.

Lanka Ella falls

Lanka Ella falls

Our next hike was to the top of Bambarakanda falls. The last portion of the hike was once again through the pine forest with sheer drops on both sides. This part of the hike was tackled with extreme caution, one slip and the consequences could be disastrous. Most of us took off our shoes/slippers and did this part barefoot which helped. However the leaches enjoyed it too

The trail to the top of Bambarakanda with sheer drops on both sides

Just before reaching the top of Bambarakanda falls we reached a rocky outcrop which allowed us a virtual 300 degree view of the surrounding. Again we were extremely cautious when venturing out on this outcrop since there were sheer precipices on three sides.

300 degree view from a rocky outcrop

Finally we reached the top of Bambarakanda waterfall. There was another smaller waterfall cascading down into a pool at the summit. The flow from this pool then headed off into sheer space and as it began its descent formed the start of the Bambarakanda waterfall. It felt great to stand at the top of Sri Lanka’s highest waterfall and to enjoy the spectacular views all around.

Small waterfall at the top of Bambarakanda falls	Bambarakanda Eco Resort seen from the top of Bambarakanda falls
The start of Sri Lanka’s highest waterfall

Since dusk was fast approaching, we began our descent back towards the resort. On our way back we stopped over at the base of Bambarakanda falls and three brave souls decided to brave the freezing water and have a bath. It was pitch dark once they were done, but luckily we had all brought torches and didn’t have much difficulty in finding our way back to the resort.

Pool at the base of Bambarakanda falls (taken during a previous trip)

As day two dawned, we prepared for our main hike. The intention was to walk along the road from Bambarakanda Eco Resort all the way up to the Ohiya – Pattipola highway. Depending on energy levels, we would then do the Worlds End hike as well. The driver of our hired van was given instructions to pick us up near the worlds end ticket office. The poor guy had to travel over 50 Kms by vehicle while we had a mere 13 KMs to hike (or so we thought ).

While the original plan was for the six of us to do the hike on our own, we had an unexpected companion join us. Duke – one of the dogs resident at Bambarakanda Eco Resort decided to accompany us as our guide (even though we later found that he had not done this trail before ).

A short distance after leaving the resort, the concrete road gave way to a rubble path with patches of tar here and there providing evidence that in days gone by this was a better maintained road.

Concrete road gives way to a rubble path

Bambarakanda falls seen from the road to Ohiya

A couple of KMs later we realized that this hike was going to be a lot more testing than expected. The road kept continuously ascending and the next way point in the Lakdasun trail guide never seemed to materialize . After about 1.5 hours, we reached the area known as the V-Cut – A passage through the mountain that is considered a holy place by some. A small altar was visible in the middle of the passage.

The V-cut

Altar in the middle of the V-cut

The V-cut seemed to be a passage marking two different worlds. The hike upto the V-cut was a twisting road through mountains with breathtaking scenery looking upon the Bambarakanda waterfall and the surrounding areas below. Soon after passing the V-cut, the scenery changed to an estate setting with mountains towering high above us.

Change of scenery after the V-cut

A short while after passing the V-Cut, we arrived at a place where a stream flowed across the road. This stream is what feeds the Bambarakanda waterfall.

Duke inspects the stream across the road

After taking a short break for breakfast, we continued with our hike towards Devil’s staircase. The road now traversed through the estate and line houses continuing its steady ascent towards Ohiya.

Breathtaking scenery all along the trail	Breathtaking scenery all along the trail
Breathtaking scenery all along the trail	Breathtaking scenery all along the trail
The top of Lanka Ella falls visible from the trail	One of the many mini-waterfalls we passed on the way

The more we climbed our energy levels kept dropping. However, we were in no hurry and took our time enjoying the scenery and taking as many breaks as needed. The key was that no one was in any mood to give up and resolved to complete the hike no matter whether we reached our destination at 2pm or 2am the next day.

After another couple of hours, we reached another passage through the mountain similar to the V-cut. This marked the start of the Devil’s Staircase. The Devil’s staircase was a concreted stretch of the road with very steep hairpin bends descending sharply. When viewed from a mountain opposite, this stretch of the road looks like a series of massive stairs – hence the name Devil’s staircase.

The start of Devil’s Staircase

Devil’s Staircase

After passing Devil’s staircase, the path was fairly level with a mild descent. A short distance before the turn off towards Worlds End we met Raju, a local guide who was recommended by Mrs. Mayakaduwa. Raju then accompanied us for the rest of the journey and helped cut short the journey by guiding us via shortcuts through estate paths.

A few minutes after meeting Raju we reached a fork in the road. The descending road lead to Ohiya which was approximately 9 KMs away. The other road was a sharp ascend up to the Ohiya – Pattipola highway which was our route. Our energy levels were now so low that we had to take short breaks at almost every turn in the road. So near and yet so far was the phrase that came to mind. Less than 3 KMs to go… but boy wasn’t that tough.

One of the many shortcuts we took towards the end of the trail	The final 3 KMs
The final 3 KMs	The final 3 KMs
The final 3 KMs

Having had a short break for lunch en route we finally reached the Ohiya – Pattipola highway around 3pm that afternoon. Here we had an amazing piece of luck. We had asked the driver of our van to meet us at the World End ticket counter which was a further 1.5 KMs away, however just as we emerged out into the road our van passed by and we were able to stop it.

All of us thankfully filed into the van. Duke who accompanied us all the way also decided to take the easy option of taking the van back home rather than walking all the way back.

Five of our team then went on to do the Worlds End trek while I remained in the van resting my poor feet and keeping Duke company.

Day three was a quiet day assigned for rest and recovery. After breakfast, we headed back home stopping en-route at Eheliyagoda for a river bath and lunch arranged by one of our group.

We started at 5 am and reached Sinharaja via Mathugama/ Kalawana (Kudawa Entrance) at 7am. Unfortunately we had to park the vehicle 1 km before the ticket office at the regional forest office as a bridge was under construction.The climb to the park entrance was steep and by 7.30 we were inside with the tracker Somapala( 045 7210845)

May be Brown Shrike (migrant)

Green pit Viper

We came across the 1st bird flock around 8 though there were only about 6 species consisting of Orange billed Babler, Crested Drongo, Malabar Trogan, White faced Starling, Laughing Thrush and Schimeter Babler.

Malabar Trogan	Greenish Wabler (migrant)
Dark fronted Babler	Brown Breasted Flycatcher (migrant)
Orange billed Babler	White faced Starling
Female Jungle Fowl	Yellow fronted Barbet

It was a perfect day with the Sun up and was a very good session for photography.The best thing was finding a Frogmouth couple inside the shrub.I hope that some of the Birding members might enjoy looking at the photos.

Blue Magpie	.
Frogmouth	.
Sri Lanka Laughing THRUSH	Crested Drongo
Asian Paradise Flycatcher	Schiemiter Babler
Black Headed Bulbul	Kunakatuwa (a Pit Viper)

Giant Squirell

Nelu flower blossoming every 4 years

Back at the Entrance

While returning from Sinharaja yesterday, from Mathugama we turned towards the highway and after checking the credentials of my friend who carried a special pass we were allowed to proceed. We started at 3.15pm and by 4.45 we were back at Kottawa exit.

There were some work been carried out to finish before the opening on the 27th and the different colours of the carpet due to re-doing at places were seen but it was a good experience but it will be a different ball game when the full vehicular flow starts. The noteworthy concern was the number of dogs staying near the middle fence but hope that the necessary action will be taken to sort this out.

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My very first visit to Yala was in July 2010. “Armed” with my new Canon 100-400 we headed there with the hope of capturing a good shot or two of the elusive Sri Lankan Leopard. But much, much to our dismay, even after two rounds, we failed to catch even a glimpse of a Leopard! Dusty, tired and so disappointed, we headed back to Colombo. We must have been so upset with Yala, that Wilpattu got our undivided attention thereafter for the next 14 months

September 2011 came by – the time seemed ripe for “revenge”! So one fine afternoon, we headed off to Yala with renewed anticipation.

BUT FIRST, a relaxing evening at the new “hotspot” of Yala – the exciting new BACK OF BEYOND GURUGODA. Ever since seeing Priyanjan’s fantastic pictures, we were dying to experience the place first-hand. We were certainly not disappointed.

As are all BoB retreats, Back of Beyond Gurugoda is beautifully and thoughtfully designed – It is rustic but has ample comfort, with little touches that warms the heart. Priyanjan has captured all the “essentials”, but let me add something that made me smile.

A Deer with a Mission Didn’t you always want to hang your clothes on a Deer’s antlers? Well, here is your chance

The roof is beautifully thatched with palm leaves.
The color scheme is lovely, and the furniture has been carefully and artistically chosen.
There is one bedroom that sleeps 3, and two other beds outside.
The linen is crisp, clean and spotless white.
The toilet and washroom are both semi open-air. Lovely to gaze up on starry nights!
The cook and caretaker are very nice chaps and very accommodating.
Located only about 15 minutes away from Yala main entrance and situated before the Governer’s Camp (GC).
Just follow the sign boards to GC, but before that, you will find a “Designer Gate” to the left leading to BoB Gurugoda.
We heard that the latest Designer to add some finish touches was a Wild Elephant  :-)
It might be good to pay a visit to Back of Beyond Gurugoda before more people get to know of this lovely hideout.
You won’t be disappointed.

After a good night’s sleep, we started off to Yala feeling the warmth of the rising sun. The Jeep was hired from Yala Jeep Safaries, and driven by the owner’s son Sumudu, a good driver.
As usual, Yala was beaming with life, and before long, we couldn’t believe our luck when we spotted a Sloth Bear just by the roadside!!
I must have been so excited by my first wild Sloth Bear encounter that I totally forgot a basic rule of photography – always check your shot – only later did I realize that my camera settings were wayyy off, leading to shots so bad that I am ashamed to put them up here…sorry…
But we got to observe the bear for about 15 minutes, and it was a flying start to a great safari.
The first of the BIG THREE, THE BEAR covered! LEOPARD AND TUSKER to go. Fingers-crossed!

Our driver and our tracker were very eager to show us Leopards, and I must say we were so excited at the prospect too, but we did remember to take it a bit slow and enjoy the other beauties of Yala.

A dress that never ceases to impress - Indian Pea Fowl	black-naped hare
An albino Wild Boar

GOT TO REST TOO (A Spotted Dear resting under a Bonsai-like tree)

GOT TO REST TOO (a Grey Langur)

There were also Hornbills, Orange-breasted Pigeons, Serpent Eagles, a family of Jackals, Open-billed Stalks, Egrets, numerous crocs and many other birds. It was a beautiful flock of Painted Stalks that next caught our attention.

Try sitting like that!

Jumping the line!

More painted storks

“Am I the prettiest of ‘em all?”

You certainly are beautiful!

Ending a serene interlude, Sumudu’s cell phone rang. It was news of a Leopard!

When we got to the spot, two other Jeeps were already there, so we didn’t get the best view. But there they were, two Leopard cubs hidden well inside the bush. Finally, the dream of seeing a wild Leopard at Yala was coming true! Yippiee! When more Jeeps start arriving, one of them rose up and walked inside the bush, leaving only one, who compensated for her brother’s rude exit by posing for us beautifully.

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A final glimpse through the trees

Two of the “BIG THREE” – THE LEOPARD – Covered! Yayyyyyy

Fully satisfied, we returned to BoB Gurugoda for a good lunch. After resting a bit and enjoying the bungalow, we left and headed off to our accommodation inside Yala – the Old Butuwa Bungalow – to leave our bags and provisions before the evening round.

On the way, we had the privilege of spending some time with this Elephant Family – There was just us, which must have put them at ease. They went about enjoying the afternoon and giving us the pleasure of observing some heart-warming moments of Bonding and LOVE…

Trunks of all sizes …they can stroke..	…and wrap around …(Awwww…)
…or hold gently too…Awwwwwww

Seeing them so carefree, I thought, what a sin it is to disrupt their lives by robbing their habitats, or separating them, especially moms and calves, in order to satisfy Man’s personal gain or greed…They belong free in the Jungle…and we need to protect them.

Walking towards an uncertain tomorrow???? So hope not.. Dear God help us keep them safe

Warmed by the “Elephantine” Love, we arrived at the Old Butuwa Bungalow – Probably the best maintained bungalow in Yala, thanks to the caretaker KULE and his staff.

Old Butuwa Bungalow	Old Butuwa Bungalow
Lovely sea view from the bungalow	Fabulous view of the Elephant rock and beach from atop the rocky mountain

Panoramic view of the ocean and sky in various shades of blue

After a nice cup of tea, we started the evening round.

It was always a dream of mine to see a leopard on a tree, and it was about to come true. There he/she was – a very cute cub, lazily napping on a tree, observing the excited humans who were gathering fast to watch him

“Hmm, what a bunch of Nuts!”	“But I am too sleeeeeepy to keep my eyes open..zzzz”
“ok, ok just one pose ok”

After a lovely 20 minutes or so, the place became so congested we decided to leave and head off to a small lake close by, where a fully-grown Leopard had been observed the day before. We parked there, and patiently waited..a bit long..but the wait was finally rewarded by Leopard No. 4 for the day!

It suddenly appeared from behind a tree giving us a start!	After observing us for awhile, he decided to come out into the open Yes! We were delighted!
One SCARY Dude!!!!

He soon vanished off into the jungle, but we were happy to be the first to see him. Another jeep arrived as he went in. Don’t think they could see much..

It was getting somewhat dark and we decided to head towards the bungalow…on the way, we came across a fleet of vehicles. Two cubs and a mom! Leopards, 5, 6, 7 to complete the day. Mom was too hidden to photograph, but the two cubs were visible over the grass.

Could it be a boy and a girl?

Saying the Bedtime Prayers?

Sweet!

It was time for us to retire too.
We headed to the bungalow. When we arrived, we were a bit disappointed to hear that Gamini, the Tusker had just been there looking for food…come to think of it, we did hear some crackers – Kule and crew had used crackers to chase him away. We had missed a Tusker by a mere few minutes!

A good wash and a delicious dinner brightened our spirits, and we dozed off happily on the beds in the verandah, bathed in moonlight, to the lullaby of the sea.

The next morning, we were told to go to Rukvila as early as possible since the famous Rukvila cubs come there early morning to drink from it. When we got there, we could see fresh pug marks, but no cubs in sight. We drove towards the rocks, and as we took the bend, there was a leopard lying on a rock by the side of the road! Our driver for the day was a very young chap (Sumudu had a previous booking). Neither our tracker nor driver spotted it, and when my cousin who spotted it first said “Leopard”, our driver suddenly braked and stopped the Jeep right in front of the leopard! It looked at us for a couple of seconds (I thought he looked quite annoyed!), quickly got up, crossed the road and went up the rock. There was hardly anytime to get the cameras out… Lesson learnt : when a leopard is spotted suddenly, if you can’t give the Leopard a good distance, slowly drive by past it, turn and come back slowly. Give the leopard space so as not to bother or startle it. This will also give you good shutter chances than stopping abruptly in front.

We waited at the spot, being the only Jeep there. And a few minutes later the Rukvila Cubs appeared, Leopards 8,9 and 10.

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I may look sweet

but I can be scary too

climbing up the steep rock together

.	A beautiful finale

The last and final Leopard No. 11 was a very sleepy cub napping on a far-away rock near the fishing village.

I really wished I had a longer lens!

Afternoon round was nearing the end, and we had almost given up hopes of a Tusker, when we spotted an Elephant Family drinking water in a small pond. We stopped by to observe and the babies started playing in the mud! It was so sweet!

“Little Bro, I am gonna push you!”

Mission accomplished! See the small one on all fours? He had a time getting up!  But he sure was enjoying himself!

Then they came out and started playing again

Trunk Sumo?

A close up – Wait a minute! Could that be a small tusk on the little one in the right?

Have we completed the BIG THREE???
It seems like a Baby Tusker to ME
Well, I will leave it to you to decide

Thank you very much for reading!
Hope you enjoyed it.

We( 5 of us) started at 2.15 am on the 4th of November from Colombo and reached Yala office at 5.45 am. We were joined by 5 others who had come the previous day from Kandy and had stayed in Thissa.The group consisted of 3 families and 2 others who opted to leave the families behind. Buthuwa was booked for the 1st day and Ondaatje for the 2 nd night.Our tracker as usual was Shalika( t/p: 0776808666 ) and we went in at 6.10 as the office opens at 6 these days.

By 7.30 we had seen 3 leopards ( One at Rukwila) and a tusker as well.

1st at rukvila	2nd and 3rd
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Tusker (Gamini)	Tusker
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After making the round as planned we had breakfat near the river and crossed to go to block 2.We had to tow the Hi-Lux cab 3 times as there were mud and water from the rains in the previous days but it was expected and we wre prepared for that. We wanted to go upto the devalaya( Okanda) but came back as there was a noise in one of the jeeps.

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Very Close	Ches nut Headed Bee Eater
Lesser Sand Plover	.
Jackals

Aferwards we proceeded to Buthuwa and after having lunch went to Thissa and got the jeep repaired.By the time we went back to the bungalow it was 7.30. We had a barbeque and some refreshments before dinner as well.It started raining heavily with lightning and thunder and we only could hope for the best.

The following morning when we woke up at 4.15 the stars were shining and we started at 5.30 and by 5.45 the sun rose and it was a beautiful day.And then the Leopard fiesta started and we were entertained by 9 leopards during the day. One was seen by only the jeep in front and 2 others were seen only and could not be photographed but it was so exciting and fulfilling.

4th	4th
5th	6th Crossing
6th Crossing	6th Crossing
7th	7th
7th	Button Quail
Croc	In full swing
In full swing	In full swing
Wild Boar	Changeble Hawk Eagle
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.	8th
8th

We missed the bear may be by hours but had left the unmistakable foot prints .

Bear marks..	Grey headed fish Eagle
Honey Buzaard	Common Iora
Whiskered Tern	9th Leopard to see
9th	9th
Yellow wattled lapwing

The 2nd night was spent at Ondaatje where the surrounding area was fantastic but the place was realy rundown with no maintenenace done which was sad to see and also annoying as we paid good money and also the income in Yala has risen dramatically.Though we made another trip inside the following morning also we could not see anyone though it was hot and sunny day but we were quite content , happy and thrilled as our mission was fully accomplished except the fact that there were very few elephants around.

Jungle fowl

This was one of the best hikes we experienced so far and on the other hand a good example on how the travelers will have to survive the consequences caused by unavoidable delays.

I have done the same hike in 2002 with my school friends and this is after 6 years of that.

We were planning to start our trip at 12.00Noon from Colombo. Due to some unavoidable situations it was delayed for 2 hours and finally we left Colombo by 2.00PM. We took the low-level road and unfortunately there was heavy traffic at Orugodawaththa since construction of the flyover was taking place and we had to wait almost 1 hour there. After so many delays we were able to come to Rathnapura by 6.30 PM and still had a lot of things to be bought from Cargills. By the time we started the journey again we knew that we won’t have time to cook our dinner and decided to buy dinner from Balangoda town.

We turned left from A4, Colombo – Badulla road to Hirikatuoya camp site somewhere around 162km post (1.5km – 2km after the Belihuloya Rest house) and from there we had another 5.7 km to our 1st day destination. But the time was 10.30PM.
After several obstacles we were able to reach our day 1 destination by 11.00 PM. By that time the care taker has gone home assuming that we would not arrive on that night.

.	From A4 road to camp site 5.7 KM

‘Hirikatuoya’ Camp Site

Scenery…

Next day morning our plan was to get the breakfast & lunch prepared with the help of the care taker. Since he was not there we had to go to the main road to buy food for both breakfast & lunch. Group of people went back to main road (A4) while others were getting ready for the great hike. Bad luck was at its worst for us during the trip. When we were coming back the wooden bridge between camp site and main road was repairing by estate workers and we had to wait there another 1 hour till they give us a temporary solution to pass it.

The Wooden Bridge, we were given a temporary solution	‘Hirikatuoya’, from misty mountains…
Marvelous creation of nature	Scenery on the way to Non Pareil tea factory

Finally we came back to camp site with necessary food items for the hike. Then all of us got in to the van and went up to the Non Pareil estate Tea factory. From camp site to tea factory was another 9km and view of the surroundings was fantastic.

Beyond this place vehicles are not allowed (with prior approval you can go if you have a 4X4 vehicle) and therefore we started our hike (We told driver to go to ‘Maha Eliya’ bungalow via Ohiya). From the tea factory it is 15km to World’s End. We started our hike at 11.30AM. Fortunately we met an estate worker and he said “මහත්තයා short cut වලින් ගියොත් 7km, මම පාර පෙන්නන්නන්.” But we didn’t believe him because reducing 8kms was not seemed to be possible.

Non Pareil tea factory, where we started our hike. From here 15km to World’s End	.
Breathtaking…	Little Break

After several hours we were able to reach Bekar’s bend and view from there is marvelous. In a clear day you can see up to the Southern coastal line.

The famous Bekar’s bend - Click Image to Enlarge

Clear view of Samanalawewa

At the ‘Nagrak’ we had our lunch. From ‘Nagrak’ there is another route to Bogawanthalawa side.

Where we had lunch

Breathtaking…

After having little rest at ‘Nagrak’ we started our journey and came to the upper end of the Non Pareil Estate.

“Garden of the God”, View from the garden of manager’s bungalow at upper end of Non Pareil Estate	Bloomed for Sun
Bloomed for Sun

From here the jungle is thick, and another 3km to go.

In thick jungle…

Above all…

After 5 hours of journey we were able to come to our destination. Estate worker was correct. We were able to reduced 8km using shortcuts.

Breathtaking…	Hills and Clouds
Climax….	The way behind. Non Pareil tea factory where we started our hike marked in red circle. Finally travel distance is 6.99km, walking time 2h & 24mins, Waiting time 2h & 44mins
We made it…

Have a safe and enjoyable trip!!!

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.