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

he name Kehelpothdoruwegala (Rock shaped like a plantain sheath gutter) came to my knowledge in 2012 February in our Yahangala climbing. We have noticed a giant standing in front of Yahangala (1220m) and got to know it as Kehelpothdoruwegala. But the day of conquering came after one and half years of Yahangala climbing.

After a tiring day, the water felt great on our body but Wumi kept sniffing it feeling a bit doubtful. We stayed in about an hour and the sun was ready to go down. Shantha treated us with a cup of ripe Maa Dan (berries) and they were delicious. Having changed into some comfy shorts, we decided to take a short walk into the jungle and Sunimal advised not to venture deep into the jungle as elephants are very common there.

We got off the train from Badulla in the morning after a long 12 hour journey. The list of “must do” in Uva province was getting longer ever since Ashan started roaming in Uva and his reports started flooding into the Lakdasun forum. We were hoping to cover a few of those places and 5 of us were on a hiking trip, hoping to do 3 trails in 3 days. Our accommodation was close to Passara so we quickly did shopping and got into a Passara bus.

The sun was out and it was around 6.45am when we set off and I heard a dog shouting from the top of his voice to find out it was actually a puppy tied into a pole. He was making a big fuss wanting to be free and run about, looking very sad. I felt very sorry for the fellow but there was nothing I could do for him. The surrounding was lush green as the railway track lies through the Horton Plains.

Arangala is a mountain I came across while browsing through Chalitha’s profile on Facebook and since then I also wanted to be there and enjoy the magical scenery around Mathale and Dambulla! This gigantic rock is also called Nalanda rock since it is located close to Nalanda village. And also been at the center of the island it holds a special place compared to other peaks. Arangala also has a past history related to Weera Keppetipola and Gongale goda banda who formed troops at this mountain.

We booked the campsite early and arranged everything for 3 nights. Drive up to kumana was soo long and tiring. We left Gampaha around 11.30 in the night. Stopped several times and reached Arugambay around 8.30 am. Spent around 2 hours in the beach and went to Panama to meet our jeep guy, Sena. He is the only Sinhala guy operating in the area.

This is a journey which I treasured a lot and at the end of it I was left with many unanswered questions. Few weeks back there was a news clip from a TV channel shared around Facebook about some paintings in Ella, Karandagolla. The uniqueness of it was enough to stimulate me to go in search of these paintings within few weeks! The monk at Karandagolla was my main resource person who found a guide and arranged everything. Let me share with you my little adventure and reveal few secrets of a forgotten era.

Dimbulagala is a main religious attraction at Polonnaruwa. It is 534.5m high rock range situated 12miles from Polonnaruwa. To reach Namal Pokuna, Akasa Chaithya, Mara Weediya and Herbal ponds you don’t need a guide as foot pathways and steps can be seen clearly.

The perfectly square-shaped rocks had been put together by a very thin layer of a special mixture (about 1cm) and it’s really surprising that she’s been standing all these years. The mastermind behind this magnificent structure is Mr. P. K. Appuhamy, who was a resident of Keppetipola born in 1870 and died at 1951.

Few months ago Kokagala came across my visual path while I was on top of Olagangala hermitage. Never knew what this rock was until I noted it close up at Padiyathalawa. During my first visit to Padiyathalawa I requested from my trishaw driver to find me a guide and let me know and within few months I was all ready to conquer it. Though Amila planned to join me in this venture he couldn’t make it and as usual I was left alone.

As a bunch of wildlife lovers, we’ve always been fascinated by the sheer wilderness Sri Lankan national parks offered. We planned a trip to Udawalawa National Park this summer and it was one of the memorable ones.