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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We had to go to Kandy for a “bana” and an “arms giving” and since the”bana” was on Saturday night I made a plan and went on Friday night and reached Kandy at 11.45 pm and stayed at my Sister in law’s place in Katugastota .

The following day I started alone at 5.30 am as my wife and daughter was more keen on shopping at the city centre and went via Theldeniya and Digana and arrived at Deanston at around 7 am.

Sun strggling to rise	.
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Hunnasgiriya	.
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Hunnasgiriya town from above	.
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At Deanston	.

As there was heavy mist I did some walking checking for birds.

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Probably a female whistling Thrush

Later went in the vehicle towards Corbett’s gap and then turned towards Loolwatta and Meemure.Though I only did go close to the village due to time constraint, it was a very pleasing drive ,fresh air breathing down my neck and the awesome scenery opening up.

Heavy Mist Passing Deanston	Heavy mist passing Deanston
Turn off to Meemure	This realy made my day

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The only concern was the very narrow road going through the village from the turn off from Corbett’s view lodge and fortunately for me only a three wheeler came from the opposite direction and I could make room for it to pass and if a bigger vehicle came I would have had to reverse for a good kilo meter or so on a winding road.

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Grey Wagtail

Phillipine Shrike

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Red rumped Swallow

Crested Serpent Eagle

Black Bulbul

Brown Shrike

Female pied Bushchat

Lesser Yellow Nape

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It was a good day for birding as well and left Hunnasgiriya around 11.30

I have a dream to visit Uda-Maliboda, ඇලි හත (Seven Waterfalls) for quite a long time. Finally with some of my friends we decided to do it in beginning of the year 2012. Our objective is to visit all the seven waterfalls without a guide and also explore the area.

In the early morning at 5.00 AM we started the journey from Kiribathgoda by hired van. At around 9.30 AM we reached Uda-Maliboda. From there we had our breakfast and started the hike near the Naya Ganga.

Map of the area

Naya Ganga with Bambaragala at distance

1st and 2nd waterfalls

Old bridge goes to Uda-Maliboda

Babaragala and Seven virgin mountains

We had to walk about 2KM to reach the base of 1st waterfall. New mini hydro power plant is building at the base of 1st waterfall. We reach there around 11:30AM. Mahinda Aiya is the supervisor of this hydro power plant and he gave us direction to waterfalls and also kind enough to offer a tea. After having the delicious tea we started hiking parallel to Naya Ganga water stream inside the forest from lest side. Within 15 minutes we were able to visit the 2nd waterfall. It’s quite high and beautiful waterfall. We stayed some time with enjoying the beauty of waterfall.

1st waterfall	2nd waterfall
Mushrooms	Gon Diva

Again we entered into forest and climbed parallel to Naya Ganga form left side. Because of steepness we had to climb down to water stream. The time is near 3PM and we find a place to camp and decided to stay there. We had a cool dip of the water steam and prepared rice and dhal curry for the dinner. In the evening there is a mist and some rain. Because of rain we have to keep alert of the water level.

Where we camped 1st day night

Early morning

Next day morning we rise with the sound of singing birds. We prepared noodles for breakfast. We started hike around 9.30AM. We couldn’t follow the steam from left hand side of the stream because of the left bank is so steep. Therefore we cross the stream and entered to forest from right side of the stream. There the undergrowth is thick and we need to make a path though the bushes. About an hour we were able to reach the base of 3rd waterfall. Threre is a ‘Dhothuru’ tree side of the 3rd waterfall and this may be the reason to call it ‘Dhothuru Ella’.

3rd waterfall with ‘Dhothuru’ tree

Upper part of 3rd waterfall

Again we climbed though the forest to top of 3rd waterfall. On top of 3rd waterfall there is a quite space and can see the distance from there. We crossed the stream and again entered into forest from lest side of the steam. After climbing half an hour we were able to reach 4th waterfall. Along the water stream we climbed to 5th waterfall. These are small compared to other waterfalls.

Top of 3rd waterfall

4th waterfall

Time was around 4PM and we thought to camp top of 4th waterfall. We prepared rice for dinner with soya-meet and sinisambol. There was a clear sky and we can see the moon very nicely. Also it was a cold night.

4th waterfall	Wood carving?
Top of 4th waterfall	5th waterfall
Where we camped 2nd day night	Early morning view

Next day morning we got ready by 7AM and stared climbing without our backpacks. Our aim is to climb up to top of 7th waterfall and climb down to the place we camped second day. We started from the bottom of 5th waterfall and cross the stream to right bank and went parallel to stream. Then we climb down to bottom of 6th waterfall which is we think most beautiful. Then we cross the stream and entered to left bank and climbed up to where we can peek into upper part of 6th waterfall. From there again we climbed up to top of 6th waterfall where 7th waterfall can be seen. There is a quite flat space in top of 6th waterfall where you can clearly see the valley.

6th waterfall	Upper part of 6th waterfall
Top of 6th waterfall	7th waterfall

Top of 6th waterfall

More views from top of 6th waterfall

Fish tank?

After spending more than half an hour we started climbing up till we found the top of 7th waterfall. Here also there is a flat surface where you can see the valley. Time is nearly 1PM and we stared to climb down. Around 4PM we were able to reach our camp site near the 5th waterfall. We had noodles for dinner and also prepared rice for the morning since our plan is to leave early in the morning.

Top of 7th waterfall	Top of 7th waterfall
Bambaragala mountain peak	Achievement

Next day morning at around 7AM we stared to climb down. At around 2PM we were able to reach bottom of Bambaragala near the tea plantation. After meet Mahinda Aiya we haven’t seen any human been for 3days. Even no cell phone signals after 3rd waterfall. Then we had to walk more than 2 km to reach trail head. We had a bath from Naya Ganga and hired two three-wheelers and came to Deraniyagala. From Deraniyagala we took the bus to Avissawella and from there to home. This is the most adventurous memorable hike I have ever done.

Thank you very much for reading.

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

Along the way…

Eli hatha as seen from the road

Sri Pada close-up on the way to uda maliboda

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

Nade…

At the trail head-pandeniya river crossing

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

Pandeniya river

Entering the forest..

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

Ascents..

Through the thick jungle..

And obstacles….

Also an occasional glimpse of wildlife…….

Minding it’s own business…

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

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

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

Elephant dung…

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

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

Climbing back down…..

Back down..

Back on the correct path…

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

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

Kuru ganga

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

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

Finally…the entrance to the jungle after crossing Kuru ganga

And into the darkness…

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

Kuruwita-erathna trail

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

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

Some of us decided to take a nap..

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

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

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

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

At the summit

At about 6.45am it was time to leave..

It was time to leave

The views when getting down was stunning..

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.	Two becomes one….meeting of two rivers

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

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

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

The exit from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

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

TUNNEL NO. 20 - My favorite..!

TUNNEL NO. 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day 1
We started our journey from Hikkaduwa at about 4.30pm and reached to Kaduwela at about 7.30. We spent the night at our relation’s place.

Day 2
We left Kaduwela at 4.00am and headed along the low level road reached to Avissawella about 5.00. We could see the first rays of the day at Kithulgala.

We stopped at a small restaurant near by the river and had hoppers as our breakfast.

Dawn at Kithulgala	Breakfast at Kithulgala
Early Morning at Kelani ganga	We noticed a giant moth near Kelani ganga which was attacked by a predator

We turned to B189 road from A7 at somewhere between Ginigathhena and Kithulgala. (I don’t know the exact name of the junction. A villager said that it is ‘Pitawala’. There is a police barrier here.)

Turning point

The road from here to Norton Bridge shapes very bad. But it spreads through very beautiful area. (Near Seven Virgins hills)

.	At the seven virgins hills near by ‘Koththellena’
Breathtaking scenery from the top of kottellena

Then we reached to the city of Norton Bridge and had a cup of tea from a small restaurant and headed towards Hatton.

In memory of Martin Air DC 8 crash

The road from Hatton to NuwaraEliya shapes very bad. (Specially the part from Kotagala to Thalawakele.) The situation became worst because of the construction of Ihala Kothmale hydro power house. The whole area was covered with the dust. We stopped few minutes at the beautiful and very famous waterfall.

Then it was the time to stop at another marvel of the nature, the St. Clair’s falls. But it looks little dirty because of the constructions of the power house.

Devon the veil of bride nature…

We tried in our best to avoid the wires but failed….

Then we headed to Nuwara Eliya and reached there about 1.30pm. We had the lunch at Sri Ambal’s vegetarian café. Then we went to the government holiday bungalow and the caretaker Thissa welcome us warmly. We went to the Gregory lake in the evening and enjoyed the activities like riding bicycles, walking etc.

Gregory lake in the evening

Gregory lake in the evening

Day 3

It was a bright morning. No rain or mist at all. We decided to leave as early in the morning to visit Horton Plains. We rode quickly to the same vegetarian café and had a heavy breakfast consisting of Thosai, Wadei, etc. Then we headed to Horton Plains via Pattipola.

Road towards Horton plains	Kande Ela reservoir
Heaven on earth at Ambewela

We stopped for a few minutes at Ambewela farm and tasted fresh yoghurt and proceed

Pattipola Railway Station	Horton Plains Location Map (Click Image to Enlarge)
Sri Padaya from Horton Plains	Breathtaking view of the plain

The plain was quite dry as there was no rain for a long time. The dust was there instead of mist.

.	A fresh water crab caught at the red bridge
.	Mini World’s End
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Dwarf Bamboo bushes	Beautiful tiny flower

We roamed all over the plains leisurely. We came across an endemic lizard coming out from a bush

Endemic lizard

We were quite sorry to see that many invasive species were spread all over the plains. Gorse (Ulex europeous) shows a noteworthy growth there. We noticed that some trails were totally covered with this plant making tunnels

Ulex tunnel

Ulex europeus

We were lucky enough to see some Maha Rathmal flowers blooming around chimney pool and my wife’s vigilant eyes found a Binara flower too.

Rhodrodendron (Maha Rathmala)

Binara

We reached to the ticketing office back at about 4.30pm. We collected our helmets there. We were quite tired at the moment as we had only biscuits and tea for our lunch. So we rode directly to NuwaraEliya and had a vegetarian diet at Ambaals.

Day 4

That was the final day of our journey. We woke up early in the morning and left NuwaraEliya about 6.00am. It was extremely cold and mist in the morning. We rode along Welimada road (was under construction those days) and turn to Bogahakumbura road from Keppetipola.

Road from NuwaraEliya to Welimada

From Boralanda we headed to Haputale. It was about 7.30am when we reached to Haputale. Then we stopped at Haldummulla to by some Aligeta Pera (Avacado).

We had our breakfast at a small restaurant near by the main road.

From Balangoda we turn to Kahawatta and reached to Madampe. The road shaped little bad from Madampe to Rakwana but we were able to manage.

.	A tea break at Beragala

Road go through the heaven after Rakwana. We met hairpin bends. We stopped our bike near Rakwana Bridge and walk along the river until we met a nice place to have a bath. We met other two guys who are also traveling by a motorcycle. They have come all the way from Kelaniya. That was the 3rd day of their trip. They wished to pay a visit to Morning side. They were exploring a hermitage inside the jungle near by Rakwana in the morning. We wish them a safe journey and they wished the goodwill of us too.

Dipping in the icy cold water

It was about 12.30pm when we left Rakwana. We reached to Deniyaya about 2.00pm and had out lunch there. Then we headed to Akuressa, Yakkalamulla and Hikkaduwa. It was about 6.00pm when we come back home.

Road from Rakwana to Deniyaya

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We started journey from Gampaha at 3.30 a. m. Very less traffic on the way and we could reach Riverston at 6.45. We were the first to be there for the day.

On our way to Reversturn.	We reached Reversturn gap at 6.45 am no mist at all
Reversturn gap	View from Reversturn gap
Start climbing up to riverston tower 7.30 am. (2 km)	On the way
SLT Tower Reversturn	We had to pay much attention to kids running here and there. No wind at all

We left Reversturn around 9.30 am and this is on our way to Pitawala pathana.

This is between Reversturn and Pitawala. I don’t kanow what it is	We reached Pitawala Pathana around 10.30 am
Mini worlds end	View from Pitawala Pathana
Paddy fields at beautiful Rathninda

Manigala behind the scene. This is around 5 Km away from the Hittipola Road. The road was very bad condition and difficult manage with the car. We had to stop the car and walk last 2 km.

Thelgamu Oya at Rathnida	Weddapani Ella Rathnida (Etanwala border). Really worth coming here
Short cut to Weddapani Ella. We got our lunch here (Parcels prepared from home.)

We could reach Wasgamuwa around 3.00 pm. Unfortunately we could see only elephants, Peacocks and few other birds.

we could see only elephants, Peacocks and few other birds

Mahaweli Ganga at Wasgamuwa

Then we reach Wilgmuwa and spend night at Irrigation Department Bangalow beside the Nipon bridge

Irrigation Department Bungalow Wilgamuwa

Day 2

Sandy Mahaweli river at Wilgamuwa

Structure with Architecture – Nipon Bridge Wilgamuwa

We started journey at 7.30 ,crossed the Nipon bridge and reached Dimbulagala around 9.00 am.

Dimbulagala Rajamaha Viharaya	View from top of the Dimbulagala Rock
Timber statures in Dimbulagala temple

Then we travelled up to Madakalapuwa (Batticaloa) junction at turn right and reach Sewanapitiya. We turned left at Sewanapitiya and reached Nelumwewa hot springs at around 12.30 pm. Wells are situated inside the tank had to use boat to reach there.

Somaweera who knows a lot about the area and history of the springs	Nelum wewa hot springs. Hottest springs in Sri Lanka. Cannot bath without mixing
More information on Hot Springs of Sri Lanka	Nice summer hut constructed by Mahaweli Authority. We got our lunch there
A road to wells is under construction. I don’t know what will happen to innocent Somaweera’s job	There are lots of trees around. I don’t know why it chose to perch here?

We bought good dry fish from Ottamawadi , on the way to Passikudah. We reached Passikudha around 3.30 pm

Crowded Passikudha beach	He likes and wants to swim. But………
Coconut Cultivation Board Circuit Bungalow No. 2

Coconut Cultivation Board Circuit Bungalow No. 2. Where we spend second day night. I learn about this place from Lakdasun

Day 3

Start journey around 7.30 am. We drove northward along A15 road. Road is superb rarely find a vehicle

A bridge under construction	Fuel station Vakarai
A15 Road

We turned left just after Verugal and drive towards Lankapatuna. Road condition is very good. We visited Pashana Pabbatha Viharaya on the way. It had been used as “Koti Handa” transmission station past

Pashana Pabbatha Viharaya and Koti-handa transmission tower

Top of the rock at Pashana Pabbatha Viharaya

We could reach Lankapatuna around 10.30 am. We had to use free boat service operated by RDA to reach temple.

We had to use free boat service operated by RDA to reach temple

Broken bridge at Lankapatuna

View of beautiful beach at Lankapatuna

Then we came back to A15 road and drive towards trinco and turn left before serunuwara to reach Seruwawila temple. A culvert is under construction and we had to use a by road which was in very bad condition

We could reach Seruwawila temple around 2.30 pm	Ruins at Seruwavilla
Ancient pond at Seruwavilla

We started our long return journey from Seruwavilla around 4.00 pm. We used Serunuwara – Kanthale Road and spend around ½ hour on Kanthale tank bund

We spent around ½ hour on Kanthale tank bund

We reached Gampaha around 9.00 pm we had travelled 780km.

Lakdasun was a great help to organize the trip and thanks all Lakdasun members

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 hike as a university tradition. There were seven secret members for organizing the hike.

We started the hike at about 9 in the morning from the Faculty canteen with a guide dog “White Fang” .

towards Udaperadeniya	We walked along the Udaperadeniya road to Upper Hanthana Bungalow
Upper Hanthana Bungalow

Then we entered into Hanthana forest reserve with sudden a rain fall. We had to face a terrible leech attack at the start.

Inside the Hanthana Forest Reserve	Inside the Hanthana Forest Reserve
.	.
Inside the Hanthana Forest Reserve	Inside the Hanthana Forest Reserve

We came to a huge area with pine trees. Then we climbed through the tea estates to a plain area of the mountain range. We had our lunch there.

Pine Trees	Pine Trees
mist around pine trees	one after one
.	.
.	White Fang needs a rest
.	.
through the tea estate	beautiful
.

Then we walked through the highest margin of the mountain range to Bowalawatta end.We could see the whole area of Heerassagala, Bowala, Gatambe and Mahaweli river from Peradeniya to Gohagoda.

.	.
.	Bowalawatte
.	.
.	.
.	White Fang

Then we climbed down towards Hotel Amaya Hills,Bowalawatta.

We came to Bowalawatta at about 7 in the evening and then walked to the university via Rajawatta.

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	.
.	.
Summit	Freeeeee

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

.	Pitawala Pathana
Mini-worlds End

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

At Ilukkumbura	Wana Niwahana
Wana Niwahana

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

Telgamu Oya	Relax
Dinner Time	Ghost Stories
Good Night

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

Good Morning	.
.	.
.	Early morning at Thelgamu Oya
.	Our break first
Manigala Nature trail Head	Manigala trail
Manigala trail	Manigala trail
.	.
.	.
.	.
.

Trip Video at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0215-5522-92f2

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.