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

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

Misty fields along A 14 towards Madu

Misty fields along A 14 towards Madu

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

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

Periyamurippu Irrigation Project

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

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

Madu Shrine at a distance

Inside the Shrine

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

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

The turn off from A14 towards Kovil

Thirukketiswaram Kovil

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

Mannar Causeway and Lagoon

Mannar Causeway and Lagoon

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

donkeys loafing all over the town

The huge Biobab tree nearby was the next stop

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

Remnants of Thodaweli Railway Station

Remnants of Thodaweli Railway Station

One of the new occupants of the station!

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

The deserted beach

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

Day 2

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

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

The boats waiting on the golden beach

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

Boats ready to leave the shore

Young travelers eagerly waiting with picnic bags!

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

Urumalai Beach fading away

Enjoying the boat ride

The lifesaving boat accompanying our three boats

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

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

A young traveler on a lonely planet!

Mount Everest on the lonely planet

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

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

The rest of the crew arriving in a larger boat

The rest of the crew arriving in a larger boat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The wild explorers!

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

Along the way…

Eli hatha as seen from the road

Sri Pada close-up on the way to uda maliboda

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

Nade…

At the trail head-pandeniya river crossing

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

Pandeniya river

Entering the forest..

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

Ascents..

Through the thick jungle..

And obstacles….

Also an occasional glimpse of wildlife…….

Minding it’s own business…

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

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

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

Elephant dung…

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

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

Climbing back down…..

Back down..

Back on the correct path…

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

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

Kuru ganga

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

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

Finally…the entrance to the jungle after crossing Kuru ganga

And into the darkness…

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

Kuruwita-erathna trail

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

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

Some of us decided to take a nap..

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

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

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

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

At the summit

At about 6.45am it was time to leave..

It was time to leave

The views when getting down was stunning..

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.	Two becomes one….meeting of two rivers

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

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

The exit from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

from Tunnel No. 18 towards Ohiya

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

TUNNEL NO. 20 - My favorite..!

TUNNEL NO. 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We 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.

I visited there several months ago but I thought it is good to publish trip report at least now because I don’t see any trip report related to Sithulpawwa. Beacuse of the time past, I can’t remember much details about visited places at Sithulpawwa

Quote from deepsouth.lk

Sithulpawwa rock temple is historically significant and identified as one of the greatest 2nd century sites of Buddhist scholarship. With a history of over 2200 years, this is an ancient place of worship in the Hambantota district. The modern name Sithulpawwa is derived from the ancient ‘Cittalpabbata’, ‘The hill of the quiet mind’. It is said that in the 1st century AD as many as 12,000 Arahants lived here (monks that have achieved the highest mind level in Buddhism). Unlike the great monasteries in Anuradhapura and other towns, life at Sithulpawwa was hard and a monk or nun lived there only if they were interested in silence and solitude. Located opposite the Maha Sithulpawwa rock which is 400 feet (122M) in height is a cave temple. This cave temple, which is 67 feet high and 30 feet long, is part of the intricate cave-complex at Sithulpawwa.

The Dagoba of Sithulpawwa can be seen on the top of the rock. It is believed to have been built by King Kawantissa (100-140AD). A number of caves contain inscriptions in the early Brahmi script and from these inscriptions it was learned that a number of villages donated money to this temple for its upkeep. Ancient literary works give interesting information relating to this shrine. The image house at Sithulpawwa still contains some fragments of paintings. In the eastern precinct of Sithulpawwa the ruins of an ancient preaching house can be seen, where a cluster of 10 feet high pillars rises from the earth.

Sithulpawwa Stupa	Path to Maha Sithulpawwa Stupa
Sithulpawwa Stupa	View from Rock Temple
View from Rock Temple	View from Rock Temple
Path from Maha Sithulpawwa	Maha Sithulpawwa
Maha Sithulpawwa	Kuda Sithulpawwa
Archeological site with some ruins - Patimagaraya	.
Archeological site with some ruins	Archeological site with some ruins
The cave complex	The cave complex with some ancient paintings
Archeological site with some ruins	Archeological site with some ruins
Archeological site with some ruins	Details about Sithulpawwa Inscriptions (Click Image to Enlarge)
Sithulpawwa Inscriptions	Sithulpawwa Inscriptions (Click image to Enlarge)
Click image to Enlarge	Sithulpawwa Inscriptions
Kuttam Pokuna and Sithulpawwa Stupa	Kuttam Pokuna – Large pond
Sometime Elephants come close to Sithulpawwa Viharaya	Sometime Elephants come close to Sithulpawwa Viharaya
Dusty Road to Sithulpawwa

It was end of 2010 and we went to visit Kataragama for few days (Five Days). This Ranminithanna visit is the main part of the our trip

we started the our journey from kataragama around 8.00am. it will take 30min from k’gama bus stand to main road entrance of the park and other part(main road to park entrance)will take around 30min by walking.

Entrance point to park from main road (kataragama – Tissa)

The road to park from main road

Map of the tele cinema park (Click Image to Enlarge)

This is near the main entrance

Around the park…

Second entrance…	City of the cinema park. This city has main places(buildings) of galle, Colombo and kandy
Same as Nippon hotel in colombo	More…
“gami gedara” - ගැමි ගෙදර	lake
lake	“gami gedara 2” - ගැමි ගෙදර 2
Around the town…	Around the town…
Around the town…	Around the town…
	“Movan Palassa” (මුවන්පැලැස්ස) tele drama is shooting here
Part of the Garden…	Part of the vegetable Garden…

End of the report
And Tks for all….
-sanath

We are a group of three families and we use to go on leisure trips during school holidays (April, August and December) and last December we decided to go to Udawalawa and Ohiya. We reserved these places well in advance.

We started around 6.00 am from Gampaha and stopped at Rathanapura and had the breakfast. Then we proceeded towards Udawalawa and reached Udawalawa bungalow around 1.30 pm. While passing Udawalawa park we saw few elephants inside the fence, just by the side of Udawalawa road. These elephants have got used to come up to this point as visitors feed them with fruits. There are signboards saying ‘Do not feed animals’ but visitors don’t adhere to these instructions.

Coming towards the fence seeking food

Waiting to get something to eat

Coming out from the jungle in seeking of food

While watching these giants on the way, we reached the bungalow around 1.30 pm. There was a cook and a caretaker and they were quick enough to prepare our lunch within an hour. This is a calm and quiet place with two rooms with attach bath and eight beds were kept on a row on the sitting room. It can provide accommodation for twelve people altogether.

Eco type beds

Paddy fields around the bungalow

Having lunch in a hurry we started the safari to Udawalawa park. The caretaker organized a jeep for us. They charged Rs 2500.00 for the tour and came up to the bungalow to pick up.

First scene inside the park probably, two brothers	Herd of elephants seen at a distance
This is not a rare sight in Udawalawa park	But this is certainly a rare sight to be seen in any wild life sanctuary

We were told by the tracker that this was there since previous day. A leopard had killed a sambur and kept the body on a fork of a tree, perhaps to eat on another day.

Mother and the baby	Probably a loving couple
More elephants	‘Thani Aliya’ seen at a distance

We were not fortunate to see large herds of elephants. Any way by 6.30 pm we arrived at the bungalow. Next day morning after the breakfast we rushed to see the ‘Eth Athuru sevana’ ඇත් අතුරු සෙවන

It was 9.15 am when we arrived there and it was the feeding time	Patiently waiting for his turn
I will worship if you give me more	Tasty as my mother’s milk
Getting back to their home after the milk feed

Once the feeding was over, we proceeded to our second destination in Ohiya through Thanamalwila and Wellawaya. Road from Udawalawa to Thanamalwila was horrible and was under construction, but the stretch from Thanamalwila to Wellawaya was in excellent condition. My van driver was annoyed as I always warned him whenever he exceeds 100 KM on speedometer. Once we came to Wellawaya we bought some lunch packets from the Wellawaya rest house and proceeded to Beragala via Koslanda, but did not forget to stop at ‘Diyaluma Falls Inn’ for a refreshment.

View of the Diyaluma falls from this hotel	I’m Thirsty, straightly drinking from the Diyaluma falls
Closer view of Diyaluma fall

From Beragala we came to Haldumulla and were searching for a place to have our lunch. Passing about 3 Kilo meters from Haldummulla town we found a place with good shade to have our lunch. Having lunch under a tree we proceeded to our next destination at Ohiya. After about 4 Km from Haldummulla on A4 road you have to take a right turn and climb another 3 km to reach this hotel. We arrived at this place around 4.30 pm.

It’s “Worlds End Lodge” situated at lower Ohiya. An isolated, peaceful place and ideal for a relaxing holiday. This hotel consist about 20 rooms in two compartments. Rooms are spacious and well maintained and bathrooms are very clean. Their food also was very good and all three meals were served buffet on the first day as all the rooms were full on that day. I must also say that their rates are very reasonable.

There was a swimming pool with crystal clear water. It was supplied with a continuous floor of water from a nearby natural stream. I haven’t seen anybody inside this pool for the two days I stayed there. Water was so cold that you could get freeze if you jumped into this.

Silently sleeping until someone comes and wakes him up
Misty surroundings	Breathtaking view of Horton plains range from the hotel
More attractive views	Another spectacular view from this hotel

Next day was warm with bright sun light

Around 6.30 am

Around 7.30 am

We had our breakfast around 8.00 am. There were kiribath, bread, string hoppers and rotti on a buffet table. After the breakfast we started to proceed to famous Adishams bungalow at Haputale.
We came to Haputale via Beragala and turned towards Welimada road. The road was misty from Haputale to Adishams.

Welimada/Haputhale bus was looming through thick mist	A wall hanging at Adishams bungalow
Adishams bungalow view from outside	Adishams bungalow view from outside
Inside views of Adishams bungalow	Inside views of Adishams bungalow
This stall at Adishams is very famous for their Strawberry jam
This type of inscriptions were common at Adishams	Another one

While we were returning from Adishams there was an unexpected rainfall which was fairly heavy. So we decided to come back to the hotel and had the lunch. Thereafter we were waiting with the hope that the rain will cease as we wanted to visit Bambarakanda water fall. But we were not fortunate and we were confined to our rooms playing carom and 304 followed by a sing song which went on until late night. Then we had the dinner and went to sleep with the hope of visiting Bambarakanda falls on next day, if rain permits.

We were so lucky when we got up the next day to see the bright sun. So we had the breakfast and packed up everything and said goodbye to “World’s End Lodge”. We straight away proceeded to Bambarakanda Water fall which was only 12 KM from this hotel.

There were signboards throughout

Bambarakanda seen at a distance

You have to park your vehicles and then climb about 500 meters to reach this water fall. This was my first visit to this place and once I came here only realized that this is a very famous bathing place.

There were few crowds bathing there

It is a very safe place even for children

We didn’t have time to enjoy the cool dip at Bambarakanda as we had a long journey afterward. We started to get back home and came to Balangoda and then Rathnapura. We had lunch at Rathnapura and drove back to Gampaha finishing an enjoyable trip.

Please forgive me for any shortcomings in this report as this my first trip report as a new comer to this forum. This is the work of a poor ‘Kodu Karaya (කෝඩුකාරයා)’.

Thank You

Waterfalls were always my favorite nature attractions since my childhood days. Therefore I decided my 2010 annual vacation to Sri Lanka should kick start with a trip just to sight waterfalls as many as we can. These waterfalls are the obvious ones and I have visited most of these many a times before. But since I didn’t have a digital photography collection of these waterfalls and I wasn’t able to visit any of these for the last 7-8 years I decided to visit this time around. Therefore one of my very close buddy organized the trip after getting the list of waterfalls from me that we needed to visit.

We planned this journey couple of months before our annual vacation to Sri Lanka. We went in 2 trips with the same thing in mind. The 1^st trip happened to be the very next day after we arrived in Sri Lanka and the 2^nd one was a few days later. This report is mainly on the 1^st trip

Day 1

We left around morning 6.00 from Dehiwala with Bopath Ella to be our 1st sighting in mind. We reached Kuruwita around 8.00 – 8.30 and from Kuruwita took a left turn and travelled about 3kms to a village called Agalwatta where the fall is located. It was interesting to see that the area surrounding the fall has changed a lot from my last visit for this fall in 1996. Then as per our agenda it was Doovili falls in Kalthota, so we made a move towards Balangoda. After passing Pelmadulla town we were lucky enough to spot Kirindi Ella in distance from the main road (although I have seen images of this waterfall had no idea where it is located exactly). So we have to come back towards Pelmadulla town and took a right turn in Kuttapitiya road. Continued about another 5 kms to reach the falls. The observation platform was about 300 steps down and while we were there the sky looks gloomy as a heavy rainfall was nearing. So couldn’t go to the base of the fall and decided to get a move. The rain continued to fall as we passed Balangoda therefore have to drop the idea of going to Kalthota where Doovili Falls is located.

Bopath Ella	Bopath Ella in distance
Kirindi Elle as seen from main road	Kirindi Ella from the observation platform
Misty mountains alongside main highway	The stream beneath the Double bridge In Kalupahana

We stopped to have lunch in Balangoda around 3.30 and since the continuous rainfall we decided to go straight to Ella for our overnight stay in Ambiente guest house.

As we reached to the guest house at night and were too tiring just sitting in the car most of the evening …. had an early dinner and went to bed very early. We had no idea what we are supposed to witness the next morning.

Day 2

We woke up next day morning to one of the most breathtaking views one could experience. There was the famous Ella gap right in front of our balcony and Ravana Falls on to the right side where for a moment I felt I’m in a heavenly place. We were surprised to hear that the guest house staff saying that this is the real Ravana Falls and later I got my doubts cleared about it thanks to members of Lakdasun.

Time to wake up with a WOW …..	Spectacular view from our balcony
The Ella mountain range	The Ella Gap and Ravana Falls
The historical Ravana Falls zoomed	The Ambiente Guest House
View from the dining area	Book now ….. (Click image to enlarge)

After spending the whole morning in the Guest House enjoying the breathtaking views, breakfast, and with number of photographs we made a move to see the Bambaragala falls which is on the Wellawaya Road side. We had to travel about 7kms from the guest house to reach the fall.

Then our destination was to Maskeliya Holiday Bungalow in Nortonbridge and after inquiring from many people on our way we were told that getting to Nuwara Eliya and then via Hatton is the best route. Since we left Ella around noon and due to the bad condition of the roads from Welimada to Nuwara Eliya we could reach Nuwara Eliya town only around 4.00 PM. Had some short eats for lunch and went to Hawa Eliya to have a quick view of the Love’s Leap Fall where you can sight the falls from distance from the road and soon left to Nortonbridge. We had missed seeing St Clair’s Falls and Devon Falls, the two main waterfalls on the Thalawakelle – Hatton road since it got dark when we passed the area.

Bambaragala Falls	Piduruthalagala Mountain range with Lover’s Leap Falls and Gregorys Lake
Lover’s Leap Fall	Kikiliamana

We woke up next day morning expecting we might experience another scenic view around the Bungalow. But unfortunately it was not the same as in Ella but still it was a wonderful place for a different reason. As the Maskeliya Bungalow was surrounded with few mountains and thick forest. As we felt as it was a great hideaway and enjoyed the relax and lonely atmosphere of the place.

The Aberdeen waterfall was just 4kms from the bungalow. Due to the heavy rainfall on the previous night we were bit hesitance to see the falls since the staff of the bungalow warned us that the steps/path must be very slippery. So we thought to postpone it to the next day. Soon after a delicious breakfast from the bungalow we left to Maskeliya to visit Laxapana Falls and few waterfalls in the Moray road near Mousakelle reservoir in mind. Stop for a while near Seven Virgin Hills (Saptha Kanya) and it gave me some wonderful memories of climbing the hills somewhere in year 2000 with some of my ex colleagues. Then we went to the base of Laxapana Falls and then left soon to Maskeliya town to grab something quickly for lunch and to return to Nallathanni towards Moray Road. Suddenly we stopped just before the 3 way road (thunman handiya) as we could see the spectacular Adams Peak Falls in a very long range. Upon inquiring how to reach close to the fall we were asked to go back to Maskeliya and then towards an area called Upcoart (as I remember) to reach the Gartmore Estate and then to the falls. Here where we got it all wrong. As soon after Maskeliya the road was pretty bad (ideal for a 4 wheeler but not for a small car). And as it was late in the evening we somehow managed to reach the upper Gartmore estate after traveling about 10kms from Maskeliya town. As we reached near the Tea Factory we were told that another 2km or so we need to walk through the tea estates to a place where we can reach close to the base of the falls. As it was dark we gave up at that point. We have to return back from the same route, dejected. We came back with an unexpected experience of a difficult drive. But we managed to see some of the “nameless” waterfalls on the Gartmore estate which we would have never planned to visit. So that’s something gave us a smile end of the day. And as my friend who always used to say “okkoma wenne hondatai”. And that was the exact case here.

Morning was overcast and misty	The Maskeliya Bungalow front view
Saptha Kanya Hills	And again …. Saptha Kanya
Laxapana Falls	Laxapana Falls near the base ….
Our little transporter ….	Tea estates ….
Hmmm …. Now which way ??	A un named water fall in The Gartmore Estates …
Its dark … but still looking good – Moussakelle Reservoir

Day 4

With overnight rain and overcast condition, we woke up early thinking how should we go about the final day of the trip. Unfortunately visiting Aberdeen Falls again was not possible as it was drizzling the whole morning. So we decided to go again the same route towards Maskeliya as we did previous day and branch off to Nallathanni towards Moray Road. The Moussakelle reservoir and the surroundings was a spectacular sight and we came across Mohini Falls after travelling few kms on the road side. Then we came to a junction of Moray Estate and we continued further about 5Km to have a spectacular view of Adams Peak Falls. Then we were told about few meters away there is another fall and we walked then through a footpath to see the beautiful Moray Falls. Beside Moray Falls there was another fall. Our guide to Moray Falls mentioned the name of that waterfall but sadly we couldn’t memorize it or a keep a record of it.  Too bad. Left the breathtaking Moray Road soon after as the rain starts pouring once again. We then came to Nortonbridge town where the rain was easing but yet overcast condition around 2.00PM. And decided to head home as it getting dark. So we took the Ginigathhena road via Dik-Oya where we stopped for some photo shoots as there were some beautiful sceneries. Guess what? We were able to see glimpse of Aberdeen Falls from distance. The waterfall which we never got an opportunity to visit. Later we went to my friend’s in-laws house in Kandy then reached Colombo around 10.00PM with lots of wonderful memories.

Tea estates …..	More spectacular sceneries .. Moussakelle Reservoir and misty Mountains
Can I get in too ???	Mohini Falls
Adams Peak Falls	Simply breathtaking …
Moray Falls	The waterfall beside Moray Falls
Waterfalls of Gartmore Estate	The Adams Peak …. This is all we could Spot in our whole trip as it was Covered with mist throughout …
The only heartbreaking moment of the trip	Mountains in Norton-Dikoya road
A distance view Aberdeen Falls as seen from Norton-Dikoya road

We started our journey from Matara at 3.00pm in the evening and arrived at Wellawaya by 7.00pm. We spent the night at Wellawaya and planned to visit Diyaluma falls the next day.

Day 1

The map of our route in first day (Click Image to Enlarge)

Reaching the top of Diyaluma waterfall

At 8.00am we caught a Wellawaya- Haputhale bus (Through Beragala) and got down near ice peella (අයිස් පීල්ල)- Nikapitiya road.

The road was fully concreted and we continued on foot towards Nikapitiya	After 1km we passed two places where water streams crossed the road. We felt like the climate is gradually changing from dry zone to wet zone.
After 1.7 kms we reached Medagoda village. Very calm water stream flows along right hand side of the road.	Medagoda village
Medagoda village	People in the village use this water by making a small anicut. We took a short rest here and continued towards Hiwalkandura village

After 500m we reached a junction and we chose the road which goes towards the A4. Other road continues to Nikapitiyagama village. We walked 0.5kms along the road and came to the A4 road. We waited there for more than 20mins for the Beragala bus.

Then we reached the observation point of the waterfall. Got some rest there

After checking weather in Poonagala mountains, we climbed half of one side of the waterfall. It gave nice views of the fall.

After 30mins we came back to the observation point beside “Diyaluma falls inn” rest (206km post) and discussed how to start the journey to the top of the falls. We decide to follow CEB lines to the Diyaluma rubber factory and then hike the mountain. At 1.30pm we started the journey.

The CEB line goes through a valley which we couldn’t cross and it took us some time to find the factory. After walking all over the Iluk jungle and we finally saw the factory. Then we crossed the stream and reached Diyaluma rubber factory. Then we asked directions from a villager.

At 1.30pm we started the journey.

Diyaluma rubber factory

We got directions from the villager and started to climb the hill along the foot path. We always kept to the right hand side trails. It was not an easy climb. After 30mins we came to a point where the foot path from Makuldeniya and we again followed the right hand route. At this point we could see some arrows directed to the top of the fall. After few mins we reached the top of the hill.

Now we could see the upper-diyaluma falls (I don’t know the exact name). The road was then divided to two. One goes to top of the upperDiyalima falls and other one goes to top of the Diyaluma falls. We followed the second path and reached the top of the Diyaluma falls.

Upper Diyaluma falls	Views from the top - Thanamalwila side
Views from the top- Udawalawa side	Views from the top - The Poonagala oya valley
The point which the falls start to cascade	Cascading point
Our team members @ the top- Photograph by Chitral Gamage	The Dream……………………- View from top of the falls. Three friends helped me to get this photograph!

After taking some rest there we visited the base of the upper Diyaluma falls as well. We had a bath there. There are lots of pools but only few were safe for bathing. At 4.00pm we started the return walk on the same path to the Diyaluma rubber factory. Because the transport concerns, we did it fast! There was a motorable road in front of the factory and we followed that road. On the way we could see the top of the water fall.

Upper Diyaluma falls- It cascades in seven stories. More than 30ms high.	We reached Diyaluma rubber factory rapidly
On the way we could see the top of the water fall	This is junction which the road that goes to Diyaluma factory starts from A4. (200ms passing the 206km post towards wellawaya)

Then we caught the bus and returned to wellawaya with lots of unforgettable memories. After a good dinner we planned our next day to visit Handapanagala wewa and Buduruwagala ruins.

Day 2

We started journey at 8.00am. We got in to the Handapanagala- wellawaya bus and got down near the dam of the tank.

We walk along the dam to other side enjoying the scenic beauty of the lake.

Nelumkanda- seen over the tank

View from last rock- after this rock we could see water collecting tank on the next rock

We spent time there until 12.00am and reached Buduruwagala junction by bus. We walked along the road while taking photographs. The day was very cloudy and we were beaten heavily by the sun.

After few kms we saw this ruins of a Dagaba

After 2.5kms we reached Buduruwagala reservoir and took some rest there

Then we continued and a special thing happened after 1km from there. We met our forum members (Priyanjan and his family, Sheham and his family). It was a memorial moment for us. We joined them up to the Car Park. This was the first time we met them after the second Lakdasun gathering. After visiting Buduruwagala ruins, they continued their journey and we stayed there until 3.00pm.

Buduruwagala ruins

Buduruwagala ruins

red= beruwatte falls, dark green demala ella, blue= alupola ella, orange = hal ella. Brown= dehena ella, pink= madanagiri ella, light green= estimated place of pandi oya ella (Click map to enlarge))

This was a planned trip since 2009. Just didn’t have time to do it . took a bus from Rathnapura and asked the conducter of the Wewellwatte bus to drop me near Dehena Falls. So Dehena falls was my first stop. I also found another road side waterfall just before Dehena falls called Hal Ella.

Hal Ella

Quote: This twin-streamed fall flows over a protruding rock face and resembles an upturned receptacle used for carrying water. It is 7m high and 12m wide. Upstream, the woodland contains several hal (Vateria copellifera) trees, the fruits of which fall into the stream and drift over the fall, hence its name. Superstitious villagers claim they hear the sound of clothes being washed in the water.
The fall is situated in Amunutenne village, Ratnapura District, which can be reached along the Ratnapura – Welelwatte road.

Hal Ella

Hal ella - another view

A road by stream

Dehena Falls

Quote: Dehena Falls is an impressive 74m in height and its source is a small spring called Gaslabu Falls. The stream, known as Dehena Dola, flows from Perya Udagama on Dehena Mountain and cascades in twin chutes from the plain of Udaamunatenna. Afterwards the water flows via Pandola to the Bambarakotuwa River.

A small opening in the stone at the base of the pool near the fall is called ‘Gathula’, meaning ‘inside of the stone’. It is said that during heavy rain, the caves surrounding the fall are totally submerged and the road becomes obscured by mist. However, during dry spells the flow is languid. The land towards the top of the fall has been denuded for timber and tea plantations, which has caused the depletion of aquifers.

Take the Ratnapura – Sri Pada road and take the turning at Wevelwatte to Weveldola Valley for 25km. The tree-lined road through the hills is narrow and a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended. Dehena Falls is one of several here, located between the villages of Pahalagama and Amunugama. The sounds of the fall can be heard before it is visible. Ratnapura rest-house is 21km away.

Upper part of Dehena Falls

Dehena falls

Side view of Dehena falls

Next I walked towards Wewelwatte in search of Madanagiri fall (http://www.srilankanwaterfalls.net/waterfalls/madanagiri.htm) I came to the bridge near Kadurugal dola and asked for the foot path that’s was supposed to carry me towards the waterfall, but the slippery path made me abandon my attempt. So came back and took a bus towards Wewelwatte. Where I took the road towards Alupola falls(4/5Km) . after having a safe bath at Alupola I inquired from the locals for a shortcut towards Beruwatte falls so I can save time(skip going back to Wewelwatte town) and took a road that a van/ jeep can easily managed up to my next destination. On the way I also spoted Demala Ella which is a waterfall found way down Alupola Falls. After having my moments at Beruwatte falls I walked back to Wewelwatte towards Bambarabotuwa church in search of a waterfall known as Bambarabotuwa falls but after inquiring from many locals I came to the conclusion that this waterfall doesn’t exsist anymore.

Alupola Falls

Quote: The 60m fall derives its name from a nearby tea estate. It is served by a brook beginning at Kalugaldova on the southern slope of the Bathurugala Mountain (1047m). After being joined by numerous other small brooks, the water winds its way through the mountain jungles to Wewell Dola, where it forms the Walawe River. This is met by the Heendole stream before forming the elegant fall.

The upper reach of the fall is home to species such as elk, sambur deer, wild boar and reptiles. The lower reaches are abundant with water leeches. Thereafter, the water cascades from a rocky ridge giving rise to the small Halketiya Falls.

Even in a drought the water continues to fall as a small stream, and due to the moisture, even as the midday sun shines overhead, a damp environment prevails. A hydro-electric power station has been built by damming Alupola Falls in Bellangama, and the power generated is used by the Wewell Watte Tea Factory. Water is also supplied to the government tea factory. However, mining around the fall itself has damaged the aquatic eco system and if steps are not taken immediately to remedy this, the fall may be destroyed. On a number of occasions, sudden water surges associated with the fall have occurred, causing several deaths.

Ratnapura is the nearest city to the fall that is situated on a tea estate bordering a stretch of the Sri Pada Jungle. Take the road from Ratnapura to Bambarakotuwa and Wevel Watha, which then winds through lush plantations and the villages of Kudamagaka, Ravuladola, Pollwatte and Rilegama until reaching the Egarasland and Halwatura summit junctions. From here, turn left and follow the short winding road to the twin falls. Due to the difficult terrain, a four-wheel drive vehicle is the best mode of transport. The Ratnapura rest-house is 27km away.

Alupola Falls

Alupola close up

Beruwatte falls as seen from the Alupola road

Wewelwatta tea factory and town

Beruwatte falls

Quote:This 50m-high fall, set amongst tea plantations and a plethora of mountainous flora and fauna, is formed by the convergence of several brooks originating on the Rakshagala Mountain. The cascading waters of the fall have been poetically likened to pure white cotton and a length of loosened hair, flowing from a fairy in the heavens, free for anyone to comb.

At the base of the fall is a rock that offers a perfect seat for quiet contemplation, and also a pool known as the Beruwatte Villa, from where two brooks converge to flow into the Wevel Dola stream. This stream is later joined by the Alupola Dola and the Ravula Dola, and finally flows into the Mahaweli River near Malwala. Both the Balakotunna mountain range and the Mahalassa estate are visible from the elevated ground close to the fall. The land around the fall has been degraded due to illicit gem pits. Around 130 families inhabit the nearby village whose principal means of subsistence are gemming and the cultivation of crops such as pepper, chillies and goraka (Garcinia spp).

The fall is situated in the Ratnapura District. From Ratnapura town, head towards Balangoda via
wevelwatte junction, head towards Balangoda for 1.5km and turn right at the tea estate. From here, it is necessary to trek for around 100m along the track adjacent to the estate to reach the fall.

Demala Ella

Beruwatta falls

Beruwatte falls closeup

Hope this guide will be useful for others. There are many more waterfalls in the area but I didn’t have time . And as I was told the Dehenakanda – Siripada path is still used but in February I think.