Lakdasun Trip Reports Archive » Devil’s staircase in a 2WD SUV

Year and Month	December, 2013 (2nd)
Number of Days	One Day Trip
Crew	5 (between 30-35 years of age)
Accommodation	Ginihiriya bungalow, Horton plains – Bungalow is not much satisfactory as the electricity is supplied by solar panels and there was no hot water due to the lack of sunshine also the meals prepared by the caretaker is not much tasty.
Transport	SUV (Nomad2) 2WD
Activities	Photography, off-road driving
Weather	Misty / RainWhen we started the trail the weather was ok but half the way it was misty and at the end it rained.
Route	Horton Plains -> Devil’s Staircase -> Kalupahana ->Colombo
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Ginihiriya bungalow should be reserved in advance from the department of Wildlife. But no heaters and you want get hot water if there is no sunshine. Better to start early as it would be dangerous driving in the evening with the mist. We saw few landslide on the way which were fortunately cleared. Make sure your vehicle has high ground clearance and good tires as most of the path consist of sharp edged rocks. Go slowly and try not to skid the tires. 4×4 is not need as per my understanding but things might change if there were landslides which were not cleared.
Related Resources	Attraction: Bambarakanda – Waterfalls, Mountains, adventure and scenic beauty Trail Guide: Scenic and adventure drive to Horton Plains from Kalupahana
Author	Himcooll
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Devil’s staircase in a 2WD SUV

It was a longtime dream of mine to tackle the devil staircase. But because most of the travels went by 4×4’s on this road I was a bit skeptical how my vehicle, which is a 2wd(RWD) would perform. So on our way back from Horton planes we decided to travel via this road. Luckily there weren’t many landslides which could have made our journey more difficult. But the mist did block our view of the beautiful sceneries.

Started from “Y” junction on udaweriya estate road. It was 12.30pm

Near Udaveriya tea factory

Tea factory

Devil’s staircase

.	A Dog followed us from start to end

Rocky roadway. Your tires must be in good condition

Dog and the car

An old Pond which was made by Englishmen

Our friend

Mist stared to appear

Our Team

Dog still with us

Guess where he has been

There was a small town where we brought some biscuits

Our friend enjoying biscuits

.	Road to heaven

There was a map which is difficult to understand

Road ahead

Our friend trying to keep up with us

on the way to DS

Rain started

Babarakanda falls in the distance

.	Water stream

Crossing the water stream

V Cut

Finally.. gravel road to concrete road.... :-D (Note that our dog friend is still with us)

Finally.. gravel road to concrete road…. 😀 (Note that our dog friend is still with us)

Babarakanda falls

We met our 2nd team who were waiting near babarakanda rest

It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to finish the trail and then we head back to Colombo.

Thanks for reading

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