This trip covered: Road trip: Kandy, Victoria, Randenigala, Rantambe, Minipe, Mahiyanganya, Rathkinda, Wasgamuwa, Ulhitiya and Dambana.
| Year and Month | December 2009 |
| Number of Days | 3 Day Trip |
| Crew |
4 (between 20-34 years of age) Well, to be honest, only 1 member was below 30
 |
| Accommodation | Rathkinda Bungalow, Rathkinda. This is on the border of the Maduru Oya National Park |
| Transport | Car
We hired a jeep at the entrance of the Wasgamuwa National Park to travel inside. The roads inside a pretty good. Even a car or a van can go along the main routes within the park, as long as its not the rainy season |
| Activities | Enjoy Nature, Scenic drive along Raja Mawatha, Rathkinda was stunning. Especially in the morning
Wildlife: Saw lots of elephants and birds in Wasgamuwa Photography: Opportunities everywhere History and Archaeology: Mahiyanganaya Raja Maha Viharaya Visit veddas: Nothing much, very commercialized and was very crowded. |
| Weather | Excellent. Overcast and drizzly weather. Rained during the night. Wasn’t too hot because of it. |
| Route | Drove from Colombo to Kandy, took the scenic route along Raja Mawatha, past Victoria, Randenigala and Rantambe reservoirs and along the Minipe canal to Mahiyanganaya.
It was almost dark when leaving Mahiyanganaya after visiting the temple. From there to Rathkinda, we took a long route for the fear that the causeway at Ulhitiya might be flooded. The next drove to Wasgamuwa. The road is pretty bad. The car really really struggled on this stretch. Lots of craters (not pot holes, CRATERS, the entire car goes in sometimes). Took a long time to get to Wasgamuwa because of this. Hired a jeep for traveling inside Wasgamuwa Next day, went to Dambana, and headed back to Colombo along the same route we took going. |
| Tips, Notes and Special remark |
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| Author | Dulip |
| Comments | Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread |
The travel from Colombo to Kandy was quite uneventful. We opted to go along Raja Mawatha to get to Mahiyanganaya from Kandy.
The view and scenery was beautiful almost all the way
The view and scenery was beautiful almost all the way. Victoria, Randenigala and Rantambe reservoirs, all of which had plenty of water with the rains in December, and the green paddy fields along the Minipe Canal.
At Mahiyanganaya, we decided to go to the temple before heading on to the bungalow, which was further away.
 It wasn’t the pilgrimage season to Mahiyanganaya, and the temple was almost empty of devotees |
 Holding the steps leading to the temple. Cement sculptures, but has the same effect as carved on rock |
The bungalow we stayed at was bordering the Rathkinda tank, and the view in the morning was breathtaking.
The sunrise was from the other side of the tanks, over the top of the hills. Amazing.
Amazing Sunrise over Rathkinda Tank
We were a bit late leaving to go to Wasgamuwa. And we got very late getting there as the road was really bad. To add to things it started raining as soon as we entered the park, and we had to close parts of the sides of the jeep with the canvas covers to keep from getting wet, which on the other hand, closed off most of the view. The rain kept troubling us from time to time, but it also kept the temperature
 This herd had lots of young ones and lots of tuskers |
 The cubs were very playful |
The cubs were very playful, and from time to time would stare at the jeep we were in, trying to see if they can scare us away
One cub didn’t see the jeep until it came out from behind a bush, and got a bit scared and ran off to hide behind its mother, and got a kick from its mother for being so foolish, being scared of humans in a jeep.
Standing guard over the herd while the others crossed the road. After a while, she decided that we were trustworthy and moved on to the side of the road, where there was plenty of grass to eat.
 This mama and baby didn’t see us until they were on the road |
 The first to rush in was the head of security |
This mama and baby didn’t see us until they were on the road. The mother got a bit scared and trumpeted for help. And it was one super quick rescue operation by the rest of the herd and from another herd that was nearby and came rushing in to help.
The first to rush in was the head of security, who had already decided that we were friends. She did not trouble us at all, but came rushing in, with the tail up, and stood in front of the mother and cub.
What was amazing was the speed that the elephants moved at, in response to the mother’s call for help.
The next day, we left the bungalow after breakfast. Coming back to Mahiyanganaya, we decided to take the route along the Ulhitiya tank. With the rains in December, the tank had reached spill level and we were lucky enough to see the sluice gates open.
 Rathkinda bungalow where we stayed |
 Ulhitiya spill gates |
On the way we went to Dambana to visit the vedda village. It was highly congested with large crowds of tourists, and the whole setup had a very commercialized feeling.
The whole setup had a very commercialized feeling.
After which, we headed back to Colombo along the same route we went.