This is first time in Sri Lanka, Fly Board. Riverside Araliya is the introducer it to Sri Lanka but still the main instructor from Japan Mr Kent. And a good helper Mr Sampath. We had this flying experience and it is totally amazing.

No need to tell by words, you will realize this adventure by seeing these pictures.

Visit FB– Travel in Sri Lanka-Sobasiri

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Sembuwaththa lake and Hunnas falls are popular places for a day visit. This is close to Elakaduwa a small town in the Matale District where the famous Hunnas falls Hotel located.

Location

There are several routes the reach Elkaduwa. We went through the Katugasthota-Waththegama route and took the Ekladuwa road from Waththegama. After travelling around 9 kms  there is a road to the right side which goes to Hunnas falls Hotel. Hunnas waterfalls is

Located at 1 km at this road. To reach Sembuwaththa we should come back to the junction again and travel passing the Elkaduwa and travel around 5 kms. There is a road to the right side and must travel around 4 kms.

Hunnas Falls (Lower)

This is the Waterfall located below the Hunnas lake/Hunnas falls Hotel. This is maintained by Estate workers Housing Co-operative society of Hunnasgiriya Estate. There is a Leisure park with Natural pool / Summer Huts etc.

Map – Click to enlarge

Ticket

Its our family trip and we reached the Hunnas falls by 10:30 am. The falls located 100meters away from the road. It was a rainy season and there were quite a lot of leeches on the path and also slippery.

.	Hunnas Falls

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Determined!

Hopes

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Full view

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pool	Well Maintained

Hunnas lake visible

Sembuwaththa Lake

Sembuwaththa is most popular amoung the people in the central region as a family day out location. There are options available for visitors to spend the day!

1. Beautiful views in the Lake
2. Boat ride
3. Natural pool
4. Kids play area
5. Cottages & Summer huts
6. Walking trail around the lake
7. Night outs

“Sembuwatta, a paradise like location which is a lake of natural spring water, serves as one of the major attractions of the hill country. It is set amongst the sprawling tea gardens, and reflects the environment at its most magnificent. Towering from the lake are the beautiful green mountains with a thick pines forest where you can take time to climb up. Beside the lake, there is a pool with natural spring water, there are summer huts and cottages around this magnificent lake …

The mass expanse of deep blue waters, complete with misty mountains and tea gardens, create an atmospheric scene and the perfect place to lose yourself in your own thoughts and envision the remarkable things you’ve seen on your travels through Sri Lanka. This is a popular location for shooting films and telegrams.” – http://sembuwaththalake.com/

This is a project managed by Estate workers Housing Co-operative society of Elkaduwa Estate.

Map – click to enlarge

Ticket – click to enlarge

Road to Sembuwaththa is narrow and not in good condition. Some parts of the road is concreted. The ticket counter/office is located near Elkaduwa tea factory. We can drive up to the lake and there is a parking area near by lake.

The Lake

View from Parking area

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Beautiful Landscapes

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A Boat ride

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Summer Huts

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.	The Parking area view from the opposite side

Some Photography

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The Natural Pool

The are excited!

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Enjoy

Lake view from the pool

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The Hut

Cottage

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.	The are at work

Walk around the lake

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Thank you.

The map – click to enlarge

I have been to Bathalegala twice and on both occasions I did note the massive mountain close to it which is called Ura kanda / Ashraff kanda. It is well known by many because in year 2000 a helicopter carrying Minister Ashraff and 14 others crashed mysteriously causing their tragic demise. This 980m mountain is said to be tough to tackle and many who have attempted have done it from the rocky side, during the rainy season. So we decided to give it a try from the easiest side which is from Kumarapura. As always Google earth helped us in picking the desired route.

I met Harinda early morning at Debathgama and headed towards Kumarapura. After halting our rides we started checking the maps and suddenly out of nowhere we met Nande. Since he was willing to guide us we were happy to get his assistance. From Kumarapura to the summit we decided to climb through the newly planted forest patch which was an easy task despite the continuous ascend. Nande’s Dog Tommy also decided to come with us and we were more than please to have him with us. Last bit of the ascend was bit tough but there were unlimited trees to hold on to.

ඌරා කන්ද as seen from bathalegala

on the way scenery at Kumarapura

mountains of Yatiyanthota

yeah some blessings

towards Karawanella side

Wewelthalawa

the path

Harinda with selfie cam

Tommy the guide

nande and tommy

he is sweating

last climb

The summit area is a vast forest patch with plenty of room to camp under the shade. Though this is known to be a leech infested mountain we came across only one leech. From the summit point we headed towards the sloped Mana patch to enjoy some stunning scenery towards the central hills. I must emphasize that this is one of the best places to identify many landmarks of central hills. For example we saw mountains from Kurunegala to Yatiyanthota including knuckles range & Adams peak. We also didn’t forget to roam around the mountain ridge and to have something for lunch.

at the summit

view from the top

Mawanella town

Bathalegala

Alagalla

piduruthalagala range seen at the backdrop

ambuluwawa

kabaragala in the center

to the left of alagalla ambokka could be seen

Kadugannawa region

A pano

kikiliyamana,single tree hill, waterfall point range

Mawanella

the gap where the the train and road passes at kadugannawa also note knuckles range

Hanthana range

paddy fields

famous hiking destination

Bathalaya having a bite of Bathalegala

with wings

sloped

looking down

Uthuwankanda

valley

peaks around mawathagama

Devanagala

Siri paa kanda

time to go down

While getting down we lost our way a bit and ended up in a thorny section which was a nightmare. After reaching down we had a nice cool bath from Nande’s home and a hot tea before saying good bye to Nande and his family. This was a quick planned and executed hike and I must thank Harinda for joining me on such a short notice.

slippery descend

lonely flower

through the trees

natures creation

adventurous tommy

Moranthota rubber estates

Puss in boots

Hi folks, hope you’re doing great despite the incessant rains that have wreaked havoc with the day-to-day life in all over the country. However, the waterfall lovers must’ve found this a blessing as the waterfalls in all the areas were revived with these new found energy boosters. Even the ones who were mercilessly killed by those brutal mini hydro power plants received a lifeline. However, even this time, I was not lucky enough to go see my beloved St. Claire.

Oh, before we go on with the story, I found this nice quote on Facebook (the biggest on-line university on earth covering all the aspects of the human life) and thought of sharing it with you folks, especially the parents who’re reading these will find it very useful. Here it is:

“Buy your children a camera so that they will have neither the money nor the time to spend on drugs”

It’s so good I decided to put it in bold letters. Thinking about that, I realized it is so true coz if you get your children interested in the nature from the early stages, chances are of them becoming very good citizens are very high. I’m sure it’ll achieve more than all the rules and regulations and now the increased number of police stations combined. So that’s some food for your thoughts when you’ve nothing much to do.

Well, I’m an addict, I must admit that coz I’m not good at hiding it further. I’m so much addicted despite getting hooked later than many and I simply can’t stop it or stay away from it for longer. It simply drives me nuts and I feel like screaming and pulling all my hair (not that I have much hair left) when I don’t get my required dosage. Oh my bad, I didn’t tell you what my addiction was, did I? But I’m sure you must’ve figured it by now. Travelling is my biggest addiction which I sort of started in 2012 and since then I was hooked. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to kick the habit.

It’s an extremely rare occurrence since July 2012 that I’d stay without going anywhere for more than 3-4 weeks. However since 18 Oct until 15 Nov I spent all of my weekends feeling depressed beyond imagination with nowhere to go. It was like a living hell having to spend my time dreaming about the places and things I wanted to go and see. I was scared I’d actually go out of my mind and will have to get admitted to the hospital you-know-where.

Finally Hasi became my savior when he managed to escape his busy schedule for a quick one-day tour. As he’s not been to Waterfalls of Colombo and it was so convenient, we decided to give it a go even though I’d been there once before. So we finally left, armed with umbrellas and raincoats, for Kaluaggala on the 15 Nov morning when the rains were falling cats and dogs. The sky was gloomy and charcoal grey with no sign of sunlight when we started our journey around 6.30am.

Tour Highlights: 

1. Dambora Ella, Dambora.
2. Ranmudu Ella, Thummodara.
3. Ella Uda Ella, Ilukovita.
4. Kumari Ella, Hewainna.
5. Uduwaka Ella aka Dunu Mala Ella, Dunu Mala.

Map of the Waterfalls. From bottom: Dambora Ella, Ranmudu Ella, Ella Uda Ella & Kumari Ella. Source: Amazing Lanka

We arrived at Hanwella and stopped for breakfast. There was no sign of the rain easing off so our hopes of seeing them in good light kept fading. Even around 7.30am, it felt like 5.30am as it was so dark. Thanks to Hari’s report, map directions on Amazing Lanka and my old memories, we followed the route carefully.

Dambora Ella

We arrived at Kaluaggala around 8.30am and turn to the Labugama Road that goes through Waga and Thummodara old Iron Bridge. Go straight through the bridge (there’s an alternative bridge built to the side of this as it looks very ancient and might not last long) for another 1-2km. When you reach a bus stop to the right with a road that runs through the Ayr Estate, it’s time to stop coz you’ve overshot by about 300m. Turn around and come back along the same road and remember the stream (Wak Oya) that makes the Dambora Ella is now to your left.

Keep an eye out for a house to the left among the rubber trees. It’s located at a lower level than the road about 50m from the road so you have to be very careful. When you can see it, it’s time to stop but remember the road is well-carpeted but narrow so you’ll have to find a suitable place to leave your vehicle. Take the tiny path to the house and be careful coz there’s a ferocious doggy but he’s chained most of the time so you might not have that much of a problem.

Go and ask them for permission to get to the falls as the clear path is behind the house. So then you may traverse through the overgrown path to the stream which is very close by, not even 50ft. When you reach the water is the tricky point coz there’s not clear path to the falls which is about another 50ft upstream. So you need to take it nice and slow and go upstream. Always try to go barefoot but be careful about the jutting rocks and pieces of sharp junks that had come along the water.

After a short walk along the Wak Oya, you’ll find the beautiful and sensually curved Dambora Ella with a large base pool. She is probably the most beautiful out of all four waterfalls in Colombo District due to her sloping curvy shape. However, it’s best if you can curb your temptation to go for a dip in the base pool as there had been deaths reported according to the folks in the house. So look at this gorgeous lady as long as you can, leave nothing, do not disturb the environment, no hooting or playing drums please coz the noise of her is soothing to your mind and body and lastly, come back safely without slipping or tripping.

Here are the pictures you’re itching to see:

Hasi ready without the shoes

It was pouring with rain

She looked amazing

Closer look

More

Portrait

With the deep base pool

Portrait with it

Those sexy curves

Close up

The stream is not that visible

Yeah, I’m ecstatic

Ranmudu Ella

I hope you got enough of Dambora Lady and ready for the other one who is not so far away. Come back to Thummodara Junction. Yeah, you thought right, it’s where the old iron bridge is. Now take a right turn which is the Puwakpitiya Road. When you drive along this, say about 1-2km, you will get a right hand road which is according to the Google Maps is called “Pagngnagula Road”. This road crosses the stream that carries the water of Ranmudu Ella.

Drive along this road which is bordered with rubber plants for about 500-600m or could even be more. When you take a sharp bend to the left, take a look to the right. Oh, don’t do that while you’re driving and it’s better if you get the passenger to do it for you. You might even have to get down coz the road is somewhat lower than the grass bank to the right. You will see a bridge through the rubber plantation and if you see that, well you’ve come to the correct place. If you go on a weekend or a public holiday, you’re more likely to find many other vehicles too and you may even hear the raucous laughter, loud bangs on drums and many other unpleasant noises coming from the area overpowering the soothing flow of the water.

Now trace your steps along the tiny footpath through the rubber plantation for a very short walk and you’ll arrive at the tiny bridge which separates the second and third parts of the falls. To your left is the mid-section which is about 8-10ft in height. It’s fairly wide and has a base pool of its own before flowing under the bridge and making the lower and the longest part that’s about 40-45ft in height. Ok, enjoy your time with the mid-section now and if you want to see the top part, just go to the other end of the bridge and get to the left which is the mid-section and walk up along the right hand side of the falls to the top section. Don’t worry, there’s very little to walk and you will have plenty of handholds to get there.

When you do that (remember there’s a safe bathing place on the top too), come back to the bridge and walk a few feet (remember only a few feet, probably 10-15ft) from the end of the bridge and turn to the right. There’s a path that goes downhill and it’ll take you to the base of the bottom part which is the highest about 40ft. Going can be tricky coz you’ll have to walk along the rock. If it rains, be extremely careful and the best method is to monkey-crawl. If you don’t know what that is, use all four limbs given to you so that the chances of you slipping and falling are at a minimal. To your right, the water is gushing down and I know it’s very tempting to photograph or admire the beauty while you’re going downtown. However, if you wanna come back in one piece and tell your story, make sure you stop with a good foothold and enjoy the beauty. Don’t do it on the move. No matter how much we are cautioned, we’d still be doing the same thing coz we are overconfident, aren’t we?

Oh, one other thing that you need to be very careful is the broken pieces of glass scattered along the rock. They’re not visible to the naked eye clearly as the glass pieces are tiny and without a color. Take great care coz Hasi’s wife had to be almost airlifted (the thick tree cover, gloomy weather and above all lack of high-ranking government contacts prevented us doing so) coz she cut herself thanks to an ignorant drunkard who had apparently been suffering from a nervous breakdown.

Ok, this is probably the tallest girl in Colombo District and boy, isn’t she a beauty when in full flow. The overhead bridge across the stream can be an eyesore for some as it might not sit well with the contrast and the surrounding but some might find this an added bonus in their photography. Remember the Weddha Peni Ella in Atanwala? Ok, folks, I’m gonna let you enjoy this beauty. The rain doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop anytime soon so hurry.

The bridge

Full length but some railings are missing

Mid-section

Covered with plants

Lot of water but must have more when it rains really hard

Dripping flowers

Lower falls from the bridge

Getting to the base

Falls alone no bridge

Lower section

Portrait

Just the bottom of the bridge is visible

Plenty of water

Time to go

Ella Uda Ella

Ok, if you’re done with the Ranmudu Ella, come and hop in coz there’s another lady waiting our arrival impatiently. Now come back to the main road that goes to Puwakpitiya. Remember you took a right turn to go to Ranmudu Ella. Once on the main road, turn right towards Puwakpitiya and go towards Ilukovita. Well it’s not far, about 3-4km if I’m not mistaken. The clear landmark is the newly opened Sithawaka Wet Zone Botanical Gardens. Just before that you’ll be at Ilukovita Junction with a road to the right with a name saying “Kodikanda Aranya Senasanaya”. This road leads to an area called Koswatta.

Travel on this road till you come across a bridge with a stream flowing underneath. That’s the water coming from Ella Uda Ella. Now don’t panic coz I’m not asking you to follow the stream upstream. Even though that won’t be a bad idea for the extra adventurous types. Now the road will be a steep climb and when you climb about 300m, there’ll be a small Buddha Image House with a Bo Tree to the right. Just passing that you’ll see a house, yes you guessed right, it’s on the right hand side. This is where you need your charming skills coz you’ll have to go talk to the people in the house and ask for permission to go across there garden to the path. It’s to the left of the house.

If you were nice enough, they’d let you go through the garden. Now walk along and you’ll find a wide rocky surface (about 100ft in width) over which the water flows onto make this beautiful two-segmented falls to the right. But you’re not going to follow the stream downstream, ok. Cross the stream to the other side where there’s a rubber plantation. Now trace your steps to the right along the path goes downhill parallel to the stream on your right. After a few dozen steps, there’s an opening to the right which will lead you to the falls. Oh, just be careful coz the rocky bed where you’ll get down is very slippery.

So climb down slowly and watch out for any broken pieces of glass and you’ll be in business. She has two major parts almost in equal heights and very wide, definitely the widest in Colombo District. Now I’ll leave you to enjoy the beauty and come back in a while to take you to the last beauty in Colombo.

Have to cross this

Hasi coming with his wife

First glimpse

Two sections

The top

Closer look

Both parts at an angle

Lower

With the base pool

Full package

Portrait

Going back

Kumari Ella

Right, we’re back on the main road, aren’t we? If not, retrace your steps, say thank you to the household and come back to the main road. Now, if you’re tempted, you may pay a visit to the Wet Zone Botanical Garden close by. But you know I can’t wait that long, so you need to come with me now to go see the last in line for Colombo Waterfalls. Let’s go further towards Puwakpitiya. On the way you will pass Digana (not the one in Kandy). Passing Digana you’ll see a shop to your right.

Just passing that there’s the Hewainna Road. If you’re not sure, do ask from the shop. Remember, this is not a suitable road for a car unless it’s one of those old Toyota Wagon type. It’s recommended to leave your car here and walk coz it’s only a short walk about 400m. The road runs parallel to the stream where the water stream that makes Kumari Ella. You’ll be able to easily spot where you need to get to the stream to your left.

You’ll get to the top of Kumari Ella and will have to cross the stream and come around to get a front view. Remember this is also known as Kumari Wala coz there’s a large base pool here which is more prominent than the waterfall itself. She’s the smallest of all among the Colombo Waterfalls and due to the easy access, she’s fallen victim to the many misdemeanors. You can see piles of garbage, leftover food cartons, empty and broken glass bottles, etc. So by all means, watch your step and tread carefully.

The rains made it too difficult for us to cross the stream so had to be content with a few pictures take at an awkward angle with a fall tree acting as a barrier. Ok, I’ll wait for you to come coz now we’ve a long journey ahead coz we’re about to travel some 40+km to see one of the two documented waterfalls in Gampaha District. So make it snappy guys.

Upstream of Kumari Ella

Where she begins, for a better look needs to cross the stream and come around

Ferocious

The This fallen tree was a real nuisance

Where she hits the base

Further upstream

Closer look

The stream downhill

Making cascades on her way

Uduwaka Ella aka Dunu Mala Ella

Map of the Uduwaka Ella aka Dunu Mala Ella. Source: Amazing Lanka

Right, you have a few options getting to this waterfall. As we were already at Puwakpitiya, we were contemplating on two routes. One was going to Avissawella and then to Ruwanwella-Galapitamada Road. The second was Avissawella-Thalduwa-Amithirigala-Urapola-Attanagalla-Alawala Road. As the distance via Amitirigala was about 6km shorter, we chose to take that road. If you read my previous report, you’ll find the directions via Attanagalla-Haggala-Algama as well.

Well, as you might already know, there’s a confusion pertaining to the name. Some say this is Dunu Mala Ella and some even refer to it as Devin Penna Ella while others used Uduwaka Ella. When we checked with a person in a shop on the path to the falls, he confirmed that this is in fact Uduwaka Ella coz it’s located in Uduwaka Village. Dunu Mala Village too located right next to this thus the confusion of the name.

So you may refer to her as anyway you please but we saw a name board nailed to a tree or could’ve been a lamppost when we visited her last time saying “Uduwaka Ella”. Right, we took the Avissawella-Amitirigala-Urapola-Attanagalla Road and turn to the Alawala Road near the Attanagalla RMV on Pasyala Road. Pre-historic Alawala Cave is also located on this road. I was initially under the impression that there are two falls Dunu Mala and Uduwaka so hoping to see both of them, we drove towards Galapitamada and turn to the Dunu Mala Road and after a few kms and asking from a couple of villagers, we found the place and alas, it looked very familiar. The reason was I’d come here before and seen the falls.

There were a couple of vehicles had parked despite the heavy rains signaling that this is one of the hot stop among not just enthusiast but also drunks. So be careful and expect some nasty surprises if you go there especially on weekends and holidays. Try to go as early as possible or on weekdays in order to enjoy the true beauty of this falls. We spoke to the shop owner I mentioned earlier and cleared the doubts and I felt sad coz we were down to just one falls. Let’s go and see what she looks like coz last time she was in minimal flow and was swarming with people.

It’s about 100-150m walk to the falls and we heard the typical shouting and screaming of the people playing the fool. Oh dear, there’s not gonna be any peace for us today either. Sure enough, there was a group of people sitting and playing this and that in the middle of the falls so taking a decent picture of the falls alone was out of the question. Another gang was having a ball nearby and the garbage pile was still there stinking the whole place. Well, the falls was in full flow and she had a few mud stains on her otherwise pristine white dress showing that she’s been naughty.

We just had to bide our time until those devils got enough of water and got down to take a picture. It was raining and we waited anxiously willing them to move soon. Finally after a good half hour or so, they decided to start getting ready to leave and we got that precious window to snap a few pictures. However, it didn’t last long as another group of heavily intoxicated youths took on their places and decided to move in. It was so frustrating but we had to be content with what we got coz there was no point trying to talk to those folks.

After a few pictures, we decided to go to top of the falls. All you have to do is follow the footpath that goes on the right of the falls uphill. It’s very slippery when raining so be careful. However, there was nothing much to see coz I was hoping for an angle-view on the way up but the tree cover was too much. After a few pictures we came back to the base hoping for a clear view but still no luck. So enjoy these pictures and don’t mind the eyesores in them.

Can you see the crowd?

No sign of them moving so took the upper part

See the tinge of mud

Muddy base pool

Finally a break

Portrait

She’s really beautiful

Upper part

The second gymnastic group arrived on scene

See the drama

Took the right hand side without them

If you look closer at the center of the falls where there’s a rock, you’ll see a sort of a dead body. That’s of course a drunk fellow lying after his dances

Waited for this

The top

Further upstream

Oh, the two of us

Didn’t miss them

I had to take a picture even though it wasn’t the proper setting

Backward glance

Close up

On the path

Close up

Thorny

Very prickly

Unfortunately we didn’t have time not the feeling to go see any more of the falls so decided to come home early and have some Kottamalli just to be on the safe side after all the soaking we got throughout the day. So we left for Colombo and reached well in time for an early dinner and bed.

So guys, this is the end of that and I wish I could’ve shown you more of those beauties but there were no means to do that. So enjoy the journey and do pay a visit to them whenever you can.

This is Sri signing off for now. Keep travelling but stay safe.

Karagahatenna peak is situated at Raththota-Matale closer to Knuckles Forest reserve. This peak is occupied by six communication towers belong to ITN, SLBC, SL-Army, SL-NAVY, SL-Air force and TNL. Therefore it is guarded by Sri Lanka army.
Nuwan’s friend works there and therefore we had a chance to visit the peak with permission.
We reached Matale old bus stand following our breakfast at 8.30am. Next bus was scheduled at 9.30am. After waiting one hour bus started the journey and following one and half hour drive it reached the destination.
Gammaduwa junction is kind of an end village where you can see few boutiques. After inquire about different options to reach Karagasthenna, we hired a three wheeler.

It was amazing to drive up to the camp entrance. As it was a sunny day surrounding view was so beautiful.

Where Karagahatenna is situated

Click map to enlarge. Red star shows Gammaduwa junction and black circle shows the peak called Gammaduwa where other communication towers placed. Black star shows the Karagahatenna peak

First view of Karagahatenna

Right hand peak is with towers called Karagahatenna and left hand peak where other towers situated. It is shown as Gammaduwa peak in Google map. But locals don’t use it.

Zoomed view of the peak

Lower part of the mountain belongs to Gammaduwa plantation

The Peak called Laggala where some other transmission towers were placed

View towards Gammaduwa

Better view of Laggala

An isolated mountain noted in front of Laggala peak. It might obstruct the view of Riverstone

Worship local gods just before enter Karagahathenna army premises

After three wheel journey we got down at the gate where first check point placed. Nuwan’s friend welcomed us warmly and refreshed us with lunch. Following lunch we started to walk up. It was about two and half kilometers uphill till we reach transmission towers and buildings.

Starting the walk….

Trees

Uphill walk…

Cob webs

Rising up…..

The team except me

Reaching the peak

There are six transmission towers on top of Karagahatenna. It provides a nice panoramic view of surrounding areas. At one side you can see Puwakpitiya, Pitawala Pathana, Mini World’s end, Maningala and number of peaks of Knuckles massif. Riverstone is covered with the nearby peak.

Two radar towers-1 and 2

Two transmission towers-3 and 4

Two transmission towers- 5 and 6. Left one belongs to ITN

We are on top…

Iron work

View towards Riverstone, Pitawala Pathana and Knuckles massif

Identification of peaks

The rock obstructing the view of Riverstone

Trying to get a better view. Puwakpitiya is somewhere down

Puwakpitiya area

Zoomed view

Abounded

Then we walked to other end of the peak where ITN tower is placed. We were able to view Bowathenna reservoir, Arangala peak, Manikdena with Lenadora and Gedaragalapathana range. Ibbankatuwa reservoir and Beliya Kanda were also seen far away.

ITN building

View of SLBC tower from ITN tower

ITN tower

The range continues

Zoomed view

Identification of peaks and reservoirs

Gedaragalapathana

Manikdena and Lenadora (small pointed peak)

After spending about hour on top of the peak we said good bye to Nuwan’s friend and started return journey. We wanted to walk down with enjoying the beautiful view. But later we found the “short cut” mentioned by three wheel driver. It shortened our coming back to an hour. On our way we had a dip from a water stream.

Wild flowers

Return journey

Green and blue

Peaks under the arch

Summer hut there

Noticed this mighty rock again .Wonder it is Riverston peak???

There is a foot pathway to getting down to Puwakpitiya side. Nuwan (red T-shirt) shows it.

Getting down along short cut

We cut down a big distance by following the short cut

Good bye towers

It was bit difficult to walk through Pinus patch

Had a dip

Rewarded…

Water filtering system of Gammaduwa community

Last snap of the day

Thank you for reading

We looked for a rural Temple who needs our help. We got news about Temple in Kelenikawewa in  Galenbindunuwewa. We got bus from Pettah – Dutuwewa on 10th March. It leaves Colombo at 11.30 p.m & reached to Galenbindunuwewa at 4.30 a.m.

We met the thero & went to Kelenikawewa Temple. We have to travel around 13 km’s from Galenbindunuwewa town to Kelenikawewa. We reached Kelenikawewa at 8.00 a.m & met village people also. After that we came to Galenbindunuwewa town & took Kahatagasdigiliya bus to go see Divulwewa Samadhi Pilimaya. We got down at Komarikawala junction. From there we have to turn left & go 250m to the site. It is amazing place to see. Lot of ruins there & very peaceful place.Most of the people doesn’t know about this place & very rarely visitors coming to this place. The site officer is very friendly & gave all the information he knew. We spend nearly 2 hours there.

We had good time in there & we came back from there around 12.00 p.m. We reached home around 9.00 p.m after complete 1st part of big project & with lots of happy memories.

kannimaduwa mahasen viharaya

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.	Provincial Flags

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On the way to Kelenikawewa

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Vapikaramaya – Kelenikawewa

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Dhammajothi Thero

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On the way to Divulwewa

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Name Board

Entrance to the site

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Details

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Pilima Geya

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.	Wash Basin at Dana Shalawa

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.	Kelum – Site Officer

On the way to Kekirawa

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Thanks for reading

Sanjeewa

බි‍්‍රතාන්‍ය පාලන සමයේ ලංකාවේ විවිධාකාර සංවර්ධන ක‍්‍රියාවලි සිදුවිය. ඒ සියල්ලම ඔවුන්ගේ පහසුව වෙනුවෙන් සිදුවූ ඒවාය. ඒ අතර අදටත් අප භාවිත කරන විශ්මයජනක කර්තව්‍යය වනුයේ උඩරට දුම්රිය මාර්ගයයි. කිලෝමීටර 292 ක් දිග කොළඹ-බදුල්ල දුම්රිය මාර්ගයේ පිහිටි බිංගෙවල් ගණන 43 කි. අද අපේ ක‍්‍රියාදාමය නම් කි.මී. 9 ක් දුරැති ඔහිය-ඉදල්ගස්හින්න දුම්රිය මගේ චාරිකාවක් යමින් බිංගෙවල් 14 ක් හරහා යාම සහ දෙමෝදර ආරුක්කු නවයේ ඓතිහාසික පාලම යටට ගමන් කිරීමයි.

උඩරට දුම්රිය කොළඹ සිට බදුල්ලට යෑමට අවම වශයෙන් පැය 10ක් ගත වන අතර මුළු දුර කි.මී. 292 කි. සමස්ථ මාර්ගයේම මහා ගල් පර්වත විදිමින් සකස් කළ බිංගෙවල් ගණන 43කි. ඒ අතරින් දිගම බිංගෙය ඇත්තේ හැටන් සහ කොටගල දුම්රිය ස්ථාන දෙක අතරයි. එය ‘‘සිංගිමලේ’’ උමග ලෙස හඳුන්වන අතර සමස්ථ දුම්රිය මගේ 14 වැනි උමඟයි. එහි දුර මීටර 567 කි. දෙවැනි දිගම බිංගෙය නම් ඉහළකෝට්ටේ සහ බලන දුම්රිය ස්ථාන දෙක අතර පිහිටි ‘‘මීන්ගල්ල’’ බිංගෙයයි. එයද මීටර 423 ක දිගින් යුක්තය.

මේ බිංගෙවල් දෙක හරි අපූරු ලෙස වංගු සහිතව පිහිටා ඇත. තෙවැනි දිගම බිංගෙය කඩිගමුව දුම්රිය පළ කිට්ටුව තිබෙන අතර එහි දුර මීටර 382 කි. විටෙක පෙට්ටි 14-15 ගැටගසාගෙන යන උඩරට මැණිකේ දුම්රිය සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම වසාගැනීමට මේ බිංගෙවල් ත‍්‍රිත්වයට හැකියාව ඇත. එලෙසම උඩරට දුම්රිය මගේ දුම්රිය ස්ථාන 2 ක් අතර පිහිටි වැඩිම දුර ඇත්තේ නානුඔය සහ අබේවෙල දුම්රිය ස්ථාන අතරයි. එහි දුර කිලෝමීටර 15කට වැඩිය.

මීට අමතරව මේ අතිසුන්දර දුම්රිය මගේ ඉදල්ගස්හින්න හා ඔහිය දුම්රිය ස්ථාන දෙක අතර වැඩිම බිංගෙවල් ගණනක් පිහිටා ඇත. එම ගණන 14 කි. එනම් බිංගෙවල් අංක 22 සිට 35 දක්වා ඇත. ඉන් දිගම බිංගෙය වනුයේ 29 වැනි බිංගෙයයි.

අද අපේ ක‍්‍රියාදාමය නම් උඩරට දුම්රිය මගේ දුම්රියේ ගමන් කරනවාට වඩා පයින් ඇවිද යමින් බිංගෙවල් පිළිබඳ දැන ගැනීමය. ඒ සඳහා ඔහිය සිට ඉදල්ගස්හින්න දක්වා සමස්ථ කිලෝමීටර 9 ක දුර යමින් බිංගෙවල් 14 ක් පිළිබඳ අත්දැකීම අපේ දෙපයින්ම විඳගැනීමයි. මීට අමතරව බි‍්‍රතාන්‍යයන් පවා මවිත කරවමින් විමලධර්මසූරිය විද්වතා විසින් සොයා ගෙන නිමවූ දෙමෝදර දුම්රිය ස්ථානයත් ආරුක්කු 9 විශාල පාලම යටට යෑමේ ක‍්‍රියාදාමය කිරීමට අප සූදානම්ය.

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රාත‍්‍රී තැපැල් දුම්රියේ පැමිණ ඔහිය දුම්රිය ස්ථානයට ඔබට පාන්දර 4 පමණ වන විට ළඟාවිය හැකිය. පසුව ඉතිරි පැය කිහිපය එහිම ගෙවා උදෑසන 6 වන විට දුම්රිය මග දිගේ ගමන් කිරීමට පටන් ගැනීම උචිතය. ඒ සඳහා හිස් ආවරණයක් සහ පරණ කමිසයක් හැඳ යෑම සමහර විට කාලෝචිත වනු ඇත. දුම්රිය මග දිගේ යෑම සාමාන්‍යයෙන් ගමන් කරනවාට වඩා බොහෝ අමාරුය. මන්ද සිල්පර කොටන් උඩ පාද තැබීම අපගේ සාමාන්‍ය පියවර තබා යෑමට වඩා ඉතා කෙටි බැවින් දෙපා රිදීම ඉක්මන් වනු ඇත. පිලී මතින් බොහෝ දුර ගමන් කළ නොහැක. එම නිසා ඉඩ ඇති විගස පීල්ලට එහායින් පොළවේ ඇවිදගෙන යෑම ඉතා පහසුය. ලා හිරු කිරණ පින්න වැටුණු රේල් පීලි මතට කඩා වැටෙද්දී අපි හෙමිහිට වතුරට අඩි නොතබා අපහසු වුවත් සිල්පර කොටන් උඩ යෑමට තීරණය  කළෙමු. පොතු ගැලවී සුදු පාට කඳ සහිත මහ විශාල ගස් පිරුණු කැලෑ දෙපසම විය. ඔහිය සිට මීටර කිහිපයක් ගිය විගසම අද ගමනේ ප‍්‍රථම බිංගෙය මුණ ගැසුණි. පිටත සිට බලන කල ඇතුළත එකම අඳුරක් පමණි. විදුලි පන්දමක් රැගෙන යාම වටිනාම උදව්වක් බව සිහිවූයේ මේ අවස්ථාවේදීය.

එහෙත් අපට එය අමතක වූ බැවින් මීටර 2-3 පමණ පේන ජංගම දුරකථන එළිය පමණක් අපට පිහිටවිය. ජීවිතයේ පළමු වතාවට බිංගෙයක් ඔස්සේ ගමන් කිරීමට තිබුණේ කුතුහලය පමණි. උදෑසන 10 පමණ වනතුරු මේ මාර්ගයේ දුම්රිය ධාවනය නොවන බැවින් බිංගෙයක් ඇතුළදී අපට කරදරයක් සිදු නොවනු බව අපි දැනගත්තෙමු.

මේ බිංගෙය ඇතුළට ගිය පසු අප එකිනෙකාද පෙනෙන්නේ නැත. බිංගෙය දෙපසින් ජලය කඩා වැටෙන අතර සිල්පර කොටන් අතරමැද වවුල් වසුරු මිශ‍්‍ර ජලය පිරී පවතියි. උඩින් එල්ලී සිටින වවුලන්ගේ වසුරු ප‍්‍රහාර වලින් බේරී යායුතුවන්නේ වාසනාව පිහිටීම මතය. සිල්පර කොටන් මතින් හැරුණු විට වෙනත් යාමට මගක් ඇත. බිංගෙය ඇතුළේ ඉතා දුර්ගන්ධ වන අතර සුළු වෙලාවකින් එම දුර්ගන්ධයට ඔබ හුරුවනු ඇත. කෑලි කැපෙන අඳුරේ ඉදිරියට යත්ම නැවත එලිය දකින දර්ශනය ඉතා අලංකාරය. යන්තම් අතු පතර මැදින් කඩා වැටෙන හිරුරැුස් බිංගෙය උඩ සිට යටට ත‍්‍රිකෝණාකාරව වැටෙයි. උල්පත් ජලයෙන් වෑස්සෙන ගල්කුට්ටි මතින් ගලන ජලය පුංචි දිය පහරක් වී පහළ හෙලට ගලායයි.

ක‍්‍රමයෙන් බිංගෙවල් කිහිපයක් පසුකර යත්ම අප ඇතුල්වූයේ පසෙකින් කන්දත් අනෙත් පසින් හෙලත් සහිත දැවැන්ත වනාන්තරයකටයි. දකුණු පස වනය හෝර්ටන් තැන්නේ ඔහිය බෑවුමයි. මේ ප‍්‍රදේශයේ දුම්රිය මාර්ගය දෙපස මාරත්මල් ගස් දැකිය හැකිය. එලෙසම දෙපසම පිහිටා ඇත්තේ මීටර 50 කට වඩා උසැති සුදු පැහැති විශාල ගස්වේ. මේ ගස්වල දුඹුරු පැහැති කඳේ පොතු ගැලවී සුදු වර්ණය පෑදී තිබේ. වනය ඇතුළට වන්නට බොහෝ ගස් අකලට කඩාවැටී තිබුණි. නිතරම කඩාවැටෙන මේ දැවැන්ත ගස් නිසා දුම්රිය මග අනන්තවත් බධා සහිත වේ.

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නිරන්තරයෙන් උල්පත් දියෙන් ඇදහැලෙන ජලදහරා නිර්මාණය කරන පුංචි පුංචි දිය ඇලි බොහොමයකි. කඩා වැටුණු ගස් යටින් ගලායන දොළ පහර සොයා ගැනීමටත් අපහසුය. ගස් ගල්, අතු රිකිලි වලට වැසී තිබෙන දිය දහරේ හඬ ඇසේ. එම දිය දහර දුම්රිය මග දෙපසට වැටෙයි. ඉන්පසු ගලාගෙන ගොස් වම් පස හෙලට එකතු වේ.

මේ කිලෝමීටර 9 අතර කිලෝමීටර 8 ක් පුරාවට කිසිදු ගෙයක් හෝ වැසියකු දක්නට නොලැබිණි. ඉතාමත් හුදෙකලා නිස්කලංක පරිසරයේ සීතල  ඕනෑවටත් වඩා අප ගත දැවටෙයි. විටින් විට මහ ගස් මුදුනින් පාත්වෙන මීදුම් පොදි තවත් සීතල තිව‍්‍ර කරයි.

අංක 29 බිංගෙය වූකලී මීටර 200 කට වඩා දිගැති දුම්රිය මගකි. මේ බිංගෙය ඇතුළේ මිනිසුන්ට වාඩිවී සිටිය හැකි කොන්ක‍්‍රීට් කනු තිබේ. එනම් දකුණු පස බිංගෙය ඇතුළේ මිනිසුන් කිහිප  දෙනකුට දුම්රියෙන් ආරක්ෂා වී සිටිය හැකිය. මෙලෙස කුටි සාදා තිබෙන්නේ දෛනිකව පාද චාරිකාවේ යන දුම්රිය සේවකයන්ගේ ගිමන් නිවා ගැනීමටත් ආරක්ෂාවත් සඳහාය.

ඇතැම් බිංගෙවල් උඩට අපි නැග්ගෙමු. කැමරාවේ කාලය ස්ථානගත කර අප සිව්දෙනාගේ ඡායාරූපයක් ගැනීමට උත්සහ කළත් එවා අසාර්ථක විය. ගල් කුට්ටි, පඳුරු මතින් නැග මහ විසාල ගල් විද සෑදු බිංගෙවල් උඩට අපි ගියෙමු. සෑම බිංගෙයකම ඇතුළුවීම හා පිටවීම එක හා සමානය. වෙනසකට ඇත්තේ දුම්රිය මගේ දුර සහ බිංගෙදර අංක සහිත නාම පුවරු පමණි.

බිංගෙවල් 2 ක් පමණ මීටර 30 ක් පමණ දිගවිය. පිටත සිට බලනවිට අනික් කෙළවරත් ඊට එහායින් පිහිටි අනිත් බිංගෙයත් දැකිය හැකිය. මෙම දුම්රිය මගේ මෙපමණ බිංගෙවල් සෑදීමට හේතුව නම් අධික කඳු පිහිටීමයි. විශේෂයෙන් හෝර්ටන් තැන්න පාදක වූ මේ කූඩැල්ලන් රහිත පරිසර පද්ධතියේ ශාක විවිධත්වය ඉතා වැඩිය. බිංගෙවල් 14 ක් සැදීමට විශාල කන්දක් 14 පලකදී විද මෙලෙස සකස් කොට ඇත.

විටෙක දුම්රිය මගේ ඉඳගෙන නිදා සිට ගිමන් හැරිය අතර වංගු ගැසී දිවෙන මේ මාර්ගයේ ඡුායාරූප බොහොමයක් අරගත්තෙමු. ක‍්‍රමයෙන් කිලෝමීටර 5 ක් පමණ ඇවිද ගිය පසු බිංගෙවල් 10 ක් පමණ අපි නරඹා ඇති බව දැනගත්තෙමු. දෙපා රීදීමක් තවමත් නොවුණු අතර දෙපස නිස්කලංක පරිසරයේ අසිරිය දුම්රියේ ගමන් කරනවාට වඩා අතිශය සුන්දරය. රිසි සේ පරිසරය නරඹමින් විටෙක අසල වනයේ ඇවිද යමින්ද හමුවුන පාලම් යටට ගොස් ගලායන සිහිල් ජලයෙන් මුහුණ, ගත සෝදා ගමන් කළෙමු. වවුලන්ගෙන් කරදර අපට සිදුවුණු අතර බොහෝ බිංගෙවල් තුළ විදුලි එළි පාවිච්චි නොකරම අප ගමන් කළෙමු. සැබවින්ම ත‍්‍රාසය මුසු ගමනකි. දුම්රියේ යන විට ‘‘හූ’’ කියමින් කෑ ගසන මගියන්ට වඩා මෙලෙස දෙපයින් ඇවිද යමින් මෙහි සැබෑ සුන්දර අත්දැකීම විඳීම සැබවින්ම අපූරුය.

අවසන් කිලෝමීටර 1.5 ගේ අපට කිසිදු බිංගෙයක් හමුනොවීය. එම ප‍්‍රදේශයේ ඉදල්ගස්හින්න ආශ‍්‍රිත තේ වතු සහ කම්කරු නිවාස දැකිය හැක. මේ පරිසරය හරිත පැහැ වියලි එකම පින්තාරුවකි. දෙපසින්ම තේ කඳු පිහිටා ඇති අතර පයිනස් කැළෑද දෙපස පිහිටා ඇත. පෙනි පෙනීම අප යන දුම්රිය මග ඉදිරියට මීදුම පාත්වුණි. ඉදිරියෙන් යන මිතුරන් නොපෙනෙන තරම් මීදුම අවට පැතිරුණි. හිරුඑළිය මෙතෙක් ප‍්‍රචණ්ඩව අත් නොවින්දත් මේ කොටසේ ඉහළින් නිරාවරණය බැවින් අපිව හොඳ හැටි පොළවට පතිත වේ. වම් පස හෙලට ආසන්න ගල් වැටි මත නැග අහස්කුසට අත්දිගු කරමින් මේ සුන්දරත්වයට ප‍්‍රියතාව එකතු කළ අපි තරගයට මෙන් සිල්පර කොටන් උඩින් ගමන් කළෙමු.

 කෙසේ හෝ පැය 5 කට ආසන්න සුන්දර ගමනකින් පසුව මීදුමින් වැසුනු ඉදල්ගස්හින්න දුම්රිය ස්ථානයට අපි ළඟාවීමු. මංතීරු 3 ක් පමණ තිබුණද මුළු දුම්රිය ස්ථානයම සුදු මීදුමින් වැසී තිබුණි. ගෙවත්තෙ පලා වැලෙන් දිවි සරිකරගන්නා තේ දළු නෙළන ගම් වැසියන්ගේ පුංචි පැල්වලත් ඔවුන්ගේ සිත්හි තිබෙන අවිහිංසක බව මුහුණේ මැවෙන සිනාවෙන් අපට කියා පෑවේය.

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• Mannakethi Fall
• Sampath Fall
• Handun Fall
• Olu Fall
• Aberdeen Fall

From Yatiyantota town turn to Amanawela road and proceed about 10-15km to the Olu fall. On the way to Olu ella you could find Kithul ella, We oya ella and some other small falls. When we came to Olu fall we started to climb it up to the final drop point. It is not easy to cross the speediest water stream but we reached there and had a bath from that milk type water.

Then we continued our journey towards to Nawalapitiya on the same road and that road become very worst as Devil’s Staircase.

From Nawalapitiya we came to Ginigathhena and turned to Ambatale road from the town and proceed about 7km to the end of that road. We parked our bicycles and walked about 2km to the bottom of Aberdeen fall. This fall is about 100m high and there is a huge pool at the base. But as per the villagers information bathing is very dangerous over there as there was a death at previous day.

Again we started our journey from Ginigathhena to Kithulgala and turned to Malwatte road from the town. This road is goes to Mannakethi fall and Sampath fall.

After that we turned our bicycles at Belilena junction to Handun Fall. The road to the fall is very very bad. It is totally worst road. We crossed a 10m widest water stream by our bicycles and went to the top of the fall. And then we downward to the bottom of the fall along with the forest path of the fall.

Finally we covered 05 waterfalls on a one day.

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Introduction

At 7:30 am on 29 October 2014, a landslide struck the Sri Lanka district of Badulla, killing at least 16 people and leaving an estimated 200 missing. The landslide was triggered by monsoon rains, and occurred at about 7:30 AM local time.

The landslide occurred in a hilly region, hitting the village of Koslanda in the Haldummulla division, 190 kilometres (120 mi) from the capital, Colombo. The landslide was triggered by monsoon rains and was about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long. According to Sri Lanka’s National Building Research Organization, it had issued a warning of possible landslides on the night of 28 October, but the Disaster Management Center (DMC), which was responsible for broadcasting the warning, had failed to deliver to the Badulla area; the DMC denied the claim, saying it had sent the warning but residents were not able to evacuate before the slide occurred.

Initial reports indicated that as many as 300 people were missing, while officials said that six bodies had been found on the day of the slide. The following day, however, the number of missing was lowered to 192, while the number of bodies found had been reduced to three, according to Pradeep Kodippili, an official at the country’s Disaster Management Center (DMC-SL). However, as rescue efforts continued on the 30th, the number of confirmed dead rose to 16, while officials said that it was unlikely any of the missing would be found alive. The confusion over the number of missing was compounded by the destruction of a local office, which had contained records of the area’s population.

Physical damage caused by the slide included some 150 houses buried, as well as several road and railroad washouts.

Several hundred rescue workers, including government personnel, local aid workers and other volunteers, reached the site within a day of the slide, as well as 500 military troops. Heavy equipment was later brought in, as well as an additional 200 troops, by the 30th. Continued rain, as well as unstable terrain due to ground saturation, impeded rescue efforts, and late in the day on the 30th, the entire operation was suspended overnight due to rain. Following the slide, authorities ordered several hundred residents of nearby communities to evacuate due to the risk of further landslides.

Two secure centers were set up at Koslanda Tamil School and Poonagala Tamil School. On 30 October 2014 the centers accommodated 522 and 317 people, respectively.
Source – Wikipedia

As you all know this big disaster was impacted to our lives also, because we were shocked by seeing this kind of disaster to this innocent people. After few weeks we quickly went to Meeriyabedda to see this area. Actually our target was to go to the top of that mountain.

We came there around 10am and had enough time to walk along that area. This was a very risky for us because there were plenty of germs since there were many dead bodies under the ground which weren’t taken by the army. The ground was fully filled with mud and water streams. We never touch the water since it might can made healthy issues. Finally we came to the top of that mountain where the landslide was begun. There was a small water stream which looks like a 5m high waterfall. That whole area was dangerous, there were many huge rocks on the way and the mud was very dangerous.
However after we finished our tour (actually this is like a research on there) we left from there around 4:00pm. Unfortunately this tour made a big damage to my life also, first one is I lost my Rs.45,000/- worth smartphone and the other one is a wound. I was suffered around 6 months from that wound which was a germ attack.

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What would you give to be able to lose yourself among the virgin cloud forests of Sri Lanka? Well, I’m sure you would be ready to sacrifice quite a lot to experience the freedom and peace inside the protective womb of the Mother Nature. I, sure as hell, would go to extreme lengths to feel the chilly winds on my cheeks, the icy-cold dew on my skin and on top of everything, the soothing music of the rustling leaves in my ears. That alone is enough to lift you from the greater depths of sorrow, frustration, depression, pain and anxiety. Mother Nature, after all, is the best doctor you can find in this world for innumerable physical and mental disorders.

Now you might be wondering whether you’re reading a nutcase’s unrealistic imagination. Well, you are correct about the former but not the latter. Aren’t we all crazy in our heads in one way or another? It’s just a matter of containing the insane characters, rather overpower them with the sane ones. So long as you do that, well there’s nothing to worry. Even though you may not be able to do that, the chances of anyone knowing about it are minimal, I suppose.

Well, that is about it the psychology lesson for today and be sure to do some research into it in your spare time and find out who you are and what your craziness is. Remember, when you know who you are, the mental hospital is not so far. Well if you are not crazy about the nature, you wouldn’t be reading this article in the first place. The reason is only a fellow nature-crazy person can understand the symptoms of another. Ok, let’s dig deeper and find out what the Santa has brought you for this Christmas, shall we?

I’m a dreamer, a wild one at that. Once I’m obsessed with something, I won’t let anything get in the way in my quest to make it come true. Thankfully I bought myself a camera not a packet of cigarettes or any other dangerous drugs when I could afford it. My passion for visiting the nature and photographing her has kept me safe and away from many harmful things, especially the drugs which has, is and will continue to plague the innocent lives. So I’m grateful for my wisdom that steered me towards the Mother Nature. If you are a worried mother or father about your children and their future, buy them a camera and take them to the nature a couple of times. You can’t go wrong with that. Well, I’ll leave the decision with you.

From the first I heard about Galagama Ella, I fell in love with her. It’s not love at first sight (like it was with Lakegala) but at first mention. There were so many theories and stories relating to her and even the very existence of her itself was shrouded in mystery. Finally, Ashan pulled out a stunner and revealed this hidden beauty to the rest of the world. As he correctly put it, that really was unveiling one of greatest mysteries of Sri Lankan natural beauties. I’m sure the Google Earth too needs to be congratulated for helping solve this puzzle.

When I heard about Ashan’s visit, it was pure torture to wait for the report. The day I read it made my heart beat so fast I was wondering if my ribcage was strong enough to keep it inside me. It hammered hard against the bones screaming at me to go see this beautiful girl. I was in love, once again, probably for the umpteenth time. Well, willingness to go see something is great, especially if it’s as good looking as Galagama Ella but making it happen is a completely different ball game. So it took almost one year of deliberation for me to make this dream come true. I’m gonna tell you about it and get yourself comfortable.

Getting on the Journey

The year-end holidays brought with it so much freedom and opportunities for my passion. So I decided to take advantage of it and visit one of the most-wanted ones. Galagama Ella was the natural first choice. I put it to the interested parties and managed to find Atha and long-lost Tony as the crew. We then decided on the 27 Dec and were ready by 3am.

We left Kolonnawa just after 3am and drove along the old road towards Kaduwela and Avissawella. There was a noticeable difference especially about the shops either side of the road which are usually closed till 6-6.30am, as they were open very early. Then we realized it was the Sri Pada season thus the reason for them to remain open probably 24/7. We stopped at our usual shop in Ratnapura for an early snack and some coffee. Even they looked busier than they usually are.

Anuruddha, one of our friends in Balangoda, was to join us but we found him still in bed after a late night so decided to leave him behind. The dawn had broken out over the mountains to our left, most notably the Hawagala (aka Haagala) and Dethanagala. It was nice and sunny but there was this strange gloominess hovering above it all. We were hoping for clear weather coz it’d been nice and sunny over the past few days.

We reached Belihul Oya and I called Premadasa and got the directions to his place along the Belihul Oya-Landuyaya road. Yeah, you guessed right coz another beautiful waterfall known as Pahanthudawa Ella is also located on this road. Premadasa’s house is in Galpoththenna, Ibbanwala about 3km from Belihul Oya. However we missed him and drove all the way to Ihala Galagama School. It was a good thing coz we could see the Galagama Ella in the far distance and so far higher in the mountains bordering the Horton Plains. The elevation difference was around 1000m (yeah 1km) or probably more. Nagrak Bungalow is located well over 7200ft (almost as high as Sri Pada). Therefore Galagama Ella must be one of the falls located at the highest altitudes in Sri Lanka, of course in closer competition with Baker’s Falls aka Gonagala Ella.

We turned around and came back to Galpoththenna where Premadasa was waiting for us. We then drove to his house which was less than 1km away from the road. It was around 7.45am when we reached his house and without further delay, got ready to start the hike. This was one of those hikes that took us completely off guard as we didn’t expect it to be that strenuous. So don’t expect any freebies. Carry some water as the streams are sort of polluted by the estate and the line houses above. Also take as much as possible to eat. Leech protection is very important coz the first 2-3km you will find millions of them, especially if it’s the rainy season. So be prepared and boy are they big? Ok, here are a couple of pictures before we take to the path.

That’s Nelu

Closer look

At the start of the path, all smiles but at the end we were almost in tatters and tears

On the Way Up

We started walking up a fairly wide road, about 10-15ft wide. Premadasa explained that this was the horse trail used by the planters in the past (in the 19th century till mid-20th century) to travel between Belihul Oya and Nagrak. Interestingly enough, he’d worked at the Nagrak Bungalow since 1978 till 2000. If you had read my Nagrak Report, you might have seen the remains of some buildings behind the main bungalow. According to Premadasa, that complex had been his and other workers’ quarters.

The path from Nagrak bungalow to World’s End used to be a Gamsabha Road (RDA Road), according to him and older workers at Nagrak. However the declaration of HP as a National Park had changed things. Especially the inability of the Wildlife Department to man this beautiful and easily accessible trail now has become illegal which is a great pity. The same fate befell on the Dayagama Trail and Bagawanthalawa Trail (Bridle Trail) as well. The closing of these trails has deprived the nature enthusiasts of experiencing a true natural feeling. Not only that, it’d also invited the poachers, illegal gem miners and loggers into this sensitive natural habitat as they are no longer in use by the public.

If the Wildlife Department thinks that they can curb these severe illegal activities with the skeleton staff they have, well they have another thing coming. The best way to protect and conserve this is allowing the public to enter through these trails which will greatly discourage the hunters, miners and loggers. I wonder if the lame excuse of not enough staff to man these entrances given by the Wildlife Department is really an indirect helping hand to these illegal activities. I sincerely apologize from the respective powers that be if it really is not the case. However from what we have seen, especially how corrupt our government agencies are, it’d not be a sinful thought I suppose. If they really want to open them, they can certainly do it and it’ll also create a number of jobs for the people in the villagers nearby. It will also reduce the insane congestion created at the only two entrances at weekends and holidays. Unfortunately that might remain a dream forever. If they decide to close one of the remaining two entrances, well don’t be surprised.

Well, I suppose I got carried away a bit. Ok, let’s go on. Mighty Hawagala was now behind us but the gloominess hovering above us made the view bleak. We soon entered a thick Pines Forest. We kept taking short cuts which cut down on the distance along the original horse trail. Premadasa said that it’s 7 miles (around 12km) from the Galpoththenna to the Nagrak Bungalow. So we had a good 9-10km hike all the way up with an elevation gain of around 1000m. My legs started to shake coz we had another 2-3km hike to the Galagama Ella from the 33rd bend. All in all, something between 22km to 26km hike going up and down.

“Take it easy chum, you can do it”, my pep talk sounded too feeble. To our horror the pines plot was full of vicious leeches from 1mm to more than 2 inches. They kept coming after us and we had to keep moving or be bitten by them. There were many different ones, with two strips, single strip, greenish, brownish and blackish. Atha said most of the army ranks were represented by the number of strips they had. It had a mysterious beauty inside the forest but we had very little time and peace to enjoy it amid the constant attacks by the merciless creatures.

“How about some batter-fried leeches?”, I asked Tony who licked his lips mischievously. “I wonder if anyone or any predator eats the leeches” I asked the others. In fact, I’d thought about it numerous times. Well a simple Google search showed an article that says Fish (nearly all freshwater fish especially the Red-Eared Sunfish), Turtles (aquatic and semi-aquatic freshwater ones) and Birds (the ones regularly feed on insects and small fish) prey on leeches. Well it doesn’t look like there is any (if there’s any at all) that feed on leeches are found in Sri Lanka.

We walked hurriedly along the pine needles littered path evading the spear-carrying leech terrorists. Finally we managed to come out of the pine forest and entered a bushy area with some intermediate hills looming ahead us. We just stopped at a rock to assess the damage and have something to eat. You can enjoy these pictures till then.

Hawagala or Haagala, another of camping dreams

The path led to the pine forest infested with leeches in many sizes

Pine cones, used as an ornament too with a touch of silver or gold spray paint

Just love these tiny plants

Lots of shade but no peace coz of the leeches

Already panting twenty to the dozen

Reaching to the skies

Here’s the horse trail, must’ve been pretty wide and well paved

Seen some tapping

Defying the leeches

Looks serene but you gotta come during the dry season to enjoy this

Sun appeared at last

Looks gorgeous

Like cotton wool

Non Pareil Road is beyond this

Getting dark and gloomy

Like clad in velvet

Towards Belihul Oya

Ok, let’s go then. We soon entered a semi cloud forest and the leech population was somewhat less in here probably due to the altitude gain. The shade offered by the trees was of no use as there was no sun shining. It looked dark and I was very worried about the rain. After a while we emerged out of the forest to find we were surrounded by hills except towards Belihul Oya which lay way below. Beyond that was the long range of Hawagala or according to the villagers Haagala. Looking up at the path we had to take sent shivers down my legs. This was going to test my poor legs to the breaking point. Already Atha was feeling the brunt of the hike largely due to the less hiking recently. Even I’d not done any serious hiking for a long time and it’d prove almost fatal. Well, let’s find out how we’ll fare until you check some more pictures.

Situation getting critical

Hanging creepers

Oh wow

Closer look

Another

That shade of green is unbelievable

View from a higher position

Hawagala looking grim

Typical ones

Not come across her before

Standing tall

Just got about halfway

Right, get ready to climb along the steep slope. “How on earth did a horse manage this?”, Atha sounded unbelieving and I too shared the same thought. Probably in the past this might have been in a better situation as constant rains and sun might have eroded it over time making it steeper and dangerous. One slip would probably help you get to Belihul Oya faster but not in a very good condition. It was rugged terrain with a narrow uneven and winding uphill path through thick Mana bushes.

The view was superb but the lack of sunlight made it less glamorous. The greenery of the surrounding countryside didn’t have the lushness as a result. Not to mention the dull grey in the sky. The nagging feeling inside my mind increased as the clouds got thicker and darker signaling the imminent threat of the rain. There was hardly anything we could do as it was next to impossible for us to increase our pace. If only we were as lithe and strong as Premadasa. He climbed with such ease and grace like a Mountain Goat leaving us burning with envy. Ok folks, I’m sure we’ll soon have to put the camera in as the mist was also coming thick and fast. We’ll see you at the line houses closer to the main Nagrak Road. Until then, check out these pictures.

Where we have to go

Didn’t miss them

Atha looking up, feeling exhausted already

Found them too

One of them is a vantage point you can come to the edge

Full length of Hawagala

Maha Rathmal

Life on the hard rocks

Dead tree art

This doesn’t seem to end

There comes the mist

Now we have to go through this thick cloud

Looking majestic

Color of love

Some others too

Closer look

Finally climbed the steep part and found this narrow but clear footpath

It was as if night

Final Push

After a back-breaking, knee-creaking and thigh-burning climb, we arrived at the first line houses which was within the sight of the 31st bend. Premadasa explained that there had been more than 80 families residing here but they had left in the 80s and presently only a couple of families are living here. The rain finally eased giving us a break. Thankfully there were no leeches after the semi cloud forest. Otherwise climbing up that steep path would’ve been a killing field.

“There must be a sign at a particular height saying No Leeches”, Atha marveled at their absence. We traversed up while the mist cleared up. We also saw a basement which had been used to handle the sending of tea leaves downtown towards Belihul Oya using a long cable. It’d be used quite successfully in almost all tea estates in the upcountry in order to avoid taking them over difficult terrain.

Arriving at the sign board near the 31st bend was one of those most relieved moments. There were new electricity poles and a transformer placed and we were told that they would be getting the electricity soon from the main line. It’d help the line houses and the Nagrak Bungalow. We walked up towards the next set of line houses where Nishan was waiting. It was gone 12 noon but it looked like the early evening. Premadasa said that he’d stay here while we went in search of the Galagama Ella. Oh I almost forgot to tell you that Atha decided to stay behind as well coz his cramps had become unbearable. We had a long way downhill and then he had to do the driving too. So as a precautionary measure, he decided to take a break. We tried to find a way to go to the main road but as it was a Sunday, none was available. Ok, take a look at these pictures for now.

The drizzling eased a bit

Wet after the mist and rain

Maha Bovitiya, beautiful but an invasive plant

Another commonly found flower

First set of line house, only a single house is there now with 2-3 families

Found some more

Endless

That’s the Nagrak Vantage Point where Ashan had been recently

Towards the 31st bend

Mist and clouds in the distance hills

Popular point and see the elevation

Had to take a pic there

The oldies

Dream Comes True – Galagama Ella

We walked up the Nagrak road which is familiar terrain as we were here last February. There were a couple of more additions of concrete paved sections. However it is still a tough road to maneuver around in an ordinary vehicle. We reached the 33rd bend which is painted with green and quite distinctive. The drizzling kept on while the mist hung stubbornly around us. “Are we gonna get a clear view?”, that was a very worried me. “It’ll be ok and give us a chance”, that was a not-least-disturbed Nishan. Well he was the expert and I was quite happy to accept his verdict on the weather.

Following the Nagrak Bungalow road

Nishan and me at the 33rd bend where you have to enter the jungle

The road continues towards Nagrak

We entered into the dense cloud forest by the 33rd bend. Getting in was very difficult due to the slippery and muddy slope. From here we were faced with a densely packed tiny path which was muddy, slippery and uneven. So there won’t be many pictures as the water kept falling on us especially from the trees when we leaned on them for balance. At first, it looks like the path is straightforward but as you enter deep into the womb of the forest, there are many paths branching off the main one and it’s not possible for ordinary folks like us to identify the difference.

So I highly recommend you take Nishan on this journey despite having to pay him Rs. 2000/-. As I mentioned earlier, one group had tried to do this the day before without Nishan’s help and had got lost for more than 6 hours. Finally they had got back without even seeing the waterfall. There are two main streams that you have to cross which I think the same ones flow behind the Nagrak Bungalow. If you have been to Sera Ella, there’s a similar stretch where you have to walk parallel to a huge rocky wall.

All along the way, the rain persisted and I was very worried about being able to take a decent picture. We could hear roaring flow of many other streams and the going seemed never ending. We kept tripping over the roots splashing mud all over the clothes. Only good omen was the absence of leeches. It’d have been a nightmare if they were present like the ones we found below. “Is it far?” was the only thought in my head all the time. Finally we just got onto a mound and to our right through the trees was the most-sought-after lass falling majestically. My first thought was of Diyawini Ella as it too was a similar experience.

I had already pulled a muscle in my left leg and was wobbling with a great difficulty but the sight of this beauty made every pain and difficulty evaporate and I can’t remember how I got to the base of the falls. I was more than ecstatic and wanted to dance around but there was very little space for that sorta thing. It was still drizzling and the mist was coming at us real fast. “Take the pictures soon before the mist”, warned Nishan. I had taken the umbrella and used it to take pictures but a miracle happened right then.

The rain stopped so suddenly and the clouds of mist that were heading our way had vanished without a trace. Mother Nature had taken pity on her sons and decided to treat us with some clear weather. We rested a bit and I started my marathon photo shoot coupled with selfies. She’s probably as tall as Ramboda Upper Falls or a bit shorter than the Diyaluma Ella. She falls in a straight line into the rocky boulders below. There’s no base pool to speak of and the water then flows through the huge rocks downstream. We used the window offered by the weather to the maximum extent. Well, I guess I’ll leave my vivid imagination for now and let you enjoy the pictures.

Found on the way

Ooops, dangerous

The mist kept hovering

Dead trees playing with mist

Oh my gosh

The top of her

Falling silkily

Hitting the rocks below hard

Portrait view

Closer

Zoomed in

Tony couldn’t resist this

Nor could I

Nishan and me

Oh yeah, I feel that happy

Beautiful is not the word

Not enough after so many clicks

She’s not so fat

The head and the shoulders

Closer look

Just majestic

Another

Looking radiant

Another close up

View below

Time to go

Making patterns

Back on the road

Return Journey on Injured Legs

After about half hour, we decided to turn around mainly due to the fact that we still had a very long way to go. As if on cue, the mist descended from the top of the falls covering her as if it was the end of a stage play. My right leg gave in on the return journey and it was sheer agony getting back to the line houses to meet with waiting Atha and Premadasa. Coming back to the main road was a great relief but the thought of having to climb down all that made my legs weep.

On top of everything, we were feeling ravenous too. There was very little food with us and the little shop at the line houses had only biscuits. After a plain tea and a much needed rest, we resumed our journey. The rain was back and this time more than drizzling. We walked past the last of line houses when it increased in force and covered the whole area with a thick blanket of mist. We were glad Premadasa was with us. Otherwise we’d certainly have lost the way.

Climbing down with two injured feet can send you insane. The rain and mist made things even harder. The uneven path took its toll on the joints and muscles. We walked as if in a trance and what a relief it was to enter the semi forest patch.  However, our troubles were just starting to get worse. There had been a message to the leeches that some juicy meals were on the way. So they had gathered in numbers and were waiting for our arrival. As soon as we crossed the forest patch, we were attacked from all the corners. We had no choice but to surrender to the brutal attack. It felt as if our skin was pierced with sharp needles.

After it felt like an eternity we reached Premadasa’s house around 6pm. We’d been on the move for 10 grueling hours. There were leeches everywhere from head to toe. After a plain tea and a short break we left for Colombo nursing our wounds. We reached home around midnight meaning for the past 21 hours, we’d be on the go.

Well folks, I’d have loved to have taken more pictures and posted them here but the circumstances were such, it was the last thing on my mind. Despite everything, this really was a dream come true and we enjoyed it and learned a few lessons too but the hard way.

Hope this will help you go see this beautiful lady through a different route but try to go on a clear day as the views would be simply breathtaking. Also be prepared for the strenuous climbing.

That is the end of my hiking for the 2015 and hopefully there’ll be more in the 2016. This is Sri signing off for now and hope you all will have an eventful year ahead. Take care!

We got the news about poor family in Sandunpura – Dehiattakandiya. We plan to visit there to see that family. We took Mahiyangana bus from Pettah. It leaves 12.00 p.m & reached to Mahiyanganaya at 5.15 a.m. Again we took Mahiyanganaya – Polonnaruwa Bus to go Sandunpura – Dehiattakandiya. Bus leaves 5.40 a.m & reached Sandunpura at 7.15 a.m. First we visit to see poor family & got their details. We decided to build a home for them.Next we visit to “Sarana” Elder Home & get those details also.

After that we came to Mahiyanganaya at 11.00 a.m & took bus to Kandy. We reached Kandy around 1.00 p.m .After having lunch we went to Dalada Maligawa & Garison Cemetery. Around 4.00 p.m we left Kandy & we reached home around 8.00 p.m after complete first step for another big project & with lots of happy memories.

On the way to Dehiattakandiya

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.	Giradurukotte Bus Stand

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.	Entrance of Sandunpura Army Camp

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Poor Family Living in this House

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Family Members

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“Sarana” Elders Home

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Inside views of Elders Home

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Helicopter landed to village school

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