Mystery of Galagama falls finally reveled

The map (taken from Malikas post) – click to enlarge

Galagama as seen from Havagala

Mysteries are to be solved and this time we made sure to put an end to this long lasting mystery. Galagama falls which is very well marked on many maps is a glamorous beauty hidden in the wilderness. It all started many years back when a discussion was started in our forum regarding this mysterious fall. Few years back when Lahiru and I decided to reveal this mystery we ended up with a failure. So both of us were ever so determined to finish off what we once started in 2012. I have seen this waterfall once when we hiked Havagala few years back and also saw few close ups from one of my friends(Supun) who had been there previously but only to note the completely dried out waterfall.

This was arranged suddenly out of nowhere and we were eyeing on the weather till the last minute. Our team comprised of Lahiru, Malith Supun and his wife plus Ruwan. Malith, Lahiru and I came from Colombo to be united at Belihul oya with the other 3 who came from Badulla hospital. After winding along the scenic road to non perial we reached the tea factory where we needed to get permission to proceed towards Nagrak. The surrounding scenery was very rewarding and since it had rained during the past week the cascades were in full flow. The road from Hirikatu oya camp site onwards was in bad condition and one needs to be careful when driving uphill. Some hair pin bends needed to be reversed and re attempted. On our way up tackling the 33 hair pin bends we came across newly concreted stretches. We also didn’t forget to stop at Backers bend and enjoy the lovely scenery towards Samanala wewa while reaching Nagrak. After reaching Nagrak and halting our vehicles we met Nishan who was our pre-arranged guide for this journey. We selected him because he had gone with Supun and the team few years back and our picking was an excellent choice.

morning rays

a cascade of hirikatu oya

Non perial falls

its lower section

we named this one banana falls

road side cascades

Adara kanda seen on the way

samanala wewa and udawalawa seen on the way

closing on bakers bend

concreted ( in the backdrop gommolli range could be seen)

view from bakers bend

samanala wewa zoomed

bend no 23

heaven

towards worlds end drop

reaching the last few bends

then came the mist

proudly halted

Nassdanda division

valley of belihul oya

misty mountains

cute pup at Nagrak

We walked along the estate road towards the 33^rd bend where the foot path begins. One needs a guide on this journey because there are plenty of misleading paths and also if you miss the correct path, getting to the base of the waterfall would be only a dream. Initial path took us through a small bamboo patch which ended up on a hill (this was the highest point of our journey). From here it was a gradual descend through bamboo and Nelu until we met our first landmark which was a water stream. After this stream we crossed another mini stream and entered a spooky forest path which ran along a base of a rocky cliff. This forest patch was one of a kind and I have never come across any like this before. It was so misty spooky and covered with ferns and etc. I loved this stretch a lot; from here it was only matters of minutes before we heard the roaming sound of the mysterious angel. Out of the forest we were on top of a rock gazing at a beautiful cascaded hidden in a veil of mist which mesmerized us and made us speechless for few minutes.

off we go

lonely tree

patterns

probably an introduced species

trail head at bend no 33

my favourite

along the foot path

unknown

summit point

contrasting

mountain forest

maha hedaya

old mans beared

enjoying the hike

more colours

the forest

first way point

micro life

life on life

fallen orchid plant

very common at this altitude

along the ridge

mountain forest

mushrooms

The heart was pumping so fast after seen this gorgeous beauty, I felt like shouting out loudly at that moment. Mighty Belihul oya was plunging down resembling upper Ramboda falls and it was surely more than 60m in height. In few minutes the curtain of mist opened up and showed us her full glory. It was like seen a naked women with an absolutely astonishing figure. All of us were clicking and clicking before the mist decided it was enough. Though we waited for some time it showed no signs of clearing off. On a clear day one could clearly see Havagala from the base of this waterfall but we weren’t fortunate enough.

First glimpse

wow here she is

please clear off

once a dream

plunging down

the valley

front view

fully cleared

descending from top is not possible

here comes the mist

the base

waiting till the mist clears off

In august 2012(image owner Supun)

on a clear day Hagala could be seen (image owner Supun)

minus me

We decided to get back before the evening showers decided to fall upon us so we backtracked along our path. Since Supuns wife was the pace controller of our team we had plenty of time to have many chit chats inside the forest. It was sought of a relaxed journey thanks to her. We reached the tea estate after a 4 ½ hour hike (actually it would only take 2 1/2hrs) and sat down and relaxed a bit before we thanked our excellent guide Nishan and took off towards the main road. We were very well kept away from the falling showers until the last moment when we reached the main road. After having lunch at Halpe we said good bye to each other and vanished towards our destinations feeling so proud with what we achieved on that day. So this is another beautiful end to one of my dreams which is now a reality.

returning back

ferns

bamboo

the trail

spooky forest

unique

finally came out

1KG of murukku

bakers bend

rainbow

7 falls of non perial

cascades of 7 falls of non perial

cascades of 7 falls of non perial

road side cascade

bye bye

Papulugala fall?

vicious surathalee

vicious brampton cascade