කෝඳුරු හෙළ (1143ft) the extreme peak of the East

Year and Month	September, 2015
Number of Days	1
Crew	Two (myself and Akalanka)
Guide	Bandula at Bakmitiyawa
Accommodation	N/A
Transport	Pajero
Activities	Archaeology / Hiking / Scenery / Photography
Weather	Sunny morning and rainy evening
Route	Monaragala -> Siyambalanduwa -> Ambalan oya junction (A 25) -> Thottama -> Bakmitiyawa -> Returned back on the same route [Download Google Earth Trail Map]
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Take a bottle of water Do not carry Plastic items (Minimize), Make sure you bring back everything you took Inform the relevant authorities Guide needed (because there are wild elephants and bears) Where clothes which cover your body Having a bottle of Jeewani is also useful There is only one mini stream but difficult to rely on it (only few knows the location too) One of the best locations to camp (have few caves) and enjoy the sun rise from the East
Author	Ashan
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The map – click to enlarge

Konduru hela is a prominent peak in the east which could be seen easily from Arugam bay to Akkareipattu. Some people even mistake this as Thoppigala. It is located at one of the most isolated and unexplored area called Komari (Panama proposed) forest reserve. I had been eyeing on this peak for a while and during my previous visit I met a local guy called Ran banda who promised to help me if needed. As promised he had arranged Bandula for this adventure and we were very pleased with that. Before climbing the mountain we took a ride in the village and ended up at Morana lake which is the main feeder of the village. Unfortunately the spill was washed off during the last monsoons and probably the whole dam might give away during this year’s monsoon. It is sad to see how the respective authorities have turned a blind eye on these matters.

konduru hela as seen from kanjikudichiaru

Konduru hela as seen from Ambalan oya tank

ambalan oya tank

scenic tank

Morana tank

splendid

the spill is washed away and during the next monsoon the whole tank is going to give away

ancient spill

7 headed cobra

govinda hela as seen from the tank

paddy

one could spot about 60 ele’s in the evening here

a small attempt to save their tank

lovely and luxurious

starting point

We took the road starting from Bakmitiyawa post office and reached the base of the mountain and started hiking uphill at around 10am. Yes it was bit late but this is the ideal time to start the hike. If you plan to be on the summit at 12 you will be rewarded with a 360 panoramic blue sky but the heat would be a difficult factor. The initial climb was not that difficult and we always had the aid of trees. After a small hike we had some late breakfast before started hiking up again. The last bit was very difficult to climb because the dried leaves made us slip back despite all our efforts. We also came across a freshly killed Wild boar (Probably attacked by a hawk) and a wild bear which was chased away by Bandula. The tree canopy started converting into a shrub forest while we were closing on to the peak and the heat started to play its role. There were few caves which one could easily shelter during a rain but must watch out for bears. Once we got on top of the mountain we sat down for a while and refreshed ourselves before deciding to walk about and take pictures. The first viewing point was towards Monaragala and Ampara side and there were many peaks which I could identify easily because it was my backyard. Towards the east there were few lakes like Kanchikudichchi aru, Sagama tank & Rufus kulam. I also noted Arugam bay lagoon and bridge too. This is a splendid location to enjoy a breathtaking sun rise. As usual there was a pagoda which was built by kings and now been vandalized by treasure hunters? We also came across a carving stating A. Joseph who might have been a surveyor who used to do his surveying in this region in the early nineteen hundreds.

towards the peak

creeping through bushes

a moth

having a rest and a snack

දෙබරේ

a fresh kill

steep climb

creation of nature

kuda hela as seen from the summit

an english surveyor had been here

vandalized pagoda on the summit

Maragalakanda

Govinda hela and sugala devi tank

Wadinagala peak

Pannalgama tank

inginiyagala reservoir and danigala range

bakmitiyawa and far way mountains of kotiyagala

ambalan oya tank and malayadi tank behind it

Komari forest reserve

lahugala neelagiri hela and tank

hulannuge Karanda hela

the drop

lovely

Arugam bay could be seen

all of these rocky mountains are archeology sites

Kanjikudichchiau tank and the ocean also could be seen

a pano

more scenery

mottagala – sagama and thirukkovil

rufus kulam

angled

cave view

endless

chunky choc time

eastern ocean

Kanchikudichiaru tank and the caves facing the tank

we were like caveman

After having some snacks in a nearby cave we started to return back and it was like sliding down a snowy mountain. After returning to the village and thanking everyone we took off towards Pannalgama tank to enjoy a lengthy bath in a canal to refresh ourselves and later had a splendid rice and curry to complete our tiring yet rewarding day.