Maduru oya just before the monsoons!

Year and Month	October, 2015
Number of Days	One
Crew	4 (Nalinda, Akalanka, Sumanarathne & myself)
Accommodation	N/A
Transport	Pajero
Activities	4WD/Safari/Wildlife
Weather	Sunny morning and overcast evening
Route	Monaragala -> Bibila -> Padiyathalawa -> Ulhitiya -> Henanigala -> Maduru oya dam -> Returned back the same way
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Wild life park rules should always followed and always obey the Guide(Trekker). Campsite should be reserved from the Wildlife life Department head office in Baththaramulla [Contact Numbers of Forest Department and Wildlife Department for Reservations] Road conditions inside the park was relatively fine but the overgrown mana bushes were a problem Carry adequate amount of drinking water or boil and drink river water Do not take anything from the wild and do not leave anything back. Best time to visit is end of September. A vehicle with high ground clearance in preferred
Related Resources	Trip Reports on: Maduru oya
Author	Ashan
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Maduru oya just before the monsoons!

The route we took – click to enlarge

This was going to be my last journey while I was at Monaragala. Our main target was a hot spring in Maduru Oya Park but unfortunately we had to turn towards plan B. We took off towards Henanigala entrance and to reach it we took the road bordering Ulhitiya – Rathkinda reservoirs starting from Mahiyangana – Maha oya road. The monsoons had started early this year so we were bit worried about the road conditions but fortunately it was not a big issue.

At around 9.30am we entered the park through Henanigala entrance. We took the overgrown route through the “mana” savanna to reach a 3 way junction from where we took the right turn and headed towards the “Kudawila” School which was abandoned in 1983. Kudawila School was located at a 3 way junction. And the two roads which diverge from this point ends at the two ends of a 5km long canal which was dwelled through rock to connect Rathkinda and Maduru oya reservoirs. This is indeed an irrigation wonder where one reservoir feeds the other (Maduru oya) through a 5Km long underground canal. We opted out visiting the Inlet and reached the outlet where the water meets the Maduru oya reservoir.

Unakiri gala of Ulhitiya

Henanigala entrance of Maduru oya park

tamed

Henanigala tank

time for a snack

here we go

abandoned school

last functioned in 1983

Exit point of the tunnel diverting water from Rathkinda reservoir

end of the 5km long tunnel

supplying maduru oya reservoir

Green bee eater

From the canal we took off towards the main entrance of the park which is on Aralaganvila side. On the way we decided to take the route along the border of the reservoir. Once we got in to the grassy plains of the reservoir we were welcomed with some stunning scenery. The gloomy skies on one side and sunny sky on the other side produced some exquisite landscape scenery. We drove along the plains tackling mini streams and mud holes and having frequent stops to capture bird life plus Packs of deer. Some deer packs were more than 200 and I haven’t seen larger packs anywhere else. We reached the Wild life bungalow and headed towards the entrance where the museum could be found.

ඉලුක් පතන

අලි පනාව

close up

paradise

gloomy skies make wonders

more scenery

a pano

better than any tar mac

plenty of pelicans

close up

wow

team pic

dung mushrooms

endless

couldnt stop clicking

ටොපාගල

what a drive

heaven on earth

kokagala seen far away

crested hawk eagle

ready to fly away

huge pack

wondering

note the pattern

greenery

they were not happy seen us

mothers love

more to go

the two mountains which was used fro the dam

the bund

huge herds

not used seen vehicles

We did not forget to stop a bit at the museum to go through the skeletons of the elephants and other animals. It was sad to see that many of these giants were shot to dead rather than demised from natural causes. From here we drove towards the dam and returned back to the bungalow to have a lunch.

at the museum

cause of death

a croc

dead pythons

these could be seen everywhere

mini hydro project

fishing time

lonely jumbo

the spill

and it flows

the dam

ancient sluice gate

the dam

view from the dam

on a stump

this one could be seen near the bungalow

Up to now we had only seen a hand full of elephants and we were bit disappointed, so we again took the road along the plains of the reservoir and this was a very long drive because we had to follow the shape of the reservoir plus tackle the muddy pits. There were plenty of deer but no sight of elephants but suddenly we noted about 5 – 6 elephants far away and decided to have a closer look. We headed further tackling some difficult streams and reached the pack of elephants where we halted at a safe distance. They were not very happy about our presence so they gathered together and they started marching towards us with the guidance of an Alpha male who emerged out of nowhere. My blood started to boil and I decided to retreat while others were enjoying the moment. They slowly marched into the forest and we proceeded further passing the point where the pack went into the forest because there was no turning back for us. Few minutes of driving after that encounter bought us to a point where there was an abandoned road which connected to the main but it was all overgrown. I had to drive over tall “mana” bushes on a muddy path until we reached the main track which was a huge relief. From here it was a 30 minute ride to the exit at Henanigala. We really enjoyed this unplanned adventure and this was bit of a scary ride for me but yet I would cherish with these memories because this was my last trip while I was at Monaragala.