Back to Great Western Mountain-2212m (7th highest peak of SL) and hidden Upper Pundalu Oya falls

Year and Month	2018 March 24^th
Number of Days	One day
Crew	05-Nirosh, Nuwan, Keshan, Kasun and Myself
Accommodation	Not applicable
Transport	By bus and hike
Activities	Hiking, Trekking, Sightseeing, Waterfall visiting and Photography
Weather	Excellent
Route	Colombo->Nuwera Eliya->Summerset junction->Uda Radella->Great Western->Pundalu Oya->Thalawakele->Hatton
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Trail head can be reached from Colombo by three ways: Colombo-Badulla night mail which reaches the station around 3.30am-What we did last time. Peradeniya-Hatton mixed train which reaches the station around 8.30-9.00am-Quite a late start. Colombo to Nuweraeliya by bus and get Nuweraeliya -Hatton bus next. Then get down at Sommerset junction and walk to rail track-What we did this time. There is a clear foot pathway since beginning up to the peak and no need a guide. Better start early. Carry at least 1-1.5l water for one person. There is a water source at middle of the trail. Though we tried to find water around camp site it was not successful. (It said there is a water source about 500m beyond camp site). In a clear day your water requirement is more as the trail is exposed to direct sun light most of the time. Please bring back what you carry. Seems pathway and camp site is still clean. Elevation gain from trail head to peak-1 is 684m. I would like to thank the group of travelers (4 boys) who climbed GW Mountain on same day. They donated us some drinking water which was worth for million at that time. Getting down to Pundalu Oya side is a strenuous activity. We totally depend on Google maps and then walked parallel to Pundalu Oya. Thanks Eshan for sharing your information with us.
Author	Niroshan
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Back to Great Western Mountain-2212m (7th highest peak of SL) and hidden Upper Pundalu Oya falls

My memory goes back to 2009 when we first climbed Great Western Mountain (It was 6^th highest peak). Ashan, Keerthi and Myself climbed this mountain with guidance of Murugan and it was a strenuous hike (That’s why I Ashan mentioned it as once in a life time hike). There was no proper foot path and steepness was high. And the trek is extremely slippery following rain. I still can remember the coldness I faced when I returned back by night mail train alone. I had only a small short trouser and a T shirt to wear as all my clothes were wet. I got into a good shelf at train compartment and tried to sleep with shivering.

Click image to enlarge. Great Western 1:50000 map. It’s height is 2215m.

I am at Great western station 9 years ago

Hiking with aid of guides. I think current foot pathway has bypassed this rock.

Steepness and greenish appearance. No proper foot path.

Two guides and Keerthi-Right hand side. Celebrating his birthday on top of Great Western Mountain.

After successful hike. Back to GW station.

After nine years I wanted to repeat the hike. Now Great Western dropped it’s position to 7^th highest peak of SL due to new comer-Agrabopath/ Kudahagala to 4^th place. After hiking of hundreds of travelers for last nine years a clear path has been created and seems no need a guide to hike Great Western Mountain anymore. I also have grown by age as well as travel experience.

Usually I don’t repeat travel destinations unless there are special reasons. My main objective is to get down to Pundalu Oya side from Great Western peak. I was informed that there are beautiful cascades above famous Dunshinae falls / Pundalu Oya falls which can be traced when getting down from that side. And recently there was a discussion about the actual highest peak of Great Western range. Last time we reached the Peak of Great Western Mountain and this so called highest peak was identified as “Pundalu Oya Kanda.”-පුන්ඩලු ඔය කන්ද (Refer trip report).

Let’s move to our journey:

Plans of the trip was upset since beginning. Trail head starts from the rail track between Great Western and Radella railway stations, more close to GW station. (That’s why everyone includes a picture of GW railway station in their albums)

It can be reached from Great western station and earliest train to reach there is Colombo-Badulla night mail. But we were not able to book it as we planned the trip at last moment. Next available train was mixed train from Peradeniya but it reaches the station between 8.30am-9.00am. As it is quite a late start, I planned to reach trail head by walking along the rail track with initial journey by bus.

Though it is a long weekend we were able to get a seat in a bus from Colombo-Nuweraeliya. Then we transferred to Nuweraeliya-Hatton bus and my plan was to get down at Sommerset junction. Google map reading tells we can reach the rail track by walking 1-2km from Sommerset junction. Unfortunately bus conductor has dropped us about 2km beyond the correct place. As a result we had to follow shortcuts by asking locals to reach the rail track from Radella. It permitted us to enjoy the morning view of Radella. Before we reach the trail head to Great Western Mountain, mixed train passed us indicating we are having a late start.

Getting down beyond 2km from correct place

Uda Radella range is seen behind with Radella cricket ground. Nanu Oya flows

Our target of the day.

Nanu Oya gets water from a branch.

Radella tea

Along estate roads we were able to reach the rail track. I can remember I have used the same short cuts to reach the main road from Radella railway line in waterfall hunting at Hatton-Nanu Oya.

Great Western mountain-7th highest of SL.

View of sacred peak-Sri Pada. Kotagala Kanda is also seen.

Along the rail track to trail head.

Kandy mixed train is coming.

Great Western Mountain.

Kandy mixed train.

Towards the trail head

Though we had fairly late start we were able to reach the top of Great Western Mountain in 2½ hours. It was a continuous ascend till you reach the edge of the mountain except middle flat area. Following that you have to walk along the edge to reach the Peak of Great Western Mountain. Top of the mountain has bushes compared to large trees. There was one water stream on our way up, somewhere middle of the trail. We met a large group of hikers who were having breakfast just before their hike. Then couple of travelers who had an early morning hike and on their way back. First few hundred meters had more steepness compared to middle part of the journey. Middle part has less ascend but under the shade. Again last few hundred meters had steep hike to reach the Peak of Great Western Mountain.

Team except me at trail head. (Keshan-left, Kasun, Nirosh and Nuwan-right)

Shrine at beginning

Clear foot pathway through Mana patch. I think this trail is quite different than what we followed at first time.

View of the rail bend on our way up…

View of the rail way quarters

Seems the area hasn’t received rain for a long time

Time for a click….

It was a continuous ascend since beginning. The track is bit slippery due to dust and dryness.

Peak of and edge of the mountain. First you have to get one the edge and then follow the foot path to reach the peak.

Initial part of the foot pathway.

There were some tags…..

Break at middle part of the trail. This area is fairly flat and water stream was found here.

Foot path through the forest patch. This was a great relief to avoid heat.

Foot path through the forest patch.

Before get on to the edge of the mountain.

Mountainous forest

Hiking along the edge of the mountain

Different shapes

බෝවිටියා

Different shapes

Close up…

Great western peak-1

Great Western peak-2.

Looking at the target

There is a moderate ascend along the edge of the mountain to reach the peak

Railway bend

Great Western Mountain has two peaks: Peak-1: Everyone visits there, next to camp site, most popular one and can have a good view including GW railway station.

Peak-2: Highest point of Great Western range, only average number of hikers visit there and it has limited view. But there is a clear pathway till peak-2 and it’s about 45min journey from camp site. There is about 200m difference between two peaks.

(Last time when we visited Great Western Mountain, we reached peak-1 only. Our guides told peak-2 as Pundalu Oya Mountain. Therefore though we identified peak-2 is higher than peak-1, we didn’t try to visit there).

Following mountains and structures can be viewed from Great Western Mountain in a clear day: Piduruthalagala with towers, Uda Radella with towers, Elbedda range, Peaks of Hortain plains-(Thotupala, Kirigalpoththa, Agrabopath), Waterfall point and Conical Hills, Peacock Hills, Mahaweli Maha Seya, Devon Falls, Thalawakele town, Sri Pada, Dell mountain, Kotagala etc.

Someone has raised a white flag at highest point of Great Western Mountain. We have finished all our water when we reached at peak-2 and another set of travelers were kind enough to give some water for us.

And we were lucky enough to capture train with railway line in couple of instances.

Piduruthalagala with towers

Uda Radella with towers

Piduruthalagala and Uda Radella in one frame

View towards Agarapathana side and Elbedda

Elbedda range

Conical Hills and Waterfall point in right hand side. ? Thotupala Kanda in left hand side

Towards Hortain Plains

Something familiar to me. But can’t remember the name.

Thotupala Kanda

Zoomed view of Conical Hills and Waterfall point

Peak-1

Hindu shrine at one view point. Estate workers come here on January 1st.

Trekking along the edge of the mountain to reach peak-1.

View of peak-2 from the edge of GW Mountain.

Zoomed view of Wangi Oya upper division line houses and a play ground

Great Western camp site. Situated next to peak-1. This is one of the highest camp site in SL. (At 2000m level)

On top of peak-1 of Great Western Mountain. Keshan (right) is cutting a cake to celebrate his birthday here. It is interesting I birthday celebrations at both visits to GW Mountain had.

Zoomed

View from peak-1 of Great Western Mountain.

Rest at camp site

View of peak-2 from peak-1.

Another view point and a camp site

Heading to peak-2

Another set of line houses and railway track

Mountainous forest.

රත්මල්

Now peak-1 seen behind

Peacock Hills

බෝවිටියා

More to the highest point

Mahaweli Maha Seya is circled. Peacock Hills is shown by star

Mahaweli Maha Seya.

Devon Falls

Highest point of Great Western Mountain range. A white flag has been raised there.

View of railway line from peak-2

Tea factory and another set of line houses

Thalawakele town. Upper Kothmale dam is also seen

Team on top of Great Western Mountain-At peak-2

Great Western Mountain in Google map. Black arrow shows peak-1 (2000m). Red arrow shows the highest point-Peak-2 (2180m)

When we are at highest point of Great Western Mountain.

Getting down to Pundalu Oya side with exploring Upper Pundalu Oya cascades

Our next part of the journey was to getting down to Pundalu Oya side. There was no foot pathway. But it is a continuous descend. We planned to descend under the guidance of Google map. Main challenge was drinking water was out of stock. We all were refreshed by the water given by other group of travelers.

As there was no foot pathway we had to go through bushes. At one point we have noticed a dry water path and we kept our track closer to it. After about 500m we have noticed water at this stream. We were happy a lot and filled our thirsty with fresh water from the stream. This is the beginning of Baby Pundalu Oya. Later it became wide and started to form cascades. We tried to descend closer to Pundalu Oya to view waterfalls and it’s safe to walk parallel to a stream.

We were able to find out three waterfalls above famous Pundalu Oya Falls/ Dunshinae Falls. Therefore I would like to name them as Upper Pundalu Oya falls.

After spending 4hours at thick forest we were able to reach the upper division of Pundalu Oya estate. After the third falls we have deviated from the water stream and follow a foot pathway. There might be some other falls between 3^rd falls and Dunshinae falls, need to be explored.

Getting down closer to the water stream.

Some set of bones found…

Junior Pundalu Oya

Upper Pundalu Oya falls-1

This small waterfall is formed by fresh Pundalu Oya. According to our observation it is about 3-4m tall.

Upper Pundalu Oya Falls-1. Though my water mark is there photo credit goes to Keshan.

Upper Pundalu Oya falls-2

This is about 10m tall waterfalls formed by Pundalu Oya before Dunshinae Falls. There is a considerable distance between first and second falls.

Upper Pundalu Oya falls-2

Compare the height of the fall.

Upper Pundalu Oya falls-3

This fall is situated immediately down to falls-2. It is about 15m in height. One can get these two cascades as a single fall. (Is this the fall mentioned by guides in our previous visit to GW?)

Top of Upper Pundalu Oya falls-3

Upper Pundalu Oya falls-3

Compare the height of the fall

There was another 30-45minutes walk to reach a main estate road to get a passenger van. The sky has made beautiful pictures with sunset at Pundalu Oya side. We reached Pundalu Oya town first and hired three wheels to Thalawakele to get a bus to Hatton. We had a day!