Hello friends,

We started from Gampaha at about 5 o’clock in the morning. The crew was five in a car. Could not book a bungalow inside the park and since arranged to stay @ L.L.T safari hotel close by wilpattu park. Owner Tiuder is a very nice and honest guy. He has few jeeps as well. Charges were very fair and helpful as well. Contact him through 0714187083 and try to arrange the driver named Dammika. Very nice and a great guy who will go for that extra bit to show us the best.

We came to the hotel by 10.30am. Drive was great. Went for a safari in the afternoon after having lunch. Will post the pics..

so many corcks were there..

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.	two jackals we met…

And then we met the 1st leopard. Thought it was dead in the beginning since it was not moving at all. Saw him breathing through the camera lens. Guess it had a heavy meal n trying to relax… we were next to him for almost 1 hour.

wake up!!!

Finally!!! Awake…

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time to clean…

.	and went back to sleep..

It wasn’t in a mood to get up. It was almost 5.30pm and we allowed the big cat to rest and start moving since we have to get out from the park by 6.30pm.

We woke up early in the morning and cleared the gate by 6.15am. Hoping that we will have some luck today as well.

Was a great morning…

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.	Was a natural death…

.	Sambar Deer

And then we were lucky again.. Though it vanished to the jungle very fast.

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Then we found a carcass secured nicely on top of a tree. We were there for a long time and went to the same place several times to see if we can see the leopard on top.. but we were not lucky..

Wild boar

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Some people do not understand this… 

The was the only jumbo we met..

take off

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Snake

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That was the end of the 2nd day.. We saw three leopards but could capture only one since one was way inside the thick jungle and one we saw in the dark n far away…

Third and last day morning was the best. We met a leopard very close as soon as we started the safari. Pics will tell you the story.

Those eyes…

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o-O	Got to go…

Going inside…

Hum.. Time to relax…

Stop taking pics men!!!

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Eye to eye…

Time to sleep…

We were next to the leopard for about 15 mins and took all the pics we need. It went to sleep and the place started to get crowded. So we decided to go from there and have breakfast. We went and checked the boar carcass .it was half gone. Guess that was the reason for the big cat’s sleepiness 

Half gone

After breakfast we started to move around again. Then suddenly saw two cubs in the road and they vanished to the thick jungle in a flash. Were able to see the mother leopard too by the naked eye through the trees. Wish we were lucky to capture that rare moment with 3 leopards.. This was the only clear pic I was able to take.

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After finishing the morning safari, we came to the hotel and had lunch. Thanked the jeep driver Dammika and hotel owner Tiuder for all the support. Came back home happily in the same route talking how lucky we were again. Same like last time in Yala. But wonder when we will see a sloth bear  looking forward to see one during the next Kumana camping in September!!!

Thanks for reading the report. Will write soon!!!

The map – Click to enlarge

Last year when we hiked brandy rock I did note a nearby mountain range obscuring the view towards Matale and knuckles range. Since then I was eyeing on this peak (Wiltshire/Alu vihare Kanda), almost after and year I was all ready to venture on but as usual couldn’t find any companions. Amila who promised to join me also couldn’t make it because of a bike accident. I arrived at Matale on the previous day and stayed at Selina guest close to McDowell Fort. Next day early morning I wondered around the fort wall and entered the cemetery which lies in the fort premises. Close to this fort recently a mass burial site was found and the remains found were thought to be belonging to the rebels who fought against the British during the historical Matale rebellion which took place in 1848. Except for the outer wall there is not much to see these days. There were few monuments around Matale which were linked to the historical rebellion but I deferred exploring those and stuck to my main objective.

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Matale rebellion

In 18’s people of Sri Lanka were struggling very hard to get rid of the iron clutches of British administration. British have introduced many laws and taxes such as Barren land law that virtually took everything from the indigenous people. The Sinhalese and people of other ethnic groups got united and fought against the British army. Uwa Wellassa Karelle and Matale Karella are two noteworthy rebellion of Sri Lankan against British, which helped the country to reach independence in 1948. Matale Rebellion, which took place in 1848, had distracted even the king of British.

Uwa rebellion was widely spread throughout the island from the Dambulla temple. It was ceremonially initiated by Ven.Girattegama Indrajothi thera on 26^th July 1848 with Rajabhisheka (coronation) of Gongalegoda banda as the king of the Kandyan kingdom. Another key figure of the rebellion was Virapuranappu arrived to Dambulla from Moratuwa and was appointed as the leader of the Sinhalese army.  At the beginning the Sinhalese army was consisting of 3000 soldiers. As the war broke out Matale, Kurunegala, Borella were under fire and British governor imposed the martial law covering the whole island. Sinhalese forces were joined by soldiers from other regions such as Kurunegala.

2^nd, 3^rd, 4th and 5^th of August 1848, there was a fierce battle between Sinhalese forces and British army in Matale. Three British regiments were on the battle under the leadership of Captain McDowell, Captain Lili and Captain Watson. With the sophisticated war equipments the British forces were able to dominate the battle and Sinhalese forces had to retreat. Sinhalese forces encamped in several places around Matale. Vira Puran Appu and large number of Sinhalese soldiers encamped in Wariyapola. Captain M.J.Mcdowell built a fort adjoining the governor’s office of Matale. Even today the ruin of the fort can be seen at the site and it is known as fort McDowell. After following a tip about the hiding place of Vira Puran Appu and his followers were taken into custody by the British forces. They were killed by shooting at the Bogambara on August 8^th 1848.several Sinhalese soldiers, who were under Vira Puran Appu were shot dead near the Fort McDowell. Several, other Sinhalese leaders were hanged near the fort of Mcdowell. Gongale Goda Bnada was sent in exile to s foreign country. 376 people, who played an important role in the rebellion was imprisoned on the charges of disobeying the British queen. Kudapola thera was also among the British prisoners.

There are several monuments remembering the Matale rebellion, monument of Captain Lili is located in Wariyapola on the A-9 main road. There are several other monuments in Matale and around remembering British. But, there are very few monuments to remember the brave soldiers of Sinhalese army, other than statues of Gongale God Band and Vira Puran Appu, there are no monuments to remember the Sinhalese forces. The fort of McDowell is a leading monument of the rebellion that still resides in Matale. There are nine gravestones in the garden of the fort believed to be places, where the several Sinhalese were buried. But there are no written evidences to prove the identity of the people, who were buried in the fort.

Very difficult to spot this board

remains of the fort

Witshire peak covered with mist as seen from matale town

After having some breakfast I took off in search of the Madiwela bus and since no one was sure about its arrival on that day I took an Etipola bus and got off at the Madiwela turn off and walked about 4Km’s to reach Asgiriya division where Brandy rock, Etipola range and Wiltshire could be seen clearly. The mountain tops were kissed by the mist and the breeze on the top was notable even from ground zero. I further walked towards the Kovil at Asgiriya division and reached the line houses. No one agreed to show me the way saying the path was covered with bushes but they also mentioned that if I could get to the “Gala” I could see Matale town clearly.

Brandy rock covered with mist

Etipola

Ambokka covered with mist

lovely

landscape

the twin peaks of wiltshire kissed by mist

Wiltshire range as seen from Brandy rock

starting point

So I was alone and I had no companion despite all of my attempts. It was all about trekking to the observation point and the clear view of the rock I wanted to reach was the only aid I had. First it was a continuous climb through the tea estate until I reached the forest boundary and after climbing further up I reached the neck of Wiltshire range. From here I proceeded towards the direction of the summit and within no time I was greeted by Mana bushes. There was a foot path through the mana which I choose to follow until the bush cover started to get dense. The view from this mana plain was simply amazing the contrast of the images were taken at that moment was so perfect that I couldn’t stop clicking around.

tea	Etipola and brandy rock

entering the forest patch

Grey headed Canary Flycatcher

path getting tougher

view was getting better

beautiful landscape

love these flowers

two species

wow

the peaks

the path

path was missing from here onwards

Nightmare struck me within no time. It was BAMBOO standing as a wall in front of me. After seen these bushes my heart came in to my mouth and I was wondering if to go around them but if I did so I would have had to climb up through bamboo bushes which was not a good idea. I was determined through crash through the bamboo and stick to the theoretical path along the neck of the range. So it begun I was crawling along animal pathways which ran through the bamboo bushes but with the bag I was pulled back at most instances. Sometimes to proceed one meter I had to waste more than two minutes. The Bamboos were acting as springs by pushing me back and trying to exhaust me and deny my right of viewing Matale from top of Wiltshire.

After all that trouble I again found the lost part just before the summit of the 2^nd peak which the locals call as the “balum gala”. The rock summit is also covered with bushes and it’s very hard to find a proper place to rest even. But the view from it was what I was searching for. Matale town was so huge that it seemed like whole of Matale has lost its forest cover the busy streets and the bus stand could be seen clearly from this point. After clicking few panoramas it was time locate some landmarks. I could identify Kandalama, Bowatenna, Arangala, western view of Knuckles mountains and even Lakegala could be seen peeping through a gap. Karagahatenna, Reverston and other peaks were almost touching the clouds. On other side Hanthana and Kandy region could be noted while mountains like Alagalla and Bathalegala also could be viewed. On the opposite side Etipola mountain was obscuring the view towards Kurunegala but Yakdessagala and Dolukanda was seen without any problem at all! The peak with a mana plain was about 100 meters away but I decided not to risk things by pushing myself to the extreme.. If it wasn’t for the Bamboo bushes I would have gone there but things were not in my favour on that particular day.

Bamboo my worst nightmare

a break

Knuckles range

paddy

mawanella

knuckles seen behind rathtota

Naula and kandalama

other side of the range was all pines

matale heavily populated

part of the huge town of matale

widened streets

the bus stand

pano towards Etipola and mawanella

pano towards matale and Knuckles range

wiltshire range

colourful

bathalegala seen far away

alagalla

looking back

over the hedge

beautiful Matale

Kandy side

knuckles peaks

Karagahatenna

yakdessagala seen faintly

dolukanda and kibulwana reservoir

where i started

standing out

through the bushes

getting down

Getting down was much harder than climbing up and losing the way was included in that special package. So I had to make a new path while descending through the tormenting Bamboo bushes and finally found the path I climbed up. Felt really relieved at that moment when I found the path! After getting back to the tea estate I found a natural stream where I decided to have a wash and a change. There were about 20 leeches who I never bothered to remove until that moment. To make things worse it was continuously bleeding. After refreshing myself I felt like I returned to heaven after visiting hell but yet contented with what I achieved for the day. After getting to the road I found no trishaw driver willing to go on a hire even. So in the not sun I walked 4Km’s until Etipola road was met. I was tired and couldn’t walk anymore, so got in to a trishaw which was going towards Matale for a discounted price, which made my mood. After reaching Matale I looked back towards the daunting mountain at the backdrop of the city and gave it a smile before proceeding towards my night halting place to end one of the most tiring journeys for the year.

wish I had a sword to cut through these

the breeze

on the way down scenery

Dolukanda

Yakdessagala

Amazing

the balum gala

finally found the path

diversity

another lake

i was there

entering the forest

good bye

road side shots

plucked

Ambokka cleared off

valley

Thanks for reading!

Hello friends,

It was an unplanned trip this time around with my parents. Was there in wilpattu 2 weeks back and wanted to go for a trip before my sister’s wedding. So I decided wilpattu since my sis n parents haven’t been to a jungle for a long time + this is a good opportunity to try out my newly brought 500mm lens

Started early in the morning on 4th Sept. visited St. Anne’s church Thalawila in the morning. It was raining all the way down… I was so worried. Reached the usual rest inn, L.L.T safari hotel by 11am. Raining stopped by 1.30pm. We had lunch and went for an afternoon safari…

Will let the pics to talk from now on…

.	Was near the rest inn.

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Waiting…

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Filming crew of “Wild Sri Lanka”.

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Famous “washing elephant” the only elephant running the Wilpattu show these days

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Was lucky again.. @ Borupana vila.

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Some bugs were bugging…

Was getting dark and we started to move out. Met two Sambar deers on the way.

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On 5th early morning woke up and started to move from the accommodation. Hoping that we will be lucky to see a sloth bear.

Had a small diesel leak early in the morning. Was able to tight a nut and fix it…

And guess what..?? A bear just crossed in front of us in flash and ran to the deep jungle. Was soo quick and could manage to take 1 proper pic only.

Running inside…

There were so many birds this time around. Specially different type of eagles … and sorry, I still can’t remember the names of most of the birds.. Should study hard!!!

Breakfast….

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Dead , untouched wild boar..

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We were lucky again in the evening to see a leopard just few feet’s away from us @ mahapathassa. It was inside the bush… Was not easy to take clear proper pics.. Wish it was outside… The things it did while sleeping was amazing… Acting like a little baby… was lucky to witness it by eyes at least… 

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We were there next to the big cat for more than one hour. Then the jeeps started to come one by one… so we started to move… met the last evening leopard once again at Borupana vila.

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We went out of the park around 6p.m. I was soo happy coz of seeing a sloth bear at last… it was a great day!!!
Next day was a very bad day.. Started to rain like hell. It was pointless staying inside and decided to come out from the park around 10am and head back home.

.	Gotch ya!!!!

Thanks for reading the report. Will write soon about the Kumana camping which we are planning to go on 19th!!!!

The map – Click to enlarge

After the preceding days failed attempt in reaching Mill oya falls I decided to give it another try on the very next day. I never wanted to give up knowing that this hidden beauty will not flow as she had been doing all these years in few more months after the newly built mini hydro project starts functioning. So I reached Millebedda early as I could to try and reach the waterfall from the top because visiting it from Walas ella side was a failure.

Delan was a trishaw guy who I met at Millebedda temple and even he had not visited this waterfall but yet he was keen enough to join me on this venture. So we took the road named Kanchana which was about 1.5Km towards Lunugala(from millebedda). After traveling about 5Km’s we reached a house where we halted the trishaw and walked towards the Power hydro project work site located on top of the waterfall. Few guys who recognized me asked “ah mahattaya adath awada?” and I did give them a smile and said “ada nam meka balalamai yanne”. I was so determined that no one could stop me in doing so, we did walk along the Mill oya stream and reached the location where water was diverted and followed the concrete canal under construction for some distance. We stepped in to the jungle at a point where we thought it would be an easy approach to the base. It was a steep downhill descend and we had to crawl holding on to creepers at many instances too. Finally we reached the base of a stream but yet the waterfall couldn’t be seen. After climbing few huge boulders with uttermost difficulty we reached the base of Mill oya falls which was also known as Gona wetuna ella. This beauty has two parts and the top part could only be seen partly. The cascade is completely hidden and one needs to get to its base to have a proper view of it. Though we wanted to get to the upper part it was not possible at all. Next we started climbing from the opposite side and we were greeted by leeches and thorny wewal. After a good mud bath we reached a mini canal which diverted water from the waterfall to feed the nearby paddy fields. We did follow it all the way until the top of the fall was reached where a clear view towards Monaragala could be appreciated. Since we had done the whole circular trail we did understand that getting down from the left side of the cascade was the best option so my advice for someone would be is “get to the top and go along the canal on the left and reach the bottom”. There is nice bathing place on top of the fall if one wants to have a dip. After getting back to the wadiya we were offered pol sambol + dhal + pork with rice as lunch which we couldn’t resist! That miraculous lunch was the best medicine we had after a tiring hike.

the only glimpse of Mill oya ella, i did attempt on the very next day

shaped for milk

devastation, see what they have done to the forest

dawn on the next day

Suddas remnants

Buttala as seen from A5

rahathankanda and budugallena

foot path to the top of mill ella

the end of the waterfall is few months away

a mini cascade, good for a shower

a cave close to the fall

Mill oya falls (Gona wetuna falls )

lower part

the top part of mill oya falls

hard task

canal we followed

top of gona wetuna falls

scenery towards monaragala

uppermost cascade

plunges down

beauty

upper part

stunning view

getting down

Next place of interest was Adi hate wala which is supposed to have a waterfall too. Many locals suggested me to go and see this beauty rather than Milla oya cascade. To get to this waterfall one needs to go uphill via few line houses. I actually can’t remember the exact turn off point but better to inquire from the locals because they are aware of its where-bouts. There is a 1.5Km foot path which will lead to this beauty and it’s also a cascade of Milla oya. The base pool is said to be 60’ deep hence the name Adi hate wala was given. Downstream there is another beautiful cascade but does not have a clear path to reach it.

grey hornbill

play time

lower part

shining upper part

60 feet in depth

beauty

upper part

drops plunging down

Adi Hate wala falls

Adi Hate wala lower cascade

the path

From Hopton I went towards Yapamma and got off at a bo tree with a yellow coloured Buddha shrine. The concrete road uphill leads towards the famous “Besam wala” of Lunugala. The 2Km walk along this paved road was well worth it. After a while I reached a bridge and 50 meters upstream from it the famous Besam wala could be found. This is one of those wonderful creations of Mother Nature. The stream which is flowing downhill collects in to a rock pond and then overflows resembling a rocky basin. The depth was about 4’. I couldn’t resist not getting in to it and having a dip. Later on I ventured upstream to explore few cascades and similar bathing places but I was tormented by resident leeches . Since it was drizzling I returned back to the main road and headed towards Passara to catch a bus to Monaragala and end my day.

name board

රන් නලල් කොට්ටෝරැවා

feeling the cold

not ambewela but lunugala

Solitary

police has put up some notices on rocks close to besama

slow shutter besama lower fall

besam wala

upstream similar location

Besama upper fall

top of besama

good bye besama, I will be back

castle of electricity

Day two even before the sun decided to rise I got a bus towards Badalkumbura and reached the town where I hired a trishaw to visit a famous historical temple called Dummaletenna which was 10 Km’s away from Badalkumbura town. The road was almost washed away at some places close to the temple but we did manage it with are trishaw. This ancient temple is said to be one of those places where great king Dutugemunu rested while marching towards Anuradhapura. Also this is surrounded by Kubukkan river on three sides and the other side been occupied by a paddy field which produces some stunning landscapes. This temple has a restored pagoda where only the outer protective wall remains from the past. The image house which is under construction has some vandalized statues and it seems like the remaining bit also would be lost in time when the new one gets completed. After having a chat with the monk I took off towards Badalkumbura to have some breakfast and join my friend and his wife who was searching for a wonderful location to go on their anniversary.

Dummalethenna temple

vandalized and repaired

Dummalethenna temple statues

under construction

note the ancient outer wall

beautiful

poya geya

Karavila bubula

pride of uva

bordered by kumbukkan oya

We decided to visit Alupotha fort where and Archaeology board directing towards inland from Badalkumbura Passara road could be seen. Following the board we went towards Alupotha and within no time we were confused by the locals who repeatedly said there is no such thing to see. Somehow after a wild goose chase we came to know that the current Alupotha town was the fort long ago. This is the place where “Weera Keppetipola” joined the rebels according to the history books. My friend and his wife were teasing me all the way because they saw nothing interesting though there was a black archeology board. I felt like removing the board but within no time that feeling vanished away. So now I needed to compensate and satisfy my friends and that is what I did. Bambaragala pathana my favourite view point of Wellassa was where I took them next and they really enjoyed the panoramic view from that point.

is there a purpose of this board anymore

remnants of the fort

old buildings

Bambaragala pathana scenery

wellassa

towards wellawaya

From Namunukula we went towards Ella and on the way at a big elbow bend we were forced to stop and enjoy an awesome view towards Wellawaya town. We also named this as “Balleketuwa gap”. Next stop was Wellawaya Kotaweheragala temple. There is a small pagoda seen on a rocky plateau few Km’s away from Wellawaya. Since it was a scenic place we decided to climb that rock. The access point to this temple is about 2Km’s away from Wellawaya on Monaragala road. the temple is a modified place and if one wants to reach the pagoda you need to start climbing up from the image house. The task was not easy as we thought but the blissful scenery seen from the top made us forget everything. The mountain ranges of Poonagala, Namunukula , Ella rock could be seen clearly from the pagoda. To our surprise the pagoda was an ancient one which was later refurbished and the remains of the old pagoda was evidence for that. After hanging around a bit we set foot towards Badalkumbura.

Balleketuwa gap towards wellawaya

wellawaya town

Kota weheragala at wellawaya

the image house

uphill climb

leafless

note the rocks from the ancient sthupa

the view

wadinahela side

Poonagala range

wellawaya town

Ella gap

on top of kota weheragala

serene

paddyfields of wellawaya

Just before Badalkumbura we reached Punsisigama and took a right turn towards Walagamba hermitage. After tackling a 2Km road we reached the isolated cave temple on the base of a mountain range. We met the head priest and obtained permission to wonder around. There were about 4 or 5 drip ledge caves where some were modified and used. One was the image house where few bats could be found. We also came across an interesting carving of a coconut tree on a rock close to the bo tree too. It was getting all gloomy and we had to get back before dark fall. Exploring further caves was not feasible so we thanked the resident monks and returned back to Monaragala to end another interesting day!

Entering shri Walgamba hermitage punsisigama

අනිත්‍යය!

modified

inside the kutiya

image house made out of a drip ledge cave

inside the image house

kutiya at shri Walgamba hermitage punsisigama

head priest

another kutiya

a coconut tree carving

view towards badalkumbura and passara

Thanks for reading!

Year and Month	September, 2013
Number of Days	Four Day Trip
Crew	8 (between 3-35 years of age)
Accommodation	Day 1 – Gold Rest Inn Mannar Day 2 – Four Tees Rest Inn Mannar Day 3 – Thalawila Wildlife Department Bungalow
Transport	One Jeep and One Double Cab. Mannar – You can even go by car, anyway it’s better to have a vehicle to go around. Wilpattu – You need a 4WD vehicle to go around the park. If you don’t have one you can rent one from there.
Activities	Wildlife, Photography, off-road driving
Weather	Excellent – Lucky A day before we reached Mannar it was raining there and they cancelled some trips to Adam’s bridge. The day we went there weather was excellent (Not so sunny, not rainy either.  The day we left Mannar it was raining cats and dogs, but not at Wilpattu. It was perfect weather at Wilpattu.
Route	Colombo -> Puttlam -> Nochchiyagama -> Oyamaduwa -> Thanthirimale -> Settikulama -> Mannar -> Talaimannar
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Better to reserve hotels as early as possible. Initially we planned for a 3 day trip and extended it to 4 days at last minute. At that time there were no rooms at four tees in hotel, so we had to stay in another hotel which is not as good as four tees inn. Bungalows inside Wilpattu national park you have to reserve from Department of Department of Wildlife conservation office at Battaramulla. There are accommodation options outside the park too, but I prefer to stay inside so we can start safari early in the morning.
Author	sanjaya
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Four Days at Mannar and Wilpattu

We started the journey around 10 from Colombo. Our target is to reach Kudiramale point before 4. We stopped at Halawata to fill our cooler boxes. We reached Wilpattu border around 3.30, but unfortunately that road was closed because of rain. It’s better if there’s a way to know that before we turn that way from Puttalam, but even Villages did not know that. So we had to turn back and go around the park to reach Mannar.

We came back to Puttalam, and went through Nochchiyagama -> Oyamaduwa -> Thanthirimale -> Settikulama -> Mannar. Initially we thought of going via Anuradhapura, but luckily got to know that Nochchiyagama -> Settikalam road (via Oyamaduwa) is very good. We reached our destination around 10 at night.

We wanted to see Adam’s bridge on second day. We spoke to hotel owner and he said that it’s bit crowded on Sundays, but if we can reach Thalaimannar before 9 it’ll be easier. There’re about 28 Kilometers from Mannar to Thalaimannar. You can go Mannar to Thalaimannar within 20-30 minutes as road condition is good. We managed to go to Thalaimannar by 8.30 and There was not much crowd.

Spoke to Navy personal there and they said they had to cancel early morning trips because of bad weather, but we were lucky enough as weather was good at time. Boat journey started around 9.30 it took almost one hour to reach to the island. We spent there around 1 ½ hours and it’s one of the best beaches I’ve ever been.

I can spend the whole day here

My daughter loved every moment of our stay at island.

I don’t know what this plant is, but don’t try to bring it home

Enthusiasm

Puffer fish.

The crew.

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Sometimes people tries to bring this home, please do not do it. Even if you do, it wont work as it needs salt water to grow.

Nice life jacket for kids

There were quite a number of birds, the lens I had was not enough for a good capture. According to Lawrence(owner of the four tees inn) there are many more birds from November to January-February. So we are planning to go there again on

Two trustworthy vehicles

We can see this part of the beach from the place where we started “Adam’s bridge” boat ride. When we asked from Navy officials they said we can drive to this place. So we started to drive and lost our way Anyway another Navy personal came from a checkpoint and gave his number and showed us the direction to drive. That path ended up from Sea, so we turned back. Then we got a call from that Navy officer and he asked us to drive through the sea(he was watching us ) as water is shallow. We managed to reach this point only because of his help. I must say all the security personal we met are very helpful.(As usual). Anyway better not to drive there if you are alone. If you get stuck you need another vehicle to pull you out

You can see the place where my friends are standing. Yes, it is shallow

We managed to reach Dorik House before the sunset.

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A warm welcome to Wilpattu We thought he is a paid employee at Wilpattu looking at the way he poses

A friend at Thalawila Bungalow.

You can spend days at this place looking at these wild animals. (In front of Thalawila bungalow)

Life…

Cautious.

Again at Kudiramale point.

Yes, it’s deferent

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Need more zoom 70-300 is not enough at all

Finally.

Proud.

Cautious.

And lazy

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We saw this one while we are having lunch

Lankagama is a very remote village in southern boundary of Sinharaja forest. The main living of the villagers are paddy and Toddy tapping. They have the best ‘Kithul hakuru (Jaggery). These villagers are very friendly, humble, polite and they give due respect to all visitors.

We came through Southern Highway and turned from Baddegama out. Then we came to Neluwa through Nagoda, Udugama, Hiniduma and Thawalama. From Neluwa you have to drive another16 KM on an extremely narrow road, through Kosmulla.
We were greeted by the owner of the lodge Anil, a typical village folk. This lodge is a very simple place with three eco type cabanas with six rooms. Shower rooms are tiled and very clean. They have solar power electricity during day time and a generator during night.

Meals are all ‘Gamey Kema’- village food. I will never forget the mouth-watering ‘Helapa’ they served with evening tea.

Road to Lankagama – extremely narrow Just sufficient for one vehicle to pass

Bed room with clayed walls

Towel rack

Entrance to Dining hall

Dining Hall

Roof thatched with ‘Beyru’ leaf

After a chat with Anil over a cup of plain tea with jaggery, we started our hike. There is a ring of five waterfalls within a radius of about one KM. They are

1. Brahmana Ella
2. Uran Wetuna Ella
3. Gal Oruwa Ella
4. Thattu Ella
5. Duvili Ella

It’s a circular trail. We started with the Brahmana Ella which is just at the turnoff to this lodge. Kalu Maama was our guide who is a wealth of knowledge with his enormous experience.

Directions

Ticketing centre at Lankagama

Brahmana Ella

Few more meters uphill through the thick jungle, on a fairly difficult terrain, we came to the next waterfall, Uran Wetuna Ella. Kalu Maama said when he was 8 years (Now he is 62), he still remembers that four wild pigs drowned in gushing waters of this fall. Hence it was named Uran Wetuna Ella. There were numerous unnamed cascades along this trek.

Uran Wetuna Ella

A tiny, unnamed but beautiful cascade

Kankunda (Giant Millipede)

Kalu Maama, Veteran guide

‘Thebu’ a useful medicinal plant

Kiri Wel

Beyru, which used to thatch the roof

Bandura

Walking further up we reached the Gal Oruwa Ella. This flows between two boulders resembling a boat, hence the name Gal Oruwa (Rock boat).

Upper part of Gal Oruwa Ella

Lower part of the fall flows between two boulders about 2 meters wide

It was a steep climb and we were out of breath. But Kalu Maama was going effortlessly with his non stopping stories about Lankagama.
From Gal Oruwa Ella we came to ‘Thattu Ella’. This water fall has two steps, hence the name Thuttu Ella.

Thattu Ella

We had to cross the base pool of Thattu ella to reach the next waterfall, Duvili Ella. This is the most beautiful out of all five. Gushing waters of this fall give out dust like spray and hence the name ‘Duvili Ella’.

Duvili ella

This is a very popular bathing place

There is a mini hydro power plant at Lankagama and the plant is fed by this water.
Lower part of this water stream is blocked with a wall to form a pond and water goes through a pipe line to feed the turbine.

Thattu Ella from another angle

Pond which feed the hydro power plant

We came to the lodge around 2.00 pm and had a typical village type lunch.

Lunch, Gamey Vidiyata kema

Anil, the owner typical village folk

Our next plan was to visit Kekuna Ella and white monkeys. You have to walk 4 KM on a gravel road or this can be managed only with a 4WD.

Tractor is the only transport available for a big crowd

Anil, the owner agreed to take us in his jeep and we came up to the Araluwa bridge with him. After passing the bridge we had to walk through a thick jungle to reach Kekuna Ella. This bridge is very narrow. You can see the Pitadeniya Wild life bungalow from this bridge.

Araluwa bridge, Only a bike or a 3 wheel can go through

Pitadeniya wild life department bungalow view from the bridge (Zoomed)

We crossed the Araluwa Dola which had more than three feet water and walked another few meters to reach this small but beautiful waterfall, Kekuna Ella. Kalu Maama was very watchful as there was a wild elephant hanging around this area and had destroyed most of their cultivations. This elephant was chased away by wild life officers only three days before.

Kekuna Ella

Smashed by the jumbo three days back

We spent some time at Kekena Ella and came back to the Araluwa bridge. From there we took a right turn on another gravel road to see ‘white monkeys’. Kalu Maama said there are about 20 white monkeys roaming around this area. It was 6.15 pm and not the best time to see them. We came across four monkeys far away and I managed to capture few of them under very low light. The best time to see them is 6.30 am to 8 am and 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm.

Mother and the baby

Same pair

White tail

It was almost 7.00 PM when we came to the lodge.
Next day morning we went for a bath at the base pool of Brahmana Ella. Heavy rains of previous night had provoked this peaceful cascade to become violent.

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She was not so aggressive the previous day
Still the base pool was very safe and we had a cool dip there.
Having a scrumptious breakfast we left the lodge around 11.00 am and returned home on the same route.

Planning a trip to Kumana Np for a long time. Finally was able to arrange everything and make it happen. Crew was only myself n two more friends since all others were busy and couldn’t make it.

We booked the campsite early and arranged everything for 3 nights. Drive up to kumana was soo long and tiring. We left Gampaha around 11.30 in the night. Stopped several times and reached Arugambay around 8.30 am. Spent around 2 hours in the beach and went to Panama to meet our jeep guy, Sena. He is the only Sinhala guy operating in the area. He has gone through a lot due to probs from the fellow Muslim jeep operators. Who doesn’t do a proper job as I heard from so many people. I’m not trying to be a racist here.

Just writing down what I heard from the locals so that it will help you guys. Regarding Sena, he is a great guy. Not a person who go after money like others. A true gentleman!! Main priority was to satisfy the customer. Highly recommend to contact him and arrange if u guys are planning a tour to Kumana. His Mob number is 0775390111.

We went to the park around 1p.m after having lunch. Tracker was Wasantha. Awesome, nice guy. We were lucky to have him to guide us throughout the tour with Sena.

The 1st thing we saw as soon as entering the park was a peacock dance. Knew we are going to be lucky again… Since it was a great start

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Brahmany Kite

Cooling down…

Changeable Hawk-Eagle

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Then we were truly stunned by what we saw. It was around 30-40 crocks having a sun bath. Was an amazing sighting that we will never forget. Couldn’t capture all of them in one pic.

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.	Painted Stork

.	The Pheasant-tailed Jacana

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Blue tailed bee eater

Was a nice sighting

1st jumbo we met.

Then we came across with another stunning sighting. It was a Changeable Hawk who has attacked a peacock and tasting it.

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We came to the campsite around 4p.m. it really was a great afternoon session. We arranged the tent and cooking items, collected wood for the camp fire and etc.

Our tent on the river bank.

Full moon was really helpful…

Woke up early in the morning and went for a round.. Will let the pictures to speak from now on… 

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.	I’m shy yar!!!

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Common K.F

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Green Bee Eater

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Walking crock

Painted Stork

Wish it was a leopard 

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Feeding the babies..

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Out of balance due to heavy winds…

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Frogs!!!

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They call it as sand bathing..

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And then we were lucky to see a leopard in Kumana. Which I never expected. It was so fast n couldn’t take a proper pic. This pic was taken by my friend Kasun. Kumana leopards are afraid of vehicles as per the guide. They are still not used to it…

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We went to the campsite, had a good river bath, prepared food and had dinner around 8pm.. We were chatting for some time and went to sleep since we were so tired. Woke up around 4.30am to prepare food. A leopard was shouting very close to us… I even gave up the idea of going to toilet till the sun comes out

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We packed our items after lunch and planned to go out from the jungle in the evening even though we have booked the site for 21st night as well. Driving all the way home isn’t an easy task. So thought of going back home in the night time like before. So that no cops, burning sun or much vehicles on the road..

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It was around 6pm and already dark. We saw a sloth bear very close to the entrance gate. We were so lucky since it wasn’t in a hurry to hide…. We all were over the moon!!!

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We came out from the Np around 6.30 pm. Thanked our helpful guide, Wasantha and start moving to Panama where we left our car. Packed everything back to the car and said bye bye to Mr. Sena and started to head back home around 8p.m. had to stop and wait around Lahugala since an elephant was on the road.. Stopped at few places as usual to freshen up and reached home by 3.am…

Thanks for reading the report

I’m a big fan of the Beach Traveler and don’t miss out watching the program on Sat at 7.30pm on Rupavahini unless I’m away on one of my own adventures writing fairy tales. So it was one of those days that I came across Gange Wadiya where the presenter, Nishanta Kahawita, visited the place and met with Sunimal, the caretaker, and enjoyed a boat ride and a night camping with BBQ.

My mind didn’t need a second invitation to start imagining about this place and its beauty surrounded by the Kalpitiya Peninsula, the Lagoon and sexy Kala Oya. My mind kept wandering from Colombo to Gange Wadiya every now and then making me crave for a feeling of the place.

After a couple of strenuous hikes which made me whine with pain, a nice, relaxing and cozy journey was just what the doctor ordered. I couldn’t think of a better place than Gange Wadiya. So thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and his thinking skills, I could send out an open invitation to my Lakdasun gang who usually join me on adventures.

The responses were a mixed one with a handful of yes’s and no’s and a few irritating maybe’s. It went right down to the wire as we had to confirm our booking to Sunimal and finally we were left with Ageless Tony, Ever-getting Young Athula, Professional Photographer Dhana, Workaholic Wumi and Getting-old me. Dana came up with a solution to our transport problem and managed to get hold of a van and a driver whose rates were very reasonable.

So everything was set for 12 and 13 October and I was getting anxious to make the journey. I called Sunimal and made arrangements to do the camping and boat ride. Finally, we were ready and Dana left Kottawa at 04.00am and soon everybody was on board and on our way. From the very beginning, the topic was on food, no matter however much I tried to steer them away to something half decent.

Tour Highlights:

1. Anawilundawa
2. Wind Mills of Puttalam
3. Salt Pan – Puttalam
4. Malwila Ruins
5. Gange Wadiya
6. Kala Oya Estuary
7. Elephant Tree
8. Limestone Quarry at Aruwakkalu
9. Nawadankulama
10. Sunset at Kochchikade
11. Collection of Panoramas

We made good time and Tony sang with the help of Dana and Wumi used his all 10 fingers playing the bongo. It was like going back to the 70s and 80s with Haroon Lantra, Jothi, Clarence, Milton and many others were brought back on stage. Hari and I discovered the singer in Tony at Makandawa while camping and he didn’t disappoint us this time either. For some reason or other, Wumi always wanted sad songs and kept humming classical tunes all the time.

Amid all the music and singing, we eventually reached Anawilundawa junction around 07.00am. We took a left and crossed the Puttalam railway line passing Anawilundawa station towards the one of six Ramsar wetlands in Sri Lanka.

Anawilundawa

We soon entered into the wetland and the sanctuary and saw the map displayed.

“Facts of Anawilundawa:”

“This was declared as the 1078th wetland on 03 August 2001. This is comprised of 1397 hectares and boasts 6 man-made fresh water tanks. Anawilundawa harbors quite a few species of threatened fish, amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. This serves as an important refuge for migratory birds and also supports half the country’s freshwater fish species, including at least three endemic species.”

The morning sun tried very hard to pierce through the cloud cover and birds were up and about trying to get some breakfast. Meanwhile Dhana set up his camera equipment and was on his way looking for some rare birds.

I wonder how he manages to keep track of all those birds coz there’s virtually no bird he doesn’t know by the name. Throughout the journey, there was only one he couldn’t identify and he must’ve told hundreds of names which sounded like Greek to us, especially Tony with his limited knowledge about birds.

The farmers on the other side of the tank bund were milking their cows and that was a very rare and grand sight to us all. We kept walking along the bund and found so many wood apple trees full of fruits. Tony, being the youngest of all, wanted some of them and Dana duly obliged. Wood apple on an empty stomach can’t have been the best of the things to have but I was happy to get rid of the topic on food at least for a while.

There were plenty of birds at large and Wuminda kept complaining not having a long zoom camera and as usual vowed not to venture into the woods without one in future. Athula reminded that he’d apparently done so quite a few occasions before. However, everybody wouldn’t bother too much about not having state-of-the-art equipment and was happily shooting around.

After about 2hrs of hovering about, we bid farewell to Anawilundawa and soon were on the way towards Puttalam. They were chanting like hungry ghosts and had to stop well before to have breakfast. We were actually planning to visit Nawadankulama but decided to do it the following evening as the time didn’t seem appropriate.

Anawilundawa station

The notice

Here’s the map

Adhere to these

It says it all

6 Tanks

Heart shaped

Good Morning!

Diya Kawa, the only known bird to me

Dhana can remember all these names

Alu Koka

Ready to serve

Starting our journey

Tony showing his climbing skills

“Where are all these fish?”

There were plenty of cattle nearby

“My back’s itching”

The sun trying to penetrate

“I’m hungry mum, just stay still for a sec, will ya?”

Posing for a group pic

They are being led back into the pen

Rare seen to capture

“He’s milked you to the limit mama, there’s nothing for me”

Hundreds of unattended wood apples

“Hold it tight Dana, it’s close”

Gigantic trees bordering the tank

The road is isolated

Busy at work in the morning

Lotus in the morning

Sun rays making patterns

Colorful path

Everywhere is picturesque

Gang of birds

Kaha Kurulla, another known one

Very common flower in the water

Not sure what these are but very pretty

Like a dream

“Hey, found anything yet?”

“Just missed the fella”

Where we stopped for a breather

Brahmina Kite, if I’m not mistaken

3 Musketeers

Tried to eat but not ripe enough

Another eagle waiting for a prey

Time to say good-bye Anawilundawa

Wind Mills & Salt Pan at Puttalam

We reached Puttalam around 10.30am and saw this absolutely wonderful Buddha Statue with the lagoon in the background. The sky was blue, the lagoon is grey and the statue is pristine white. I immediately wanted to stop and we all filed out of the van shooting away. It was a magnificent view and I felt very calm looking at the serene looking Lord Buddha.

We saw one of the recent huge failures lurking in the distance, the white-elephant Norochcholai Charcoal power plant. The windmills of Kalpitiya lagoon and Puttalam were looking superb. I wanted to stop by and we all went towards Puttalam to buy the provisions and 5-litre cans of water before that. We had a nightmare trying to find sliced bread in Puttalam as none of the shops had any. Whatever they had was expired and some shops only had one or two small packets.

Surprisingly, Puttalam town doesn’t have branches of these fast moving supermarket chains. So better be prepared for this eventuality if you’re planning to travel via Puttalam. We finally managed to find a bakery after going in circles for some time and bought 4 loaves of bread along with some chicken for our barbecue. Having stocked our rations, we headed towards Wind Mills and Salt Pan. The road towards the Wind Mills and Salt Pan is about 1-1.5km away from the town to your left.

The gravel path was dusty but there was hardly any traffic. So we made it through the salt evaporation pans towards the edge of the lagoon where 25 wind mills located. The view took us by surprise and the scorching heat was taken away by the gusting winds from the lagoon. It was amazing how you feel underneath that towering wind mill which is well over 100ft. We all felt dwarfed by those mammoth architectural marvels. I wonder why not have many wind mills instead of destroying the Mother Nature by those crappy mini-hydro power plants.

We simply had to drag Dana away and reached salt pans. There are hundreds of huts built all around and they are used to storing the salt. I got into a chat with one of the workers and found some interesting things.

“Life of Salt Pan and Workers”

 “It takes 15 days from storing sea water to harvesting salt. The salt is collected and piled along the bank of the pan in huge piles and then taken by the workers in bags on their back to the nearby huts. One pile typically has about 12-15 bagful of salt which is about 480-600kg. They’re paid Rs. 500/- for clearing each pile and the one I spoke to said they (5 of them together) usually clear about 20 piles a day so that they earn around Rs. 2000/- each a day.

 This salt is then taken and iodine added and packs them into different sizes depending on the weight and distributed around. A 50-kg bag is usually sold around Rs. 200/- during the season and it goes up to Rs. 500/- during the off season. The harvesting season begins in July and goes on till late October. The workers were all living very close to the Puttalam town and it too is like fishing which has off season as well.”

Simply majestic

Serene looking Lord Buddha, makes me feel very calm

The longest lagoon, Puttalam

25 Windmills in Puttalam

Towards Kalpitiya peninsula

What a waste? Norochcholai failure

Oh ho, finally a group pic

Salt pans, couldn’t cross due to the channel

Piles of salt ready to be taken and stored

Finally found the path and reached the windmills

Making an art of their own

That’s the company’s name and logo

Gigantic

Not used any more for salt production

Every angle is picturesque

Abandoned?

Lone boat waiting for its owner

The trio tied near the beach

Trying to be a professional

No green left, must be due to saltiness and scorching sun

We didn’t loiter around

See the size of the pillar?

There seems to be a door

Finally got to the fields of salt

They’re so much used to the sun

Busy at work

Single pile of salt, which has about 400-600kg of salt

Vaporizing pans

Making a living

This is where the salt is stored for distribution during off season

Salt pans and windmills waving at us

Malwila Ruins

Having exposed too much to the sun we left for Eluwankulam and I decided to visit Malwila Ruins on the way. The Puttalama-Mannar A-32 road is being renovated and currently it’s full of dust but hopefully it’ll soon be completed. Malwila ruins are located in front of Kasamadu Estate of Chilaw Plantations and a sign from the archaeological department is also displayed on the right hand side. It’s about 3km from the main road and be sure to check ask for the directions as well.

The first half of the road is very well paved with concrete and the rest is just a gravel road. They apparently haven’t done a full investigation of the place yet. There was a soldier from the Civil Defense Force, who’s there guarding the premises from treasure hunters, helped us with some information. According to him this place goes back towards the era of Saliya-Ashokamala and yet to do a proper excavation. It could even be related to Kuweni’s era as there’s a similar place inside Wilpattue. We saw plenty of stone pillars around and remains of a Stupa as well.

He said that there are many more hidden in the jungle (This is deep inside Wilpattu) and can’t be reached as yet. Hopefully the powers-that-be will clear these as soon as possible revealing more hidden information of our history. After about an hour, we decided to head back and about 500m away from the site there’s a temple but no monks staying there. The same soldier said that monks don’t stay there for long and even if they did, the poor 20 odd families will find it difficult to look after them.

Turning point

Being invaded by the forest

So many more to be discovered

Needs protection

Being cleared and dug out

Looks like a complex of buildings

Broken pieces of major structures

There must’ve been an entrance through here

The hut is where the CDF soldiers stay 24/7 protecting this place

Ruins of the Stupa

Gange Wadiya and Kala Oya Estuary

We reached Eluwankulama around 1.00pm and took a left from the junction. There’s a huge Holcim board and you can’t miss that. Go about 2km before you reach a Y junction where the left hand road takes you to Holcim Aruwakkalu Quarry Site where they excavate limestone for manufacturing cement in their factory at Puttalam.

We took the right and after about 500m you’ll meet a railway line (in fact it ends there with no clear indication) and turn right. The path is running in parallel with the Lunu Ela where it joins Kala Oya close to Gange Wadiya village. The view was simply breath taking and the earth is scorched by the searing heat and you can see the Wilpattu Jungle on the other side of the river.

Sunimal was waiting for us; the Navy Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) has a camp of theirs behind the fisheries village. The boat was laden with the stuff we need for the journey but Atha and I wanted to charge our camera batteries and decided to stay about half hour waiting. The smell of crab and prawns were tempting and we couldn’t wait any more. This village had been attacked many times in the past by the LTTE killing many and injuring even more. We saw remains of huge limestone boulders which had piled in front of houses like bunkers.

Sunimal is a Civil Defense Force soldier who had fought to keep his people and village safe from the terrorists with many other villagers. The terrorists on many occasions had crossed the river trying to attack the village without success. SL Navy had then deployed one of their elite commando units into the place in the form of RABS with fast moving arrow boats. It must have been very scary for those people living in fear of their lives.

Having heard all those brutal activities of the LTTE, we decided to leave for our camping site around 2.30pm. We left the village with Sunimal and his friend Shantha and went upstream along Lunu Ela and turned onto Kala Oya.

The water levels were low due to less rain but Sunimal said the rains are on the way and will soon be with them. We saw quite a lot of tiny boats (Theppam) coming down the river carrying numerous containers of water. This is due to the saltiness of the water near the village and they have to travel further upstream to bathe and bring in drinking water. If not, you have to go all the way to Eluwankulama in a vehicle to bring in water for drinking and cooking.

It was a tedious task to paddle with a long stick and we saw most of the times it was women who did the peddling. Sunimal said when it‘s raining the river is not easy to maneuver around but the water gets better close to the village cutting down the distance to get drinking water. They carry all their dirty linen and go upstream in the morning, then wash them and bathe and come in the afternoon carrying water for the rest of the day. Every day they have to do this like a ritual.

After some time the river got narrower and very shallow making Shantha get down to the river bed and push the boat along with him as using the motor was not possible. There were many people, mostly the villagers, already bathing, waiting and having meals or simply getting drunk. The surrounding was sadly was littered with beer cans, plastic bottles and polythene bags. Sunimal said the rains will send all these to the lagoon and then onto the sea with the flooding river.

We soon reached a place where the getting was very difficult and the boat was simply impassable. We decided to take a break and have lunch and try after that. The lunch was superb with Crab, Prawns, Beans, Gotukola Sambol and Yellow Rice. We simply wolfed down the generous helpings by Shantha and Sunimal. Tony was simply unstoppable and Dana wouldn’t simply eat sea food as he was allergic to them which he piled onto Wumi and Tony’s plates.

Thank goodness we took three 5-litre bottles as the water was simply not up to our taste. After that it was time to check the stamina of our boys and they did live up to it. Everybody except me (who had to get that on record) got into water and started pushing the boat with all the energy they could muster. We soon crossed a sand bank into the water and padded along searching a better place.

There was a family camping on the river bank and we went further upstream and found this beautiful sandy spot with plenty of shade. We anchored down and took our stuff and set up the tent and laid the mats. Sunimal had even brought 3 plastic chairs which Atha, Tony and Dana soon lowered them into with a grunt. The place was tailor made for a relaxing journey and we soon unpacked and got into the water.

After a tiring day, the water felt great on our body but Wumi kept sniffing it feeling a bit doubtful. We stayed in about an hour and the sun was ready to go down. Shantha treated us with a cup of ripe Maa Dan (berries) and they were delicious. Having changed into some comfy shorts, we decided to take a short walk into the jungle and Sunimal advised not to venture deep into the jungle as elephants are very common there.

We found a jeep track where it leads to a village near Eluwankulam and found some other villagers camping further up and they had come in their motor bikes. We saw a roof over the top of trees and decided to take a peek at it. There was this almost dead but very much alive prickly bush with vicious thorns and it was a nightmare avoiding them.

There were remains of a house and a disused well surrounded by hundreds of elephant dung. We later found out that it used to be a forest department bungalow abandoned due to LTTE activities in the Wilpattu jungle. After a recce in the jungle we came back to the camp site to find Sunimal and Shantha busily arranging the campfire collecting firewood and fixing the BBQ place as well. To our great amazement, there was this green hammock tied between two trees and I immediately jumped onto it. It was like floating on a pool and felt very much heavenly

It was time to relax and that’s exactly what we did.

After some time, Sunimal and Shantha started cutting and washing fish and chicken for our BBQ. It was one of those days that we played guest and them host. There was nothing for us to do except wait and relax. We had our torches and Sunimal had even brought a lamp which he traditionally hung on a stick. The BBQ got underway by Sunimal and Shantha while two of his friends brought provisions for our breakfast and tea. They too helped with making the dinner.

Sunimal informed us that we were the first group to arrive without any liquor. Everybody who went on camping took loads of them and got drunk on the way let alone enjoying the view but we were a completely different matter. Sunimal and Shantha were very surprised to hear that and in the end they too were pleased not having to look after a bunch of drunks.

After a while, a plate laden with cooked fish and chicken was brought to us and we all dug into it like a pack of wolves. The food was tasty and we soon emptied the whole plate and Sunimal had a lot in his hand trying to keep up with our demanding tummies. The second helping didn’t last long either and was soon followed by the third and the last along with some left over crab which had no mercy from Tony.

After a bellyful dinner, we got ready to tuck in for the night, but not before another short musical show by Tony and Wumi. That combination worked like a dream throughout the day. The moon was out in full force and the river and trees were illuminated by that soothing golden brown light. The sky was cloudless and many millions of stars were on display as if trying to welcome us. We saw many shooting stars and satellites but not sure if the Supreme Sat did a fly over.

The tent was a tight fit for the 6 of us but not having any of gigantic members, we all squeezed in. it was hot inside but nobody volunteered to sleep on the sand. After a little conversation, we were dead to the world. I was soon awoken by the opening of the tent and saw Tony getting out. I feared he might be sleep walking and followed him to find it was just a comfy break. It was very cool outside and Wumi too followed us out and wanted to sleep on the mat outside.

Tony decided to bunk down on one of the comfy chairs but I went in to get my head down. I could hear Wumi and Tony having a long conversation about stars. Wumi was giving him a long lesson in astronomy when I fell asleep for the second time of the night. All of a sudden I heard Tony’s voice urging us banging on the tent and I got the shock of the life. We all got up to see that a pack of elephants had crossed the river about 100ft away from the tent and about 20ft away from the camp fire where Sunimal and Shatha were sleeping.

Tony had apparently seen a black oval shape moving but Shantha and Sunimal had seen the elephants clearly. They however decided not to bother us even though we heard those elephants breaking branches of the trees nearby probably having a late night snack. Since then, nobody fell asleep, even Dana, who had been dreaming of animals, was up. Suddenly he shouted saying that a frog jumped into the campfire committing suicide. It was the first time I ever heard something like that and that poor frog had sacrificed his life for what reason, we didn’t know.

It was soon the morning and we all started crawling out of the tent and Shantha was already busy with making tea. The morning sun brought the birds out who started flying around and the water level of the river had risen a bit making our journey downhill easier.

After tea we decided to try to venture into a Villu where we can observe elephants and Sunimal led the way in. The undergrowth was too thick with prickly bushes and we had to tread very carefully. We found plenty of trees of berries which we munched hungrily and the ripe fruits kept us plucking more and more of the unending supply. The forest was full of them and all of a sudden, Dana came running towards us and everybody up front started running after him.

Even Sunimal came back hurriedly having heard a sound and thought it was an elephant. It was so hilarious to see everyone was so banged up but there was no elephant but a bunch of monkeys. We ate more berries to chase our fears and were got on track. However, after about a km or so, we found the path is so over grown with thorn bushes and decided to take a turn back. Sunimal then informed that the LTTE had frequently roamed the jungle targeting civilians who come to collect drinking water, what brutes they had been.

After this everyone wanted a cool dip in the river. This might have been the result of being scared to death in the jungle and they were feeling hungry too.

Soon the breakfast was ready with fried eggs and buttered bread; unfortunately a whole bread was full of ants who had decided to feed on our expense. We had no option other than giving it to the fish that were early waiting.

In about half an hour, we packed our stuff back onto the boat and were on the way with a half empty tummy, but the going was easy this time due to the rise of water levels.

After the Eluwankulama, the Y junction, turn right to Gange Wadiya, left is Aruwakkalu Quarry

End of the railway line, good signage

The road towards Gange Wadiya

This is the Lunu Ela

The electricity is there at the village thanks to the Navy Camp and the Cement Factory

Sunimal’s boat service

Would’ve been grand if these were big enough

Is this legal?

He was wondering who these fellows are

The view from the boat yard

Majestic Kala Oya separating the village and Wilpattu…

The LTTE had crossed this river to attack the village

Theppama resting

Plenty of hawks hovering above

The team ready to go in

Laden with food and our baggage

Oh yeah, push it

Shantha the navigator at the front

Right is the Lunu Ela, to the left is Kala Oya

We took the left

Difficulty of carrying water from upstream

Diya kawa waiting for us to pass

Water is too shallow for the engine so Shantha got down to pull it

Coming down with full containers

The area is beginning to look like a heaven for campers

Maneuvering was a nightmare at places

Gigantic Kumbuk Trees providing the shade

Having a bath before going back with water

Sunimal too had to pull us with the boat

Kingfisher waiting for something

An ideal place for camping but there were already a few drunks

Couldn’t go any more coz feeling ravenous

Salivating

Mine…

After a hearty meal, look at the contended looks, Wumi’s rubbing his near bursting tummy

“What shall we do today?”

Athula is asking: “Kohomada Kema?”, Tony replies: “Athi Wishishtai Machan”

Ok, enough resting, let’s go find a place to camp

Hardly any water for the boat to cross

No option, but to drag it along the sandy bank

Ara Soysa!!!

I chose to venture into the woods

A Theppama full of containers idling

Commandos after a mission accomplished

No idea what this weapon is

Willus of Wilpattu

“That place is good for us”, shouted Dana

I was all about going along the banks

There had been people before too

Finally the tired boat got a much deserved rest

Tent is ready and our towels getting dried up

Yum Yum Yum!!!

Shantha was laboring with the heavy work

We’re ready to explore a bit

Gigantic but looks abandoned

Fully shaded

We found this path that leads to a village on the other side

Extremely prickly and hurting

“Dude, somebody’s coming”

“Sweet heart, don’t look, we’ve got strangers looking at us”

Abandoned tourist bungalow

This must’ve been the well that fed the bungalow

Along the path, found this

“Hiya, anybody home?”

Getting dark and thought of turning around

What a surprise

I’m in heaven baby…

Tony playing the nanny

Half-moon ready to lighten the night

More wood for the campfire

Moon is finally ready

Our tent and the light hanging on a pole, surrounded by thousands of insects

Elephants are on the other side

Recalling the days’ events and Dana like a huge beetle with a flashlight

With flash, the hammock

Kumbuk trees making the environment artistic

Ready for the BBQ. Tony’s asking Shantha, “How long will it take?”

Fire is ready with the grill

Fish and the Chicken we brought

There it goes

The first plateful with BBQed fish and chicken

“Malli Wena Nedda?”

After an eventful night, the dawn arrives

Shantha is making tea

Tea’s ready…

Ready to do more adventures and Sunimal leading the way

Juicy berries kept us busy all the time

Never ending supply

“Anna Atha Kurullek, penawada?”

A stranger

“Kollane, me wayasaka matath tikak thiyapalla bolavu”

Grapes???

Being very cautious

Trying to avoid treading on Elephant dung

Dead end, not a hope of crossing this thorny bushes, you need an Elephant’s rough skin

Heading back

Off to a flying start

River bathing is always fun

“Hiya matey”

Eggs are being cooked

Almost done

Loosing one whole bread made us go half hungry

Let’s go

Still water is too shallow

“See you folks”

Coming for the daily collection of water

This area is very wide

Back at the village

Elephant Tree and Aruwakkalu Quarry

We reached the village around 10.00am and unloaded everything and set off yet again towards the lagoon looking for the Elephant tree. We reached the lagoon at a ferocious speed and the journey along the lagoon was a roller coaster ride, the boat bumping up and down and swaying left and right. The water splashed all over us making Wumi duck underneath the front of the boat and Tony very kindly offered him his comfy seat. We turned into Kumburawa River which runs right through the Wilpattu jungle and went along about 2km till we saw the top of Elephant tree.

It was actually a huge Baobab tree with a circumference of well over 40ft (measured by Nishanta and Sunimal during their journey) being second only to the giant in Mannar which is more than 60ft. We anchored the boat and got onto the land and the tree felt huge compared to others. We’d have needed more than a dozen people to surround it completely. The skin was so thick just like an elephant’s.

Sunimal pointed that the age of the tree is about 750 years, calculated by some people who knows what they’re doing. There was a small baobab tree too about 100m into the jungle which is about 12-15ft. It was super cool watching this giant from up close and we had to very sadly go back.

We saw the communication towers at Kalpitiya and the peninsula was visible as if they were very close to us. Fishermen from Gange Wadiya usually go to Kalpitiya by sea and it’s about 12km to the town and according to Suniaml it takes about half hour to get there. If you, on the other hand wanna visit Kalpitiya, you need to go back to Puttalam and take the road along the peninsula which is more than 70km away.

I wish we could build a bridge along the lagoon to the peninsula making it easy to travel between. There were a lot of islands such as Uchchimunai, Illippantivu, Periya and Sinna Arichchalai, etc. You can go to Baththalangunduwa too from here which is a long way from Kalpitiya. We came back to the village and got everything loaded onto the van and got ready for the next in line of our agenda which is visiting Limestone Quarry at Aruwakkalu.

As I mentioned in Notes, you need to get permission at least 2 days prior to your journey from the Colombo Head Office. Having bid farewell to Gange Wadiya, we left with contented hearts.We left for Aruwakkalu Quarry took the left turn from the Y junction and went on a dusty but ramrod straight road to the factory. We were met by the supervisor and took us along the quarry to the top where we got a panoramic view of the site.

It was like an Australian Gold Mine, spreading in a vast area and huge monstrous vehicles busy at work. We saw the Kalpitiya very close across the lagoon and the supervisor told us a very mysterious tale. A tunnel which had apparently been done by the Portugese, had been found about a decade ago dug between Kalpitiya Fort and Jaffna Fort. It’s said that a white couple had got in and vanished without a trace. It was later closed down burying centuries of history with it.

The earth looks similar to what you find in Ussangoda, very reddish and full of minerals. This jungle is where you find plenty of Camellias and Dana badly wanted to picture of them. It was one of the few that is missing from his collection. There is a railway track running from here to Puttalam Cement Factory carrying dug limestone back and forth.

We left the quarry and came back to the Eluwankulama and bid farewell to Sunimal.

Dana and Tony got the comfy seats

Have to go straight and then turn left beyond those trees

At full throttle

Trying to catch some

After a bumpy ride at the lagoon we turned onto Kumburawa

Can see a structure at the right hand corner… there are plans to build a hotel here

Along Kumburawa towards the Elephant’s tree

The top bit is seen from here

Endless supply of landscapes

There it is

Ready to jump

Looks like two separate ones but it’s the same

Not many leaves

Huge at the base

Skin like an Elephant’s

The small one

Not so small up close

Well, time to go heavies

Back to the bumpy ride

Finally at the village

The Y junction and the Quarry is 4km away

Straight like an arrow

Just arrived at the gate

Getting in

Piles of limestone in the distance

Those tires are as high as our van

Ready to send to Puttalam

The mammoth quarry, just like a gold mine in Aussie

Towards Kalpitiya, pretty close

Busy at work

Drilling the limestone rocks

Look at the earth, very reddish

Never seen one like this in real life before

We’re going

What’s that?

Oh! An eagle’s nest

Nawadankulama and Sunset at Kochchikade

We followed the Puttalam road and stopped about 10km passing Puttalam town for lunch. Everybody was might hungry and gobbled up every morsel they could get their hands on. That’s when Tony showed me a specially made tri-wheeler and its owner was a handicapped lottery vendor. There was this saying written behind his vehicle. Its English meaning is something like “I don’t give a damn about ships when I don’t even have a paddle”.

Having had a hearty meal, we came to Nawadankulama junction where we took a left and the tank was 4km away. Dana had visited the place before and told us there were two other tiny tanks before it. By the time we reached those, the drought had made sure no water was remaining and it was nothing but a ground where you can play Elle or Cricket.

We had our doubts about Nawadankulama but she had kept some water despite the unforgiving sun. There were birds and the landscapes were absolutely wonderful and we simply savored every second of it. Dana claimed he’d never seen so many stunning landscapes and his landscape lens was doing overtime right throughout the journey.

Sometime later, we left Nawadankulama and headed back towards Colombo when I wanted to see the sunset sometime close to Mundala but we were too early. Then Dana asked if we could see those primitive yachts at Kochchikade with the setting sun and we headed towards there. However, the traffic was becoming a nightmare and we were held off quite a long time and by the time we reached Kochchikade beach, the sun had already gone down but the sky was still full of vivid colors.

We jumped out of the van as if the end of the world had come and ran to the beach shooting like Blackhawk-debussed US Marines. It was simply spectacular view, the whole sky was painted with different shades of Red, Orange, Blue and Grey and they had to drag me out of the beach. What an end to a majestic journey, couldn’t have been better.

Unlike other journeys, we reached Colombo at a more humanly acceptable hour and reached our homes by 08.00–09.00pm. Everything fell into place like a nicely done jigsaw puzzle and it was a very welcome leisurely journey for our battered bodies and minds.

Well folks, that’s the end of another of my fairy tales, hope you enjoyed it and planning to do more but wanna do something different.

Take care

Sri

We saw this on our way too and he was waiting where we had lunch

Not far to go

Having passed two empty tanks, this was a relief

From the professional to the amateur

Splitting but it was such artistic after all

There’s hardly anything for them to eat

“Where have they all gone?”

Herd of Goats being taken back home

“Hey, don’t photograph me, ok?”

“Hamine, moke koranne?”

Wow	Gotcha buddy

What a combination!

Just got off, the sun had gone but still grand enough

Sky is on fire

From left: Dana, me, Tony and Wumi

Trying everything

“Let’s go to heaven”

An airliner off from Katunayake

Time to go

The Collection of Panoramas during the whole journey will be an ideal summary.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Pano 6

Pano 7

Pano 8

Pano 9

Pano 10

Pano 11

Pano 12

Pano 13

Pano 14

Map 1 – Click to enlarge

Map 2 – Click to enlarge

Kingdom of Magama which is also guarded by lord Katharagama is one of the most visited areas by Sri Lankans and most of the time they only manage to visit few places which are commonly known. First of all Hasitha’s report was the guide I used to plan my journey and succeeded with what I attempted in! Im not going to mention anything related to the history of Magama kingdom in detail since Hasitha has done a good job in his report! As the title says this is a summery on Kataragama, please do enjoy the images!

Sithulpawwa rock temple (6°23’15.20″N, 81°27’1.84″E)

An ancient Buddhist monastery, believed to have been occupied by 12,000 Arahant monks at one time. Thought to have been built in the 2nd Century BC by King Kawantissa, who ruled the area then, Sithulpawwa derives its name from Chiththalapabbatha, which meant, the hill of the quiet mind.

friends i met at katagamuwa

old bodhiya at sithulpawwa

a cave kutiya at sithulpawwa

kuda sithulpawuwa

maha sithulpawuwa

towards yala

a lake at sithupawwa entrance

ancient pagodas ‘s

the main inscription

the caved image house

prathimagaraya

kings of magama?

highly dangerous

more ruins

another kutiya

how maha situlpawwa is seen from the lake

to be excavated

ancient path

on the way to the summit

kuda situlpawwa

temple premises

buttala

gal kudaya

kataragama and thissa

more drip ledge caves

the lake with crocs

lake side inscription

ruins

Arjuna been fed by visitors

wild samber

Sella Kataragama (6°26’10.19″N,  81°18’11.44″E)

Sella Kataragama is the place where god Kataragama first met his first consort Valli Amma. And the ancient mahasen viharaya also is in close proximity. There is another devalaya called Lakshmi devalaya which seems to be only a money oriented place and I would not recommend the place to any traveler.

a dip in menik ganga

Sella kataragama

not devatha eli

the bo tree at sella

Ancient Ruhunu Kataragama festival

Kataragama festival this year was held during August month; though the crowds were reduced a bit the festival didn’t lack anything! For the second consecutive year I was lucky enough to witness the Perahera too.

Day two was all about visiting Kiri vehera and Wedihitikanda.

awaiting

simply awesome

the bands

lighting up using traditional lamps

gini paganno

smoked

wewal dance

kohomba kale

fine movements

kawadi too

යක් නැටුම්

a peacock dancer

the karaduwa been caried

worshiping

Kiri vehera (6°25’26.43″N, 81°19’56.38″E) and the kataragama museum (6°25’4.74″N, 81°20’4.95″E)

Kiri Vehera is an ancient stupa built by King Mahasena. It is 95 ft. in height with a circumference of 280 ft. This structure probably dates back to the 3rd century BC. There are some ruins, inscriptions that the general public doesn’t even notice and I was focused mainly on those. Also the museum is a must visit place they even show a mini film regarding Kataragama. Few ruin sites found at Veheragala have been transferred to the museum premises.

dawn at kataragama

kataragama devalaya

the dances

rituals

Kiri vehera

the චුදා මානික්‍ය

an inscription at kiri vehera

honeymoon couple

variation

Kataragama museum

bodhigaraya found at weheragala

inscription pillars

another pillar

Detagamuwa lake

striving

on the hunt

caught you

lovely landscape

kataragama season

Wedihiti kanda/Kataragama peak (6°23’12.39″N, 81°20’9.11″E)

400m tall mighty wedihiti kanda was a dream that came true for me and climbing it at 12pm was ever so challenging but the stunning scenery and the climb resembling adams peak was worth the trouble. There is an access route for vehicles too or you could hire a vehicle to the summit from the base. One could enjoy a panoramic view of Kataragama, Kirinda, Thissamaharama and Yala without any difficulty at Wedihitikanda.

Day 2 ended with a bath in Thissa wewa and I went back to Monaragala planning to return back on the next day.

Wedihitikanda pano

endless steps

a family we came across

wow we are almost there

thissa wewa

note yatala and thiss sthupas

yodha wewa

detagamuwa lake and kataragama

yala

pano towards kataragama

endless view

kiri wehera

few more lakes

kirinda side

gods high up in the sky

the southern ocean

wedihitikanda sthupa

bo tree

wow	getting down

Day three my focus was on Thissamaharama and Kirinda areas so I got down at weerawila lake to do some bird watching before reaching Debarawewa to start my archaeology hunt.

Weerawila lake (6°17’33.90″N, 81°14’7.31″E)

Since it was the season of drought there were plenty of birds to see also the landscape was stunning.

Weerawila tank

Black winged Stilt

fishing at weerawila tank

peaks of Katharagama

halted

plenty of these guys too

the picturesque road

grey heron

open bill

ibis, herons and spoon bills together

all together

dried out tank

painted gang

art of mother nature

Debarawewa Pashchimarama Raja maha viharaya (6°16’51.37″N, 81°15’55.69″E)

It is located few hundred meters from Debarawewa junction on Hambanthota road. There are few scattered ruins and a wonderful ancient statue of Buddha!

Debarawewa Pashchimarama RMV pagoda

ancient statue at Debarawewa Pashchimarama RMV

Menik vehera (6°17’6.88″N, 81°16’15.58″E)

Menik vehera is the first place one would come across while traveling to thissa wewa from Debarawewa. This is believed to be a creation of king Maha naga the brother of king Devanampiyatissa

Menik vehera

menik vehera sthupa

pillars at Menik vehera

guard stone at Menik vehera

Etha Bendi gala (6°17’8.97″N, 81°16’19.80″E) & Remains of a four storied building (6°17’8.43″N, 81°16’21.31″E)

Etha bendi gala is believed to be where Kadol etha (King dutugemunu’s) was tied on to. The four storied building is said to be a palace. Both these places are found next to Menik vehera.

Etha bendi gala

where it was tied

pillars which once held a four storied palace

plenty of pillars

Yatala sthupa and the museum (6°17’8.34″N, 81°16’33.25″E)

This was built 2200 years ago by king Maha naga where his son Yatalathissa was born. Since then this had been restored many times and now the original shape of it had been completely lost. The museum was closed for renovations so I had to be satisfied with the artifacts seen in the garden. Yatala temple which is on the opposite side of the road has one of the largest Asanagaraya’s in SL.

Yatala sthupa

Yatala museum

ruins

inscription at yatala

wow	another interesting carving

muthra gala

the stone used to wash away

prathimagaraya

an image house

a statue

king maha naga

wow	i love this pink

submerged pa dowanaya

a huge asanagaraya at yatala temple

Tissa lake (6°17’5.95″N,  81°17’20.11″E) and Akurugoda pillar (6°17’8.91″N, 81°17’34.22″E)

Tissa lake is a picturesque lake built by king Mana naga. Akurugoda is believed to be the main city of Ruhuna but unfortunately many ruins are covered with reestablished civilization. The Akurugoda pillar could be reached by taking the road to the right from the makara thorana on Kataragama rd. the pillar is the largest inscription pillar I have seen in Sri Lanka.

dried out thissa lake

scavenging

life line

wow

gulping

a jacana

beautiful thissa lake

Akurugoda inscription pillar

pieces of history

Tissamaharama vehera (6°16’47.30″N, 81°17’29.17″E)

This gigantic masterpiece was done by king Kavanthissa and this is one of the solosmasthana in the country. Lord Buddha’s remains are said to be placed in this pagoda.

before repairing process started (2010)

under renovation

chatra stone of thissa sthupa

old + new

Sandagiri Seya and ruins (6°16’50.80″N, 81°17’42.36″E)

Sandagiriya is just behind Tissa dhageba and there is an actual model of the sthupa in its athulu maluwa too. To get to the image house one should take the road near the archeology office for few hundred meters.

Sandagiri seya

proper replica of sandagiriya

yupagala

chatra gala

inscription at sandagiriya

beautiful guard stone

prathimagaraya

Yoda wewa (6°15’40.03″N, 81°18’30.81″E) and Kirinda (6°12’47.60″N, 81°20’7.14″E)

Yoda wewa is believed to be done by king Maha naga and its one of those giant lakes in the area. Next I took a bus to Kirinda. It started to rain but I just loved the drizzle. Kirinda was the place where princess Viharamahadevi drifted ashore after being sacrificed to the sea by her farther.

yoda wewa

beautiful giant

Kirinda

the statue at kirinda

a devalaya

the rock with inscriptions

sri pathula carved on the rock

vihara maha devi

pagoda at kirinda

maha devalaya

rough sea at kirinda

another inscription

Telulla archaeology site (6°11’46.54″N, 81°17’30.08″E) & Kirindi oya estuary

Telulla was not in my plans but after giving some calls to Priyanjan and NG it was included as my final destination. From Kirinda I got to Yala junction and hired a trishaw guy who had no idea about this place near the moya kata of Kirindi oya. So google maps aided us all the way until we reached the site. This is a must visit place but be careful of wild elephants especially in evenings since this belongs to Bundala park. We also managed to visit Kirindi oya fall out to the great oceans and that sight was enough to satisfy my tired sole and end up my expedition around ancient Magama.

ran goyama

thelulla beach

sand dunes

Kirindi oya moya kata

colour of the sand was red

wow

Thelulla ruined pagoda

Telulla ruined pagoda (another one)

pillars at telulla

history hidden in bundala reserve

Thanks for reading!

I was home alone and since I will have to go back to ship somewhere in November, came up with an instant idea to visit Wilpattu once more. Called the usual resting place, L.L.T safari rest inn 1 day before to check the availability.I was lucky. One room was available. Spoke to my friends but no one could come in a short notice + since it’s during the week days. So, thought of going by bus instead of driving alone.

Started the Journey around 9.50am from Colombo and came to the rest inn by 3p.m. it started to rain in the evening… I was really worried. Started the safari next day morning. Sun was out till around 2p.m n started to rain. Will post the pics now on.

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.	Finally took a pic of some female peacocks

Perfect pose

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What???

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Friendly fight??

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