The day I heard about Lakegala, I started collecting information about this incredible rocky mountain. I was dreaming about this for very long time. When I did the ‘Nil Diya Pokuna’ cave expedition, I decided my next big thing is Lakegala. Me and my friends went to Lakegala during April 2016. Weather was perfect, but the night we stayed, Meemure had a heavy shower. Nava mama told that not do the hike. I was heartbroken L. But I made up my mind that something bad would have happened if we have hiked. From that day I was my clock started ticking……

Every time when I told my friends that I want to do the Lakegala, they said that it’s very hard and too risky. And to think twice before you attempt. But My mind was already set to do this hike this year. After my first attempt I tried several times, but planning screwed me up.

At last, I got an invitation from Kasun Priyashantha, I was walking on the moon. The plan was to climb Lakegala and camp at river bank. We planned to leave on 23^rd September, I informed Nava mama that we are coming on 24^th morning. We (Kasun & his wife, Shashika, Uditha) assembled at Kasun’s house on 23^rd at 6 pm. We have packed all the food, tent and other necessary items for camping and started our journey on Uditha’s Toyota pickup. We left Piliyandala at around 6:30 PM and guided by Google navigation to get the shortest path to Kandy. Our plan is to reach Kandy by 10 PM. For some reason, whole plan got collapsed and came to Nittambuwa at 9:30m PM ha ha ha…. Nothing to do we have to go on. We continued our journey and reached Nava mama’s house at around 4 am. According to Nava mama, we should start climbing around 5 am, we were very tired and exhausted. This worried me a lot, because the hike is very tough. Not only that, wind was blowing like hell, this worried me too much. Especially when you climb the rock surface, if the wind speed it too much, it’s very risky. I checked with Nava mama, he said that wind started only today…… not again L. But my mind said that you will do it today. So we continued.

We had a good cup of tea at Nava mama’s place. We packed with bread & spicy seeni sombol (thanks to Hasini) and started the hike. Before the hike, went to a devalaya to get blessings for a safe journey. I lighted 3 oil lamps and prayed. Now we are ready to rock. We were accompanied with Kalu malli (the guide).

During September, it was very dry, no water in the river and remaining water is contaminated with bugs and dried leaves. Therefore, make sure you carry enough water.

Our transporter……

WOW…… what a view…..

Walked through the jungle and passed dried streams for an hour. We took time-to-time short break and had jeewani & glucose. We all were tired and exhausted due to long journey, this continued to worry me. But inner mind said that we are going to achieve this goal today, and I trusted my inner mind. After hour and half walk, we came to small water fall (a stream), where we had our breakfast. Comparing to last time visit, this time stream was dried big time. We had search for clean water for drinking.

It’s breakfast time….

Contaminated water…. 

After the breakfast and a small rest, we started the journey. From this point onwards there was no big trees for shade, it’s like an open area; small thorny bushes, slippery rock surface and lose stones. You have to be bit careful, that now you are climbing at the edge of the Lakegala. On your right side, it’s a 90 degree drop, single wrong step; you know where it will lead you J.

On April 2016…..

On September 2016…..

Before and after………. Dried big time….

Edge of Lakegala.

At this point I could see the summit; first I thought it’s not too far. But it’s not true, it’s the illusion coz of the rock’s angle. The climbing angle has made us little more difficult to climb. Step-by-step, steep is increasing. Suddenly, we were hit by an another hurdle; very strong winds. Don’t know the wind speed, but it was very strong. I have to grasp the bushes coz of the strong wind; it was pushing me aside. The guide told us that, if this wind continues, we cannot reach the summit.

It’s just ‘WOW’ nothing beyond this……

What a creative mind of ‘Mother nature’

Not again……it troubled me too much, I came that much closer and returning for the second time also; not acceptable by me. I have made up my mind that I AM DOING THIS SOMEHOW. We decided to go as much we can, and see the, if it’s safe to reach the summit, we will, otherwise we will return. Even though my mind said to go, I cannot take stupid risky decision. As mentioned by Sri, in his report, “You have to understand your capabilities and decide for yourself whether you can do it or not. Remember, at the end of the day, safety comes first. You’ve gotta live to tell your story. Don’t try to be heroic unnecessarily and put yours and others’ live in danger. You don’t have to be ashamed of yourselves not being able to climb each and everything.”

These words MUST be followed to the letter, whoever tries this hike.

On the way to the top.

Walking through the thorny bushes…..

Finally reached the rock bottom of the surface…..

After few hours of steep climb through the thorny bushes, we reached the 80-degree angle rock surface. Simply ‘WOW’…. Now mind asked me ‘Are you really want to climb this?” …. Yes, of course…….

WOW…… the path-way to the haven……

The only way to the summit….

On the way to the top.

This is not a hike; this is 100% rock climbing, so be prepared for this.

When we came the rocky surface, the strong wind was almost gone, and the Kalu Malli said that we can continue to the summit. And not to waste time, coz don’t know when the strong wind starts again. And he said that we should climb down, before noon, coz if the rock surface get hot, we will suffer, where we did J. So we kept our backpack and took only water. I took my DSLR bag and a water bottle.

First step……

Shashika in action….

The rock surface is about 700-800 feet high. You should have a good body balance and strength to bare your body weight. Train yourself you planning for Lakegala.

This is how you will be on the rock surface Ha ha ha ……….

second step……

Hasini in action….

It’s recommended be on bare foot when u climb the rock, unless you have the full control. It was almost near to noon, and coz of the slight wind blow we didn’t feel the heat. But the rock surface was getting hotter and hotter.

While you are climbing take you time, be relaxed and don’t rush. If you are thirsty, drink a sip of water, don’t drink too much.  Carry a gloves, this will help you while you are on the rope.

Kalu malli….atha arinnam epa putho….

Still more to go…..very steep climb.

Uditha is in action…..trying his best.

Uditha, couldn’t make it to the summit, coz he was too tired and exhausted; so we don’t want to force him. He decided to climb down to the steam where we had our breakfast. Good decision, I would say. Climbing this rock surface will take very long time, therefore it’s highly recommended to have 5 or lesser members.

Kalu malli….resting

The iron rod where the rope is tide to.

After few hours of hard rock climbing, we all reached the summit. WOW, what an achievement, I felt, I am top of the world. From the summit, Kalu malli informed Nava mama, that we have reached the summit. This is the only place where u have Mobitel signal.

Lakegala Summit…..

Now the hard time begins, climbing down, don’t look down. Always face the rock and climb down like abseiling. By the time we started to climb down, if I am right it was around 3 pm, the rock was soo hot. Anyhow we have to go home; this trip shouldn’t be a history. Keeping this mind started the climb down approach.

I had left with less than 100ML of water. I have to reserve this till I reach down. I was thirsty, to drink 3 chilled Coca-Cola bottles; but only left with less than 100ml water J. This situation was deadly. Can’t explain in words, have to experience it. And we have climb down one by one, that is going to take another couple of hours.

At around 5pm were able to climb down from the rock surface. Now we have an another worry, Uditha. He climbed down to the water stream where we had breakfast and went alone. If he has gone in a wrong path or lost, that would be another disaster. All were worried and climb down faster we can before the night fall. At last we found Uditha near the water stream.

When we found him it was almost dark & he was worried about us, coz. He has thought that something has happened to us. So he got some dried logs and put up a camp fire, so that he can reach help from the villages. Very good thinking, and appreciate his effort. In this kind of a hike we must be ready anything.

We decided to rest for a while, but Kalu malli said that we should move on. Coz, usually the hike will take around 10-11 hours, and if we don’t reach the village ASAP, the villagers will get panic.

So we continued the journey. Kalu malli was right, Nava mama has sent few villagers with rope, drinks, water and with some biscuits; they thought something has happened coz we were so late.

At last we came to village around 8:45 PM. I immediately went to Nava mama’s home. When he saw me, he came running and hugged me said that ‘I was so worried that we didn’t return.’ That time I realized how much these village people are rich in their heart, money is nothing. Very emotional moment. We all thanked Nava mama, Kalu malli and said good bye to Meemure and returned on the same day.

We reached Colombo, next day around 9 am (home sweet home). I should thank Nava mama for this successful trip.

I will meet you soon once again for a cave expedition on Lakegala J.

Most important tips and some guidance.

• Don’t go in large numbers
• Make sure the backpacks are light and stay closer to your body.
• Carry plenty of water
• Climbing Lakegala is like a religious ritual, so guard your tongues
• You have to understand your capabilities and decide for yourself.
• You’ve gotta live to tell your story. Don’t try to be heroic unnecessarily and put yours and others’ live in danger.
• You don’t have to be ashamed of yourselves not being able to climb each and everything. Just gauge carefully and decide what’s best for you.
• Take frequent breaks; remember it’s not a race to the top
• Please don’t attempt this during windy and rainy season
• There are no water sources on top of Lakegala.
• This is not a hike, this 100% rock climbing.

Lakegala is the not yet polluted, my kind request; don’t pollute the mother nature. Even ‘Nil Diya Pokuna’ is polluted with Arak bottles and Red bull cans.

Thank you for reading, see you soon with an another adventure trip report.

Hi folks, it’s been a long time since I brought something for you. I was actually enjoying the marvels of the Mother Nature but in a different territory. After dreaming for so long I managed to make another of my dreams come true when I got the chance to visit Ladakh (I know it might sound like Greek to many) with Ana and D in late Aug 2016.

Ladakh is one of the three main areas of Jammu & Kashmir in Northern India bordering Pakistan and Tibet. Usually J&K is a very volatile area due to the never ending battle to eliminate the terrorism. However Ladakh is relatively calm as it’s further away from the troublesome Srinagar and Kargil. Anyway, I’m not gonna tell you about my Ladakh Journey but if you’re interested in seeing some breath-taking sceneries, do click on the link to view the videos I shot.

After a fairly long time of being idle, I decided to break the shackle and restart the travelling frenzy. Well I couldn’t think of a better place than Sri Pada to do so. As usual I tried to get my gang together only to find that some of them couldn’t make it. To make matters worse, even I had to change the dates making Hari to miss out but he made full use of the break and went onto climb Sri Pada and Bogawanthalawa in two consecutive days.

I was left with only Atha and we decided to give it a crack all the same. So hiring a tuk-tuk, we left Kolonnawa around 2.30am and reached Pettah private bus stand before 3am. Apart from Badulla and Airport buses, there was nothing. So we decided to try our luck at CTB, good old reliable transport method since independence despite having more workers than the number of seats combined in the whole fleet. We got lucky but the bus was due at 4.15am so we joined the queue which already had around 6 people. It showed how popular this bus is and you have to get quite early to the bus stand to get a seat. Those who’re planning to get on after Pettah will have very little chance of finding a seat.

Tour Highlights:

1. Sri Pada Ella
2. Sri Pada Cascades
3. Peace Pagoda
4. Yaka Andu Ella
5. Mapalana Ella

Day 01

It was a wet morning as the rains kept up with us all the way and I was worried and it didn’t help get much needed sleep. When we reached Hatton, it was still gloomy and we decided to have a quick breakfast which turned out to be disastrous as the hotel just off the bus stand looked no better than a slum. For some strange reason, I didn’t feel like a slum dog millionaire. While we waited for our coffee, I got a glimpse of a Maskeliya bus and ran out of the hotel to find out the departure time. Well it was in fact departing but I managed to convince the conductor to hold on for 2 mins and came back and paid the bill, including the untouched coffee.

Just under Olympic record we made it back to the bus and managed to get seats. Well if you miss a Maskeliya bus (remember no direct Nallathanniya (නල්ලතන්නිය) buses just like in the season and there’s one or two that run at very odd times), it means waiting for almost another hour for the next bus. We were glad to be able to get into this and it was just before 9am when we left Hatton.

After a snail-like journey, we reached Maskeliya and bought a couple of essential things like instant noodles. We were planning to take a tuk-tuk from here but our luck held coz there was a Nallathanniya bus leaving at 10am. So having breathed a sigh of relief we got into the bus and settled. The sun was back and my hopes soared like an eagle. However as we got closer to Nallathanniya aka Dalhousie (remember it’s Dalhousie not Delhouse or Delhousie), those hopes came down and down like a deflated balloon.

It was very gloomy and there were a couple of passing showers as well. “This is going to be one heck of a hike” I told Atha and we both regretted not having brought the umbrellas. Well we shouldn’t have worried coz the usage of umbrella becomes next to zero after Geththampana due to the open area and strong winds. We had our long overdue coffee from the shop just before the bridge. Already there was a group of people getting ready to climb for a Pooja and we started our hike around 11am, after 8.5hr journey, well literally.

The hike was ok and the rains stayed away from us, but only until we reached the Sri Pada Ella. The drought which had plagued the whole upcountry area was coming to an end. The water levels were better in the falls but we had to cut short our stay due to the rain. We ran to the shelter near the Makara Thorana and contemplated our options. It was too cumbersome to walk with raincoats on and taking pictures was mission impossible. So I decided to back to the trail head shop looking for umbrellas. I practically ran all the way coz we were pressed for time as well but it was to no avail coz they didn’t have umbrellas for sale but for rent. Well it was no help coz we were going to climb down to Palabaddala.

Yaka Andu Ella extreme top left

Abandoned?

Not really

Sri Pada Ella looking gorgeous

Closer

And some more

Kissing the rock

Like a thin veil

Time to go lady

However, I bought couple of polythene sheets which have been improvised with hoods and they were Rs. 50/- each. It was no use for taking pictures but at least they’d keep our backpacks safe from the water. I ran back to the Makara Thorana (මකර තොරණ) where Atha was waiting. The rain had eased a bit and we had to have a plan. We then decided to use one of the techniques used by the Special Forces’ called hopping. Well there are many animals like rabbits that hop but the SFs use this to cover a long distance by moving from one designated point to another. Thanks to the frequent shelters found at Hatton Trail, we called this Ambalam Hopping.

We decided to hop to Gangulthenna where we could see the Yaka Andu Ella and Peace Pagoda. We started and found our array of cascades to the right. They were not quite prominent like our Previous Journey and coincidentally it was Atha and me who did that waterfall tour which paid dividends. As we got closer to the peace pagoda, all hell broke loose and the sky opened up its double front doors. We managed to run to the shelter adjacent to the peace pagoda where a dog was already seeking refuge.

This gave a good vantage point to enjoy both Peace Pagoda and Yaka Andu Ella but the thickness of the raid made it next to impossible to take clear pictures. Anyway, here are some of them for you.

There they are

Not as many as we saw last time

Just amazing

Red Bridge and we missed the falls to the right of this even this time

Mist coming thick and fast

Peace Pagoda badly in need of a lick of paint

Through heavy rains

Water levels kept rising

Time to get a move on

He was fast asleep

But a leech kept crawling towards it

After more than half an hour wait, the rain eased a bit and we put on our raincoats once again. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place, well very much like. When you put on the rain coat, you begin to sweat like a pig and it’s really uncomfortable. When you take it off, either you’re getting soaked by the rain or being blown out by cold winds. So the Ambalam Hopping somewhat helped manage this dilemma. As we reached the Gangulthenna Ambalama (ගඟුල්තැන්න අම්බලම) the rain completely stopped and the misty veil lifted off the Yaka Andu Ella (‍යකා ඇඬූ ඇල්ල).

Well this sort of helped wipe our tears as I was practically crying over the inability to take a decent picture of this beautiful lady. As we kept watching the water level seemed to increase every passing minute but the window of the opening didn’t last long so we only managed a handful of pictures. On the other hand, we couldn’t take the break in the rain for granted so after a hasty run of photos, we decided to make the next hop to the Seetha Gangula Ambalama. Until then, here are some more pictures.

Better view and no rain

Portrait

Closer

Water levels rose within minutes

Just amazing

Getting darker

One more before the mist covered

And this too

Full of water

Seetha Gangula fattened up

The rain had eased by the time we reached the Seetha Gangula Ambalama (සීත ගඟුල අම්බලම). However we decided to take a break and munch on some cashew as the energy requirements of the body wouldn’t stop rain or shine. However little did we know that the worst was yet to come. Even the breaks we took were not helping much as they didn’t help rest our minds even though our limbs took the much needed break.

We were not sure whether to stay for 5 minutes or 15 minutes and it was a constant battle in our mind. The rains had increased the water levels of Seetha Gangula and we heard a massive waterfall just off the Ambalama. This was visited by Niroshan recently but we didn’t even think about it due to the ferocity of the water. It was as if an M6 Engine was falling off the Kadugannawa rock.

Well, till we reach our next stop which is Rathu Ambalama, here are some pics. Oh don’t expect anything more afterwards for a while coz the rain and mist forced me to stow the camera safely away in the backpack.

Please follow

Slippery steps

Laden with water

The steps helped quite a lot and kept the leeches away

Peace Pagoda, Yaka Andu Ella and other cascades

Peace Pagoda zoomed

Further zoomed

Rare find. The top of Yaka Andu Ella which is not visible from the front.

Age is no barrier for the hard-willed

We reached the Rathu Ambalama (රතු අම්බලම) as the rain was starting once again. It was good timing but the Ambalama was leaking big time and there was nowhere to sit either. So we rested the backpacks on what little dry ground we could find and leaned on the crumbling walls for a breather. We stayed for about another 20 minutes until the worst bit of the rain eased. Afterwards, we decided to let the camera go into the backpack and start the hike. The time was already 3pm and we were quite a distance from our destination.

As I feared from the very beginning, we weren’t going to make it to the summit in this weather. Because it’d certainly be pitch black by the time we started our descent towards Heramitipana (හැරමිටිපාන) and we’d be faced with strong winds, heavier rains and slippery steps which were not so inviting factors. Therefore we had to cut short our journey and take the by route where it merges with the Ratnapura Trail closer to Andiyamala Thenna (ආඬියාමළ තැන්න). In this way, we’d not only save time but also reduce the distance and the worst part of Mahagiridamba on both sides.

It was a very sad decision to leave without worshipping the sacred footprint but hiking and travelling are all about staying safe and taking the safe way and making the right decision no matter how hard it is. Remember, you can always come back when the things are better if you decide to leave something half-done coz you’re saving yourselves from injury or even death. If you make that call, you can almost always come back to complete the journey from where you stopped.

So folks, my advice to you is, stop and turn back if you know that you’re not up to it. Don’t force yourself or others to carry on doing something they’re not comfortable with. Sometimes you might feel it’s a dent in your reputation or ego to turn around but none of them will matter or come to your help if you’re met with mortal danger. Remember, staying safe is the most important thing, nothing else matters. I’ve heard that people who’d climbed to within 300ft of the summit of Everest had decided to turn around as the weather got worse coz they valued their lives more than the achievement itself. And most of them lived to complete their journeys at a later date as a result. Most of the deaths are occurred as many travelers don’t have the temperament to make that call. Well, no matter what I or anyone says, it’s ultimately your call and staying safe and looking after yourself is your responsibility.

After what felt like an eternity we arrived at the Geththampana (ගෙත්තම්පාන). There were 3 people waiting by a shop which looked dilapidated. They spoke to us in English “Where are you from?” thinking we were some foreigners as not many Sri Lankans are this crazy to make this journey under such severe weather. When I replied in Sinhala, they got a shock. We went and sat with them and apparently the shop owner and his helper were preparing the shop for the upcoming season. A bit too early one would think but considering the damage done to the building, they’d need a quite a lot of time to repair it.

Well this shop which is called “Hime Kade” (හිමේ කඩේ) has a 117-year-old history behind it. This had been started in 1898 and is one of the 2-3 shops which don’t have to pay a rent to the urban council as they’re owned by them. The old uncle (gosh I forgot to get his name) was very proud about this and kept on telling us stories while his helper served tea for the other three people. They were from a larger group who were going to the Pooja and said that they’d be staying overnight at the summit. Well my heart leaped and wanted to ask if we could tag along with them as a part of their group but decided against it.

They left after their tea and we too ordered some coffee while the old uncles rattled off the history behind the shop and how people used to travel to the Sri Pada in the old days. Before they built the Maussakelle Reservoir, the road to the Sri Pada had been paved only up to Maskeliya. From there people had to walk all the way to the summit, good 10+km more than what they do now thanks to the road up to Delhousie. Bullock carts had been the primary source of transportation and many people had come from all over the country despite travelling difficulties.

We were hungry and the helper gave us the last roti remaining for us to have. This was probably their lunch but seeing how ravenous we were, they must’ve felt very sad about us. After the roti and hot coffee, we bid our farewell and turn right at the Buddha Statue at Geththampana. This was my first time using this path and Atha had used it years ago. It’s relatively flat but there are ups and downs. The distance from Geththampana to the summit is 1.8km (it’s 4.2km to Geththampana from Trail Head). The by road is around 500m and we walked that under 15 mins. It was a clear footpath despite the off season and even though we were warned about leeches, we weren’t disturbed except for maybe one or two.

It led to the Rathnapura Trail between the Andiyamala Thenna and newly built drainage. The weather was still very bad and we walked down to the Andiyamala Thenna Ambalama hoping to settle down there for the night but the condition of it made us want to puke. The construction workers had left it full of building materials scattered here and there and cement dust had turned into a clay mixture after the rains. Garbage left behind by the previous residents was all over and simply it was no good even for a wild boar. We were undecided whether to get down to the Heramitipana fearing it’d be the same condition.

While we were contemplating, there was someone very beautiful who’d come to welcome us. Here are some pics of him.

Look at that red beak

Constant watch out for food

Managed to get this after many shots

Very observant

It’d gone 4.30pm and we decided to take our chances and go down coz the Heramitipana Ambalama is very large and well protected compared to all the others. So our chances of finding a tiny place to sleep on were very high so we went down merrily. We reached there under 1hr and to our joy found it in better condition. So we cleared a corner and heated our dinner in one of the abandoned sections of the old Ambalama behind this. Always try to light a fire for cooking out of the Ambalama and if it’s raining, at a corner on a tin sheet (can find many in and around) as we must do our best to protect these shelters for others’ usage.

There was water in the tap off the Ambalama so we had no trouble cleaning up and preparing dinner. However it was very difficult to make it but we managed to have a warm meal inside us and turn in early. All I remember was getting inside the sleeping bag and turning to my left. However I woke up with a start to find a Boeing 747 is getting ready to land on the roof. Well, it felt just like that but in reality it was the rain pelting down so hard on the tin roof. I thought it was the wind but it was only the rain pouring in heavily and both Atha and I stayed up for a while to be sure the roof wouldn’t fall on us. The water started leaking in at a few places but we had no problem from them. So we went back to sleep and didn’t stir till the following morning.

Day 02

As we woke up, the rains had eased but the mist and the gloominess still hovered about. It was an effort to get out of the sleeping bag but we had to coz we were thinking of going to the summit before getting down. Unfortunately the visibility was so poor we abandoned that thought. Instead made some coffee and decided to wait for some time for the fog to clear. While we were roaming around the Ambalama, we came across a few visitors here and there. I’m sure you’d love them but a squirrel, eating a moth wouldn’t be a pleasant sight, would it? Well that’s exactly what the fellow was doing after catching a yellow moth. Probably they’re so hard up for fruits and decided to improvise or adapt to the harsh environment. So don’t feel disgusted at those cutie ones. Here you go:

Amazing, ain’t he?

Same fella

This fellow is a bit common

Gosh, what’s this?

There were shiny blue feathers underneath those black ones

Very blackish

Caught in the act

Not so innocent fellow

After quick breakfast of instant noodles, we were ready to go but the thick fog kept us guessing and we just cleared the area we stayed and made sure the fire was put out properly. Just sitting on the steps, we sort of reminisced our previous journeys to this wonderful place. Around 9.45am, we could no longer put this off so decided to take a chance and start the descent.

The rain had stopped and as we went down the mist cleared. I was worried about crossing the Seetha Gangula due to the heavy rains but as we got there, there was no problem. A doggy followed us from the Heramitipana and we shared our snacks with him. However the camera had to be kept inside the bag until we arrived at the Lihinihela Ambalama where we found a massive wasps’ nest. It was built on a mango tree quite close to the path and we warned a group of pilgrims coming up not to make any noise. Here are some pics of them and surrounding views. We even captured a distant seasonal cascade.

Seasonal cascade

Close up view

Here they are

Busy bees

Close up

Closer. Just don’t know how they move about on top of each other

Afterwards, we slowly came down and the sun too decided to poke his lazy head through the clouds. We managed to get down in 4 hours well ahead my estimated 5-6hrs. We washed our faces and walked towards the Palabaddala bus stop but on the way I got this wild idea of visiting Mapalana Ella coz of the sudden rains. Atha hadn’t been to her before so we decided to find a tuk and pay a quick visit to her. More about it after these pictures:

Looking back

More shady compared to Hatton

Ants’ nest

Not so fluffy due to rain

Our friend who ate anything from cashew to biscuits

Colors were bright after the rains

Nice and compact

Such grand colors

Macro at its best

Coffee time

Nothing in sight

Not ready yet

Trying to camouflage

Many beautiful flowers

Like a yacht

Emerald Dove

No mistake, these were very much natural

The temple at the trail head and we used the water overflowing to wash our faces

The clouds were gathering towards Rakwana Mountains and slowly on their way towards us. We spoke to one of the tuk-tuk fellows and he agreed to take us back and forth for just Rs. 200/- to visit the falls. Well it was very cheap coz there’s around 2-3km from the Palabaddala Junction to the falls on a somewhat bad road and he even waited for us. So away we went and as we got closer we could get glimpses of this mighty lady’s top parts.

She was looking grandeur and if you remember My Previous Visit to this beautiful lady with Uncle Tony, she was even richer this time around. So our decision to go pay a visit to this lady really was worthwhile. We stopped at the house just before the falls and then took to the path bordering the stream and the tea estate. House owners warned us of slippery rocks and leeches but the huge roar of the waterfall made my heart beat faster and my legs wouldn’t wait another second as they started their brisk walk towards one of the most beautiful ladies in the whole wide world.

Remember, she’s the 4^th highest in the whole of Sri Lanka and what a sight it really was. There was this massive body of virgin white water falling from the sky all the way to a rugged base pool of rocky boulders sending millions of droplets bathing the whole surrounding area. I was just speechless and even the leeches crawling up my shins and sucking blood from my veins couldn’t deviate my attention from her.

Ok, here we go with the pictures coz I know how impatient you are to get on with them.

Sexy lady

Getting closer

Top part

Extreme top up close

Centre and towards the bottom

Falling in

Little lower segment

Full package

Just look at the posture

Colorful

From the road

One before we left

Well guys, hope you liked those views as much as we did. It was simply unbelievable and we just didn’t feel like returning. However we had a bus to catch to Ratnapura so hurried back to Palabaddala around 2.40pm. The next bus was due at 3pm so had a rushed lunch of bread and dhal from a nearby shop and waited for it.

As promised, the bus left Palabaddala on time and we reached Ratnapura by 4.15pm and got lucky to find a Colombo-bound one at 4.30pm. In the end, we were home before 8pm which was more than we could’ve hoped for.

There ends yet another of my Sri Pada journeys and I hope you all enjoyed it despite the lack of pics throughout the journey. Looking back, I feel very happy we decided to go ahead despite the foul weather conditions and the decision we made to bypass the summit was also a very wise thing. It’s true that every journey we make teaches us something very important and this was no exception.

Well this is Sri signing off for now and will see you again with yet another tour.

This trip was happened in January 2013. I wanted to go the highest mountain in Sri Lanka and at that time I knew that is not allowed due to high security reasons. However I directly called Ministry of Defense office and explain them about my requirement. After that I send a request letter with names, NIC no of my friends and the motor bicycle numbers too. On the same day within 2 hours they faxed my confirmation letter which is under ministry letter head and with the director’s signature. After that I was awaited for that day where I can be at Piduruthalagala.

On that day we four left from Colombo via Avissawella to Hatton and then turned to Nuwaraeliya road which is more familiar to our rides. However on that day we spent 3 hours to reach Nuwaraeliya from Hatton due to the maintenance of the road. On that days Hatton-Nuwaraeliya road is like a hell, too narrow and gravel type road. That day there were big traffics due to renovations of the road and now you all can see a beautiful carpet road which will take around 1 and half hour to Hattoon-Nuwaraeliya.

After we had our breakfast at Nanuoya we stopped our bicycles at the main entrance check point of the Piduruthalagala, We showed them the letter and they took our mobiles and cameras. However I was able to keep my camera secretly with me. One of my friend already contacted a known officer who lived at the camp on the top. Hence we meet him at the top of the mountain and he took us to see the whole area where public cannot go and he allowed me to take photographs of them too.

We spend more than 3 hours and had some tea and biscuits from him and walked around the camp site and we went inside of the satellite rooms and those are not captured by us. Reaching to the mountain from the base check point is about 7km and it is too difficult to use 2nd and 3rd gear at most time. Whole the road is concreted and 10ft wide road. Those days there were small Bankurs on the way of the road and we saw some sambar, wild boar too.

Now anyone can go to this mountain without any prior approval from the ministry. But motor bicycles and three wheelers cannot go on that road due to the protection of the people from Leopards, Wild Boars.

Facebook – Travel in Sri Lanka-Sobasiri

Passing Thalawakale

Windsurfing clouds

The Giant in Sri Lanka

Piduruthalagala Mountain

On the way to the summit

Wide roads with misty environment

At the top of the mountain

Misty environment

Team at the highest point

Piduruthalagala forest reserve

Mist is coming

Beauty at the top

Beauty at the top

Beauty at the top

They help us to see more inside of the towers

Communication Towers

Going to the Satalite room

We were lucky to see this place

Towers covered by the mist

Dissapeard

Getting down to the base

15ft wide road

Ready to the actions

Nuwaraeliya city

Having a small rest

Environment is like on the way to Horton Plains

Had a wonderful day

End of the tour

Giant rocky plains

Nawalapitiya is like a inter change for many beautiful places in central province. Here are some information about the routes connecting with Nawalapitiya town.

– Nawalapitiya–> Dolosbage–> Dedugala–> Bulathkohupitiya–> Ruwanwella–> Karawanella (Trip Report)

–  Nawalapitiya–>Amanawela–>See Forth–>Yatiyantota (Trip Report)

–  Nawalapitiya–>Ginigathhena–>Kithulgala–>Karawanella (Trip Report)

–  Nawalapitiya–>Galbada (Trip Report)

–  Nawalapitiya–>Kadiyanlena–>Thalawakale

–  Nawalapitiya–>Ulapane–>Gampola

There are plenty of waterfalls and mountains situated on above routes. Hence when we travel through all the above routes we found that Nawalapitiya as an important city. This tour we done few years ago and like to share them with Lakdasun as somehow they will be helpful of someone.

Before we started this tour from Nawalapitiya we were travelled through Bulathkohupitiya area (Link) to see some waterfalls. We turned to Thalawakale road and again turned right to Galabada just passed the Bridge. After that we went to Galbada waterfall (Link). And again we come back to the bridge and continued our journey to Thalawakale side.

After we ride about 10km we came to the Ketabula/ Kadiyanlena Waterfall which is situated on the road. It’s a very beautiful waterfall and it flows under the arch bridge situated on the road. The lower part is height about 20m and the middle and upper part is height about 20m. Bathing from the upper base pool is possible and there is a small foot path for there. After that we continued our journey directly to Thalawakale and saw some road side waterfalls and some of them are height about 10m.

This road will join to Hatton-Nuwaraeliya road and its few kilomitars for Devon waterfall. Devon waterfall is a most famous waterfall in Sri Lanka as it located at a brilliant place. There is a place to park your vehicle and see the waterfall. After that we went to St. Clair waterfall. Once up on a time St. Clair is the most beautiful waterfall in Sri Lanka where it had a unique style of falling the water. But now it was like dried. But we spend few minutes there. We have visited St. Clair for 6th times to up to now.

After that we went to Thalawakale town and turned left to Pundaluoya side. From there we can go to Nuwaraeliya too. Pundaluoya/ Dansinan waterfall is another waterfall same as like Ketambula. Both are situated on the way and the lower part is so beautiful. At that time the road up to Dansinan fall is well carperted. After that the road is like devil’s staircase (Not sure about present status). As we want to go to Nuwaraeliya we continued the same road. Before few kilomitar for Nuwaraeliya we saw a small waterfall where the villagers wash their vegetables, especially carrots. Hence we name that small fall as “Vegi Wash Waterfall”.

Actually there are some more waterfalls at this area, and most of them are far away from the main road. However we came to Nuwaraeliya safely around 6pm.

The gap towards Ketabula

path to the Thalawakale

Ketabula Waterfall

We near the waterfall

The lower part of the waterfall

The water stream continued toward the hydro power center

View from the under of the bridge

The middle part of the waterfall where it likes the widest waterfall

Beauty

Roadside beauty, unknown waterfall

Another road side beauty

A stream, zoom capture

Beauty on the way

A great painter

Devon fall

The tea factory

Another view of the waterfall

Looking for Friends

Usual Habbits

Another view

Devon fall with its mountain range

Devon Fall in 2015

St. Clair waterfall in 2014

Beautiful Mountains

St. Clair in 2015 middle journey

St. Clair in 2016

St. Clair in 2012

She is really beautiful

Dansinan Waterfall

Dansinan Waterfall

The Kovil at the Waterfall

Lower part of the Dansinan fall

On the way through the gravel road

Satisfactory road situations

The base pond of the Vegi Wash fall

Vegi Wash Waterfall

We spent 3 days at Buttala & leave from there around 7.30 a.m. First we went to see “Galabedda Pokuna”  & came to Lahugala. We went to see “Magul Maha Viharaya” & “Kota Vehera”. After that we went to Pothuvil town. On that way we went to see “Unnamed Stupaya & Ruins”. After having lunch from Pothuvil town &  find the place to stay. We found the place in the town & we decided to go to Panama by bus. Around 3.00 p.m we reached to Panama town. From there we took three wheel to go to “Kudumbigala Aranya”. We spent couple of hours there & came back to Pothuvil. On that way we went to “Maninaga Pabbatha Viharaya” at Shasthrawela. We got cought rain in there & we couldn’t visit whole temple area, Around 7.00 p.m we came to our staying place at Pothuvil. We completed our 4th day of the tour. Lot more to come.

Pls read the next Trip Report to find details from Day 5 onwards.

Thanks for reading.

Sanjeewa

Day 4 ( 25.08.17 )

18.Galabedda Pokuna

19.Magula Maha Viharaya – Lahugala

20.Lahugala Kota Vehera

21.Unnamed Stupaya & Ruins – Pothuvil

22.Maninaga Pabbatha Viharya – Shasthrawela

23.Kudumbigala Aranya

18.Galabedda Pokuna ( Monaragala – Siyabalanduwa Road )

.	“Galabedda Pokuna”

,

.

Beautifully made Toilet

19.Magula Maha Viharaya – Lahugala ( Siyabalanduwa – Pothuvil Road )

Magul Maha Viharaya – Lahugala

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“Nayaka Thero”

Ruins at the premises

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“Elepahant with Eth Gowwa”- only “Sandakadapahana” in Sri Lanka

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sthupaya

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.	“Bodhigaraya” – Rare one in Sri Lanka

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20.Lahugala Kota Vehera ( Siyabalanduwa – Pothuvil Road )

Kota Vehera – Lahugala

Steps to the top

.	“Sel Lipiya”

.	kota wehera

.	View from top

.	“Siripathul Gala”

Ruins around Stupaya

Never dry “Pokuna”

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21.Unnamed Stupaya & Ruins – ( Siyabalanduwa – Pothuvil Road )

Un-Named Stupaya near Pothuvil

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Ruins near Stupaya

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Pothuvil Main Bus Stand

On the way to Pothuvil to Panama

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22.Maninaga Pabbatha Viharya – Shasthrawela ( Panama – Pothuvil Road )

Maninaga Pabbatha Viharaya

“Giri Lipiya”

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sthupaya

.	Asanka – our Three Wheel driver

23.Kudumbigala Aranya ( Panama – Kumana Road )

Details of the Aranya

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sthupaya

Path through jungle

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Our three wheel driver leading the way

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“Maha Sudarshana Lena”

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“Len Lipiya”

Stupaya

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“Dana Shalawa”

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.	“Akasa Chaitya”

.	On the way to “Belumgala” & “Akasa Chaitya”

The rock like “Budha Statue”

The rock like “Budha Statue”

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Climbing to top

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.	Stupaya – on the top

Another ruin

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.	Views from the top

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.	Views – on the way back to Panama

Little “Budu Medura” on the top

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(Day 6)

We still in Ampara & we visited “Budhangala Aranya” in early morning. It was easy to walk in Aranya premises in morning session. We spent couple of time there & came back to Ampara town. We decide to visit Inginiyagala side to cover some important places. First we went to see “Kondawatuwana Ruins”. We went 2 -3 km’s on that road & road condition was very bad. Most of the people in that area can’t talk or understand sinhala. Finally we found a person who can talk sinhala & asked about this place. He mentioned that we have to travel further few kilometers to reach there. Finally we gave up the idea of going there & started our journey to Inginiyagala side. On that way we went to see “Ovagiriya Ruins”. We spent nearly one hour there & we went to Inginiyagala to get our lunch. We thought Inginiyagala was big town. But only one shop in the junction & it also closed. We sawed the name board of “Inginiyagala Rest House” & we went there. It was old colonial typed very large hotel. In there staff mentioned that now a days no any guest for them. They managed the hotel from their bar income. We decided to stay there & we became their only guest after long time. First we had little rest & evening we went to see “Senanayaka Samudraya”. It was very beautiful place to stay in the evening. We stay there more than two hours till getting dark. It was amazing to see sun is going down from Senanayaka Samudraya’s dam. You also realize it when you go through the photos. We completed another big day with lots of happy memories. To which side from tomorrow morning ???
Pls read the next Trip Report to find details from (Day 8) onwards.

Thanks for reading.

Sanjeewa

Day 7 ( 28.08.17 )

33.Budhangala Aranya

34.Ovagiriya Ruins

35.Senanayaka Samudraya

33.Budhangala Aranya  ( Ampara – Budhangala Road )

Entrance to Budhagala Aranya

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Large pond in the Aranya

Site map

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Remains of the Budhangala Etha

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.

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Views from other side

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.	Budha Statue

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.	Some Ruins

Bodhiya

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Stupaya

Inside the Vihara Geya

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Views from top

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To the Museum

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In the Museum

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.	Collection of photos

“Japan Sama Chaitya”

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34.Ovagiriya Ruins ( Ampara – Inginiyagala Road )

Turning point to “Ovagiriya Ruins”

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Stupaya

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.	Budha Statue

.	“Siripathul Gala”

More ruins spread over large area

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Ruins of buildings

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Massive tree

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Try to be Tarzan

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Looking at the massive tree

35.Senanayaka Samudraya ( Ampara – Inginiyagala Road )

Name Board

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Water level gone down

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,

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Boats parked & getting rest

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Little Islands

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.	Inginiyagala Power Station

dam

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Statue of Great D.S Senanayaka

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.	More views

.	More amazing views

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Now empty rest house

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(Day 9)

We still in Mahiyanganaya & first we went to “Mahiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya”. After that we went to Sora Bora Wewa. We spent nearly one hour there started our journey to Kandy. Around 1.00 p.m we reached to Kandy. We went to the “Dalada Maligawa” & spent few hours there. After that we went to our relative’s house in Mawanella. We took very good rest there after 11 days non stop journey. On 2nd September we came back to home after completing another very successful & memorable trip. We covered lots of places & got many new experiences to our life’s in this 12 days journey.

Thanks for sharing our memories of the trip & hope to meet with another trip report.

Thanks for reading.

Sanjeewa

Day 10 – 12 ( 31.08.17 – 02.09.17 )

42.Mahiyanganaya Raja Maha Viharaya

43.Sorabora Wewa

44.Sri Dalada Maligawa

42.Mahiyanganaya Raja Maha Viharaya

Path to the Temple

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Stupaya

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Evening Poojawa at “Dhathu Mandiraya”

Evening Thewawa

Brought to “Dewala Perahera”

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.	First worship to Dewalaya

Another one came & worshiping

Waiting for dressing at Dewalaya

43.Sorabora Wewa

.	Details of Wewa

.

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Famous “Gal Sorrowwa”

Boats waiting for passengers

.	Water level gone down

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44.Sri Dalada Maligawa

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We left from Anuradhapura around 8.00 a.m & reached to Jathika Namal Uyana around 9.00 a.m. We spent couple of hours there & came back to entrance around 11.30 a.m. From there we went to Ibbankatuwa Wewa. We had good bath there & we left to see Ibbankatuwa Megalith Cemetery. Now this place developed & maintain nicely.

We spent nearly one hour there & left to Dambulla. We had our lunch from there and left to Sigiriya. All the places booked & finally we found a room. We faced a shocking experience there. Time was around 4.30 p.m & when we came to the room. Wild elephant came to nearby house from forest. Many people joined & try to send back elephant to forest. They were shouting & throw “Ali wedi” to him. But the elephant didn’t fear to it & freely walked through lands. We also joined them & first time we saw such operation live. But later came to our mind how we can escape if elephant turn back & chasing us. Finally they were able to send elephant back to forest. After finishing “Jumbo operation” we came back to the room. We finished the day with lots of new experiences.

Next day morning we went to Sigiriya. We were able to climb the Sigiriya rock before it getting crowded. After that we went to “Aligala Nature Trail”. It opened in few months ago ,but now looks like they abounded the project. This trail starting point situated at main exit pathway from the sigiriya rock. But most of the local & tourist people don’t know this path. Because they don’t properly informed. This pathway finished at “Aligala”. On that way we  climb “Pahangala”. From there you can get nice & different views of “Sigiriya” & “Pidurangala”. Around 12.30 p.m we came back to room & had quick wash. Around 1.00 p.m “Safari jeep” came & we went to “Kawdulla National Park”. After taking tickets & visit to park museum we went to park around 2.00 p.m. Luckily we were able to see 300 – 400 elephants at the park. We wait until 5.30 p.m at the park & we had memorable time there. When we came back to room we noticed that , the previous day jumbo again came to same house around 3.00 p.m. People’s & elephants lives under threat in this situation. They don’t have any other option  than live with this danger. After having good time in Sigiriya we prepared to leave from there on next day morning.

Pls read the next Trip Report to find details from Day 9 onwards.

Thanks for reading.

Sanjeewa

Day 7 – 8  ( 19.08.18 – 20.08.18 )

18.Jathika Namal Uyana

19.Ibbankatuwa Wewa

20.Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Cemetery

21.Sigiriya

22.Aligala Nature Trail

23.Kawdulla National Park

18.Jathika Namla Uyana

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.	Pathway to mountain

.	“Rosa Thiruwana Kanda”

.	Buddha Statue on the mountain

Ruins

sthupaya

.	Awasa Geya

Vihara Geya

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19.Ibbankatuwa Wewa

.	Spill Gate

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20.Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Cemetery

Galewela – Dambulla Road

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details

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Watching video presentation

21.Sigiriya

“Diya Agala”

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pond	“Ata Pattam Pokuna”

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.	“Ketapath Pawura”

.	“Sinha Padaya”

Palace Complex on the mountain

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.	Pond on top

“Sinhasanaya”

“Ugul gala”

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22.Aligala Nature Trail

Starting point

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The pathway

On the top Pahangala

Sigiriya

Pidurangala

Seats for meditation

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Cave – pre historic evidence received from here

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.	End of trail

23.Kawdulla National Park

Entrance Waiting at Entrance Gate

Park Museum

Body of baby Elephant

Preparing to go

.	Searching for Elephants

Water level very low

Here they are

More groups coming out

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.	More & more coming

The Giant Tusker

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Large group coming to water

Large group in “wew pitiya”

Large group in “wew pitiya”

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.	They coming out from every where

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Evening view

We start our journey from Mawanella around 8.00 a.m. Our aim was visit important places as much we can during the day. Because now we came to last part of our journey. We have to finish our journey early because of little one’s pending school home work. Our little one strongly refuse to go back to home , he needs more days to go on trip. We have to take extra effort to change his mind & promised we took him another trip in December month . First we visit to “Wattarama Viharaya” & when we at there we were able to watch “Dawal Pererahera” of nearby Dewalaya also. Next we went to “Bissowela Viharaya”at near Galigamuwa town.After that we went to “Beligala Viharaya” . On that way we saw Archeological department notice board for “Beligala Mountain & Ruins”. After visiting “Beligala Viharaya” we went to climb that mountain. It was little difficult path to top of the mountain. Last part of the trail we have to use wooden ladder to reach to top. Ruins of some buildings in top of the mountain. Now some restore work started in there. Next we went to see “Dedigama Kota Vehera” & museum. After that we went to see “Isthreepura Gal Len Viharaya” at Galapitamada road. The name board broken at turning point & we faced difficulties to find it. Around 4.00 p.m we leave from there & came to one of our relatives home in Gampaha. We spent night at there & from morning we went to “Koskandawala Viharaya”. After visiting there we start our return journey back to home. On that way we went few relative houses also. After competing all we came back to home after 14 days of time. We competed our journey with lots of new experiences & happy memories.

Many thanks for reading our series of 14 days Trip Reports. Will meet with another one in future.

Thanks for reading.

Sanjeewa

Day 13 – 14 ( 25.08.18 – 26.08.18 )

35.Wattarama Viharaya

36.Bissowela Viharaya

37.Wijayasundarama Viharaya ( Beligala Viharaya )

38.Beligala Mountain

39.Isthreepura Gal Len Viharaya

40.Dedigama Kota Vehera

41.Koskandawala Viharaya

35.Wattarama Viharaya

Kegalle – Kurunegala Road

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Entrance

“Pothgula”

Vihara Geya

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Old Vihara Geya

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Stupaya

.	Ruins of buildings

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.	Nice pathway through rubber land

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Old Stupaya

Old Stupaya

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Dawala Perehera passing temple

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36.Bissowela Viharaya

Near Galigamuwa town

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Entrance

.	Inside the lena

.	Small stupaya

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37.Wijayasundarama Viharaya ( Beligala Viharaya )

Yattogoda Juntion – Beligala Road

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Details

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Details

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.	Inside little “Vihara Geya”

Main “Vihara Geya” under renovation

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Ancient “Sandakadapahana”

38.Beligala Mountain

Before Beligala Viharaya

Name board at starting point

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Less water level

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Pathway start from here

Lot more to go

Climbing

Top of the mountain

View from top

Ruins of buildings

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Coming back

39.Isthreepura Gal Len Viharaya

Dedigama – Galapitamada Road

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Entrance

.	Vihara Geya in this large cave

.	Small Stupaya

Inside views

Tunnel inside the cave

..

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Large pond in the cave

Ancient well near the cave

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40.Dedigama Kota Vehera

Nelumdeniya – Galapitamada Road

“Kota Vehera”

Firstly built small Stupaya

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41.Koskandawala Viharaya

Yakkala – Wathuragama Road

.	Vihara Geya

Stupaya

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It had been 3 years  since I left Monaragala so I wanted to pay a visit to refresh my memories. On our way we decided to visit an unknown mini Worlds end close to Haputhale. Close to Thotulagalla there was a board saying Thotulagalla ridge. So we took a road through the estate close to Thotulagalla church for about 500m’s where we halted our vehicle. From there onwards it was a 10 minute walk to the summit point with a 270 degree view towards Udawalawe basin.

From here we went towards Dambethenna and headed towards Lipton seat which turned out to be a wrong decision. Since it was  school holidays the road was blocked at many places and the worst part was limited parking space at Lipton seat. The  visit was a very brief one since parking was an issue.

View from Haputhale

.

Thotulagalla mini WE

on the way to ridge

the drop of 700m

the drop

Lipton seat side

the vantage point

wellawaya side

Koslanda

udawalawa side

the drop

pano

.

the ridge

.	view from lipton seat

From Lipton seat I took the Bandarawela road and from there I headed towards Poonagala. Winding roads around the tea country provided some stunning scenery which I missed alot. Passing Poonagala school we came to the junction where 3 roads could be found and took the road towards Pilkington point which was the center road. The road up to Pilkington point could be manged carefully by a good ground clearance car.

view from pilkington point

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wellawaya

Ali kota oya

Pilkington point

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met few friends

From There onwards we went towards Millenium point and to get to it one needs to go along the uphill road until the 3way junction is met and from there we took the left hand road. The road condition is in terrible condition up to the summit. The road ends 100m’s before the summit and from there onwards it was a short walk. Fortunately there wernt any elephants that day. In 2009 we were greeted with mist providing no view but this time it was the opposite. The splendid view was a treat for our eyes and we enjoyed the view for 30 minutes before departing back. On our way back we took the Koslanda road towards Monaragala to reach our final destination.

halted close to Millenium point

on our way

view from millenium point

Wellawaya and wadina hela

Ali kota oya reservoir

Ali kota oya reservoir

the range

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towards Namunukula

elephant dung of koslanda jumbos

millenium point

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pano

us

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Nayabedda

wow

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wellawaya

This is another collection of some waterfalls situated at Nawalapitiya and Ginigathhena areas. Here I have spent four days to get a complete idea of some waterfalls. Following waterfalls and places of archeological interest were visited during my journey.

1. Heightenford Falls / Sudugala Ella / Galpoththa
2. Galboda upper falls (Proper Galboda Falls), Middle segment and Lower falls
3. Hangaran Oya cascades
4. Aberdeen Falls and it’s upper cascades
5. Lakshapana Falls revisiting-Top and Bottom
6. Renu Ella
7. Ambagamuwa Inscription
8. Dutch memorial cemetery

It was a two days waterfall hunting started from Colombo. This was our optional plan as main plan of Eli Hatha-Deraniyagala was cancelled due to heavy rain. Colombo-Awissawella-Hatton road (A7) was the easiest way to reach Nawalapitiya from Colombo. As sky was clear following heavy rain we have stopped at Ginigathhena to enjoy the view of Seven Virgin Hills.

Towards Kehelgamuwa hills

Seven Virgin hills are seen through the gap

On our way to Nawalapitiya from Ginigathhena, we have decided to visit at Ambagamuwa inscription. Ambagamuwa Inscription is situated at Ginigathhena-Nawalapitiya (B319) road. We have turned to left at Ambagamuwa and drove along a by road to reach Ambagamuwa inscription

Ambagamuwa Inscription (අඹගමුව සෙල් ලිපිය) (7.022122, 80.495773)

Route: Colombo->Ginigathhena->Ambagamuwa->Ambagamuwa inscription

Ambagamuwa inscription lies on a small triangular piece of land. This inscription is considered as one of the main sources of information in Polonnaruwa era.
Ambagamuwa inscription has been made on the 36th year of King Wijayabahu 1 (1070-1110). According to chronicles the king rested here en route to Sri Pada with his retinue while on pilgrimage. There are engraved two rocks. This inscription describes the defeat of the Tamil invaders by King Wijayabahu and bringing country under one rule, it also describes the work done by the king to the people and donations made to the Sri Pada Pilgrims and the Sri Pada.
(Quoted from Amazing Lanka)

Historical information

Ambagamuwa inscription

Ambagamuwa inscription

Ambagamuwa inscription

.	The mountain situated behind the land

We stopped at Nawalapitiya for the breakfast and met another waterfall lover-Mr. DV Mervin. He has helped a lot in this journey in providing information about the area. After saying good bye to Mr. Mervin we followed our way to famous Galboda Falls.
We drove along Mapa kanda road in Nawalapitiya to reach Galboda Falls. This road became terrible when it was closer to Galboda area but we were able to pass the old factory and train track. Before about 1km to Galboda falls we have parked the vehicle and started to walk. There was a ticket counter at the beginning of foot path which goes parallel to the water diversion canal. There was about 1km walk from the ticket counter till Galboda falls come in our vicinity.

Snapped with Mr. Mervin (2nd in the row from front)

Galboda church

You will come across a nice view point of rail track on your way to Galboda fall

Ambuluwawa with towers

Heading to Galboda fall.

Some parts of the road is good

At the entrance of the fall

Enjoying their life

Ticket counter and foot path

Foot path is parallel to the canal

There is a hanging bridge over the stream

Galboda fall comes into vicinity

Galboda Falls (ගල්බොඩ ඇල්ල) (6.975591, 80542815)

Route: Nawalapitiya->Mapa kanda road->Galboda Road->Galboda Waterfall

Galboda Fall originates from the Galboda canal (also known as Hanguran Oya). Galboda fall is 30m in height and 3-6m in width. Galboda railway station is situated closer to the fall and coming by the train is the easiest way to reach the fall. You have to walk towards Inguru Oya station from Galboda station and follow the path to the fall. Nawalapitiya-Mapa Kanda road (මාපාකන්ද පාර) is the other way of reaching the fall. But this road is not good to drive a low ground vehicle. You can connect with this road from Rosella as well if you are coming from Hatton side. There is about 1km walk from ticket counter till you reach the base of the fall. There are lot of constructions around the fall for the convenience of travelers including observation flat form.

Galboda fall

Galboda fall. Note Sanjeewa has reached middle of the fall. But this is not recommend as it is extremely slippery.

Galboda fall

Galboda fall

Galboda fall.

Full frame view of the fall from observation flat form

Galboda fall

Galboda fall

Monochrome view of Galboda Falls

Enjoy the video of Galboda Falls https://youtu.be/F6zOns1ADRI

The same water stream form the Galboda fall will form another cascades below famous Galboda Fall. Therefore famous Galboda falls can be considered as upper Galboda Fall. The middle Galboda fall is situated over the bridge between twin tunnels of rail track. Here you have to walk towards Inguru Oya station and between 13th and 14th tunnels middle segment of Galboda Fall is seen. (6.984162, 80.538330)

The bridge between twin tunnels. (13th and 14th tunnels)

Galboda middle falls

Galboda middle falls. It is bit difficult to reach the fall.

Galboda Lower Falls (ගල්බොඩ පහළ ඇල්ල)
Galboda Lower Fall is situated closer to the power plant of Galboda. We have followed the Mapa kanda road from Galboda railway station. At the end of concrete section you will come across a cemetery at right side. Then we followed the foot path through tea patch and got down to the stream by crossing a Mana patch. It needs go upstream another 300m to reach the base of this beautiful waterfall. Galboda lower falls is about 15m tall. Actually it is a separate water stream forms Galboda lower falls and it joins with Mahaweli River just after the power station. (Mahaweli River forms Galboda upper and middle segments)

Kabaragala is seen on our way to Galboda lower falls

Galboda lower falls

Galboda lower falls

Galboda lower falls

Galboda lower falls

This place is good for a safe bath. We decided not to follow the same way and walked through another flat Mana area to reach the hydro power station. But it was another strenuous journey to find the way through Mana patch.

Next set of waterfalls are situated at closer to Inguru Oya railway station. Hangaran Oya (හගරන් ඔය) joins with Mahaweli River closer to Inguru Oya station and it forms 4-5 waterfalls as a chain. As it doesn’t have proper name, it gets the name as Hangaran Oya falls.

Here we drove back along the same road to reach Inguru Oya station. (Otherwise you can follow the rail track to reach the station). A big thank should go to Mr. Mervin to direct us to this waterfall. We have crossed Mahaweli River by suspension bridge and walked towards the station. The local called Bandara met on our way and he told some land marks to reach the waterfall. (He was the same guide to Mr. Mervin).

Hangaran Oya joins with Mahaweli River closer to Inguru Oya station. Approximate site of waterfalls is circled.

Crossing Mahaweli River by suspension bridge

There was a foot path closer to railway station and it was a mini hike through Pinus patch to reach top of Hangaran Oya. We have crossed the water stream to it’s right side and followed the stream in it’s right side. On top of first waterfall was like infinity pool of Duwili cascade. Careful descend along right side brought us to the base of third fall of Hangaran Oya cascades.

Along the Pinus patch

Hangaran Oya cascades (හගරන් ඔයේ ඇලි) (7.015234, 80.549641)

We have crossed Hangaran Oya and descend along right side of the stream

On top of first fall of Hangaran Oya falls

First fall of Hangaran Oya falls

First fall of Hangaran Oya falls

With first fall of Hangaran Oya falls

Third fall of Hangaran Oya cascade was the most beautiful out of all. Second fall was also seen there. (We have skipped second falls). There was enough space at base of third fall and base pool was safe for a bath as well.

Second and third fall of Hangaran Oya cascades.

Second and third fall of Hangaran Oya cascades.

Enjoying the beauty….

Third fall of Hangaran Oya cascade

At base of Hangaran Oya fall

On top of fourth fall

After enjoying third fall we have followed the same side of the stream and viewed fourth and fifth parts as well. Now the stream flows through a tea patch and we assumed reaching to a by road would be easy from there. After following about 500m through tea estate we met a lady who strongly objected to go through her estate. Therefore we followed the same path to return to Inguru Oya estate.

Fourth fall of Hangaran Oya cascades

Hangaran Oya cascades- from second to fourth fall

2nd, 3rd and 4th falls of Hangaran Oya cascades.

Here you can view the fifth fall as well

We wanted to wind up the day with a bath at Heightenford falls at Nawalapitiya. I have been there once from the base of the fall, but this time we have reached the top of the fall.

Heightenford Fall / Sudugala Ella-සුදු ගල ඇල්ල/ “Galpoththa”-ගල්පොත්ත (7.031139, 80.531064)

Directions: Nawalapitiya->Mapa Kanda road->Heightenford falls

Mahaweli River forms this waterfalls by flowing over a slanting rock bed near Heightenford station. It’s length is about 50m and width is about 60m. The fall end with a shallow pool which is about 2ft deep. Water has diverted from Mahaweli River before forms this waterfall.
The base of the fall can be approached from by Mapa kanda road in Nawalapitiya. (Same road to Galboda Falls). To reach the top of the fall you have to turn at the junction where ten start hotel is situated.
It is one of a popular places of Nawalapitiya and a lot of people come here for bath as approach is about 2km from Nawalapitiya.

Top of Heightenford falls. Note water diversion tunnel runs on side of the stream

Heightenford falls from above

Mahaweli River-above the fall

Enjoying at Heightenford fall

Heightenford fall

View of Kabaragala from Heightenford falls

Heightenford falls from base. There is a foot path from Mapa Kanda road to reach the base of the fall.

Heightenford falls from base

Different view of the fall

Base pool of Heightenford fall

Heightenford fall

With Hieghtenford fall

After spending enough time with the fall we have moved to our accommodation at Hatton. Next day we target some travel destinations around Ginigathhena.

Weather was good for the second day as well. We have stopped at Rosella for the breakfast on our way to Ginigathhena from Hatton. At Diyagala junction we have turned to B71 road (Carolina-Norton-Wanaraja) to reach Norton bridge town. Kehelgamu Oya (කෙහෙල්ගමු ඔය) is dammed at Norton bridge town to make Norton bridge reservoir. Then we turned to right (B328-Norton/ Maskeliya road) and followed Kalawaldeniya-Ginigathhena road in next junction to reach Aberdeen Falls.

Day 02
Aberdeen Falls (ඇබර්ඩීන් ඇල්ල)
Aberdeen is one of a popular and classy waterfall in Sri Lanka. As it is situated at the area called Aberdeen, it is named as Aberdeen fall. Before it gets this colonial name, locals called this waterfall as Eladona Ella / Kehelgamu falls (ඇලදෝනා ඇල්ල/ කෙහෙල්ගමු ඇල්ල). Aberdeen falls is created by Kehelgamu Oya which gets start from north east slope of Kehelgamuwa mountain range.
Height of Aberdeen fall is 98m and it is ranked as 20th highest waterfall of Sri Lanka.
There are two pathways to reach the base of Aberdeen falls from Ginigathhena town:

1. Ginigathhena-> Ella Uda Gama road
2. Ginigathhena-> Kalawaldeniya road

I have reached the base of Aberdeen falls in both ways. If you use public transport, you have to get Ella Uda Gama (ඇල්ල උඩ ගම) bus from Ginigathhena and get down where bus turns. It is about 1km distance to the base of the fall and cement steps can be seen at some places. If you come by your own vehicle, park the vehicle at the end of carpet road and walk from there.
On your way to Aberdeen falls along Ella Uda Gama road, you may come across a bend called Hulang Wanguwa (හුoල වන්ගුව) where upper part of Aberdeen falls is seen well. You may observe another three small waterfalls above proper Aberdeen

Aberdeen fall is visible when you descend along the path

Top of the Aberdeen falls

Lowest part of the fall

Full view of Aberdeen Falls

Aberdeen Falls

How it ends

View from ground level

Base pool of Aberdeen fall

Front view of Aberdeen Falls

There is a cave like place behind the water stream of Aberdeen.

Cave like place

Upper part of Aberdeen Falls

How it starts

Posed with Aberdeen Falls

Posed with Aberdeen Falls

Sand reef at base of Aberdeen Falls

Here you can see three upper cascades of Aberdeen falls. This picture was taken at Hulang Wanguwa.

A hotel situated at top of Kehelgamuwa mountain range.

Aberdeen Falls along Kalawaldeniya road
There is a foot pathway to reach the base of Aberdeen falls from Ginigathhena-Kalawaldeniya road (කලවැල්දෙනිය). Starting point is (6.948278, 80.498856).
Cement steps were built for the comfortability of travelers and pathway ends at an observation desk. Ginigathhena-Kalawaldeniya-Norton bridge road is not in much good condition compared to Ginigathhena-Ella Uda Gama road. Kalawaldeniya side of Aberdeen falls is more developed than Ella Uda Gama side. We have observed a lot of hotels and camping sites around the foot path. They will organize mini boat tours at the pool at upper Aberdeen falls.

Cement steps at Kalawaldeniya road to reach Aberdeen Falls

Aberdeen Falls with it’s observation point

Aberdeen Falls with it’s observation point

Aberdeen Falls

How it hits the floor

Base of the fall and sand reef

Upper part of Aberdeen Falls

Aberdeen Falls

Enjoy the beauty of Aberdeen falls https://youtu.be/0796WXnlwnE

Upper waterfalls of Aberdeen Falls also can be reached from Kalawaldeniya side. (You can reach upper falls from Ella Uda side as well). We could notice three upper cascades above classic Aberdeen falls. Entrance point to upper cascades is situated through a private premises. (6.947497, 80.501134)There is a clear foot pathway through this land and it will bring you to upper Aberdeen Falls-2. Upper Aberdeen Falls-2 has few steps and a base pool. Then we have gone down a bit to view Upper Aberdeen Falls-1 which is closer to proper Aberdeen Falls. After few meters we could notice the place where proper Aberdeen falls origins.

Upper cascades of Aberdeen falls (ඇබර්ඩීන් ඉහළ ඇලි)
There were three mini waterfalls situated above the proper Aberdeen falls. (There might be more but we could observe only three falls).

Top of Aberdeen Falls

Top of Aberdeen Falls

One of a hotels at Ella Uda side is seen to the top of Aberdeen falls

The exact point where Aberdeen falls plunges out

Upper Aberdeen Falls-1. This falls is about 10m tall and closest to the Aberdeen falls.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-1.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-1.

With Upper Aberdeen Falls-1.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-2. This can be considered as two separate falls. It has a nice pool where people ride boats.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-2. Closer view. Note it has two steps.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-2.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-2.

With Upper Aberdeen Falls-2.

After enjoying second steps we moved to the third fall. It is about 15m tall similar to Manna Kethi Ella. There is a base pool at bottom of this fall as well.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-3.

Lowest part of Upper Aberdeen Falls-3.

Upper Aberdeen Falls-3.

On top of fall No.2.

Video of Upper Aberdeen Falls-3: https://youtu.be/B34FLIhbSVw

After spending enough time with Aberdeen falls we have moved back to previously mentioned junction and followed the Norton-Maskeliya road (B328) to reach Lakshapana waterfall. Saptha Kanya range was standing our right hand side. At double cutting junction we turned to left. You can notice zero kilometer post at double cutting junction. At 4th mile post we have turned to Hangarapitiya road (හන්ගාරපිටිය පාර). This is the same road we have used to reach the trail head of Saptha Kanya pathway.
Lakshapana falls is the other majestic waterfall situated in Ginigathhena area. When you go along Hangarapitiya road, first you will come across the path to top of Lakshapana falls after about 3km from 4th mile post.

Zero kilometer post at double cutting junction.

Saptha Kanya range is seen at 4th mile post.

Lakshapana Falls / ලක්ෂපාන ඇල්ල (6.899249, 80.500780)

This massive waterfall of 115m height is formed by Maskeliya Oya after forming Maussakele reservoir. Maskeliya Oya origins from south west slope of Kehelgamuwa mountain range. This is one of the first waterfalls used for hydropower generation in Sri Lanka. Earlier it was named as Waddahiti Ella (වැද්දාහිටි ඇල්ල) and Wadihiti Ella (වැඩිහිටි ඇල්ල).
King Nissankamalla has stooped at this waterfall on his way to worship Sri Pada. He has lightened one hundred thousand of oil lamps (Lakshayak) here for God Saman. It is one reason for the Name of the waterfall.
Other reason is it flows over rock slab with bronze (ලාක්ෂා) mixed.
It is the 8th highest waterfall of Sri Lanka.
Maskeliya Oya later becomes Kelani River and joins with Kehelgamuwa Oya at Kalugala.
This is my third visit to Lakshapana falls. (Read about my second visit to Lakshapana Falls)

On top of Lakshapana Fall.

On top of Lakshapana Fall

Water plunges out to form Lakshapana falls.

Driving along the same road would come across the entrance to base of Lakshapana falls. It is a small junction with few food stalls and cement steps are there to reach the base of the fall.

Lakshapana fall through woods.

Lakshapana fall through woods.

Lakshapana Falls.

Lakshapana falls also has a base pool but reaching there is bit difficult due to boulders. This base pool seems fairly deep and not safe for bath.

Enjoying the fall from distance

Base of Lakshapana Falls

Lakshapana Falls.

Lakshapana Falls.

Large boulders obstructing the way to Lakshapana Falls.

This is my third visit to Lakshapana Falls.

This is my third visit to Lakshapana Falls.

After enjoying this massive beauty we returned back to the road and continued for another 1km. Seven Virgin hills were in our left hand side and we have stopped just after Virgin Hills Holiday bungalow. Virgin Hills Air crash memorial is situated about 200m away from main road. The foot pathway is not much clear as less number of visitors visit there now.

Aulanda Sohona / Dutch Memorial / Virgin Hills Air crash Memorial (6.899282, 80.492293)
This memorial was built for the passengers and crew who dead at Martin Air flight crash in December 04th 1974. There is another memorial built next to Norton Bridge Police station. But this memorial was built much closer to the place of air craft crash. It is situated at middle of a tea estate and it was unveiled by Indonesian and Maldives diplomats on 22nd July 1979.

Dutch Memorial was built closer to plane crash.

Seems nobody has given attention to it for a long time.

The plaque mentioning it’s opening

Renu Ella was the last destination of the day. Continuation along this road brought my memory one year back as we have used this road to reach Seven Virgins Hill. Renu Falls is situated at Jambuthanna which is another village come across in Hangarapitiya road.

Renu Ella (රේණු ඇල්ල)
Renu Ella is also formed by Kelani River. It is about 12m in height and popular among locals.

Renu Falls

Renu Falls

Renu Falls

Renu Falls

We refreshed from Renu Ella and headed to Kalugala where Hangarapitiya road joins with A6 road. Morahenagama Gerandi Ella (මොරහේනගම ගැරඩි ඇල්ල) is situated at another by road near Kalugala .But I decided to keep it for next time due to lack of time. It ended up two days journey to Nawalapitiya and Ginigathhena to enjoy waterfalls.
           

Thanks for reading

GPS Location of the Mountain – 7.043268, 80.844389

Mahakudugala is a beautiful mountain situated near Ragala. It was located in Mahakudugala estate which is owned by State plantation. The trail head of the mountain is at the Forest office, Halgranoya. Since our crew was 10 members, we requested special permission from the Forest Dept head office through Kandy Regional office and we were lucky to have it without any delay.

In my previous list of mountains, Mahakudugala was located on the 11th. But when I updated my list I saw that there were few mountain summits taller than Mahakudugala. Hence at present Mahakudugala Mountain (2101m) is at the 15th place of my list of mountains. Since we have a friend at Nuwaraeliya, we planned everything smoothly and informed the forest office about our visit and we reached the trail head in the early morning.

The footpath is clear and it is about 60-90 minutes hike along with the forest patch and you can easily reach to the base of the summit rocky plain. And there is about 10m stretch which should go carefully because the slope of that edge is nearly 80 degrees. However, we were able to reach the summit within an hour and we spent a few times over there. Piduruthalagala mountain range was fully covered by mist and I have seen Knuckles 5 peaks, Alugal Kanda, Dumbanagala from the north side of the mountain.

Remember, the original route is starting from the Forest office of Halgranoya hence if you wish to hike from there you should take prior permission from the regional office. Or else you can climb this mountain from Mahakudugala estate side and it will be also as same. There are some folks related to the dead body of King Ravana and there are few caves near to the main road of Mahakudugala Estate.

Mahakudugala on Metric Map

Halgranoya Forest Office

Nilakshana is posing

Journey Started

We took the lead

Pines Forest

Darkness in the morning

Sachithra taking a rest

More to go

Green Styles

Time for a group photo

A small cave we met

Evidence of cloud forests

They are generating pure oxygen

Something reminded to Charitha

Fresh and pure

So Sensitive

We are inline

Flowers

A view at a open sky

This is the difficult part

Ragala Mountain side

They are Fresh

Supporting to others

Colorful Nature

Here, we came to the top

So, Colorful

At the edge

Time for our photo

The rocky plain

Shadows under the clouds

Piduruthalagala side

More flowers

There were many types of flowers

Niorsh is thinking

Piduruthalagala got clear

At the edge

Nature

Colors of Nature

Nirosh is there

It’s a nice place

Mahakudugala Estate

Malith is thinking

Summit place

Nature

Getting down

Again we are supporting

Difficult part was wet

Pines patch

Akila, Malit and Me

Returning journey

Mahakudugala Mountain

Captured on the main road

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Thank you for reading !

Sobasiri Team ©

Gawaragiriya

This is one my oldest hike which was much interesting. I remember that we were planned to find the Miyunu Fall which is related to the poet Meemana Premathilake but unfortunately, we couldn’t find it on that day. This is the time where I don’t know about GPS and I don’t have much interest in adventures as we planned to find waterfalls and end of the day having a bath.

Finally, we found a beautiful stream while roaming in Gawaragiriya and had a bath end of the day.

Passing Bandaragama

Little summits on the way

Roaming around Gawaragiriya

Roaming around Gawaragiriya

Roaming around Gawaragiriya

Finally reached to this unknown stream

Its so Beautiful

More bathing pits

Small cascades

Capture

Here is it

The other side

Me in 2011

Resting place

Clear water

My first hiking partner, Jerom

Leaving to home

Heading fromGawaragiriya to Kiriella

Gelanigama Entrance

As I remember it is not yet opened at that time

කුරා උඩ ඇල්ල (Kura Uda Fall)
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කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ තිබෙන දියඇලි 4 වගේම මෙම ඇල්ලත් කොළඹට ඉතාමත් කිට්ටුවෙන් පිහිටි එත් කළුතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කයට අයත් දියඇල්ලක් .නමුත් මේක තියෙන්නේ ඉංගිරියේ. ඉංගිරියේ ඉදල හඳපාන්ගොඩ පාරේ යද්දී කොටිගල හන්දියෙන් හැරිලා තමයි මේ ලලනාවිය බලන්න යන්න ඕන. ගමේ මිනිස්සු අතර උනත් එතරම් ප්‍රසිද්ද නැති ඇල්ලක් වන මේ ඇල්ල බලන්න මිනිස්සු පැමිණීම ඉතාමත් දුර්ලබයිලු. හරියට බැලුවොත් කොළඹට ළගම ඇල්ල මෙය විය හැක. මේ ඇල්ලට දියවර එන්නේ මීටර් 355 ක් උස ඉංගිරියේ උසම කන්ද වන ගිරංචි කන්දෙන්. ගොඩක් කට්ටිය දන්නේ නැති උනාට කොළඹ අවට ක්‍රියාදාම සංචාර අත්දැකීමක් ගන්න ඉංගිරිය, ලබුගම, තුම්මෝදර කියන්නේ ලස්ස්සනම පැත්තක්. මොකද කොළඹට ළගම ගුහාව (Cave ) පිහිටලා තියෙන්නෙත් ඉංගිරියේ. (Sobasiri)

රයිගම් උඩගහපත්තුව සරසන අලංකාර දියඇළි කොමලියන් අතර කුරණ කුරා උඩ දියඇල්ලද වේ. මෙය වර්තමානයේදී එක්වරම කඩාහැලෙන දිය ඇල්ලක් ලෙස දක්නට නොලැබේ. අලංකාර ආනතියකින් ගලායන්නකි.

ඒසේවී ඇත්තේ අතීතයේ සඳවතී කුමරිය ස්නානය කිරීමට මෙම ස්ථානයට පැමිණි බව කියන පුවත නිසා නිදන් ඇතැයි සිතූ මෝඩ මිනිසුන් මහ ගල් පෙරලා ඇල්ලේ ස්වභාවය වෙනස් කළ නිසා බවත්, පැරණි ඇල්ලේ හඩ ගෝෂාව කොටිගල දක්වා ඇසුණු බවක් පැරැන්නෝ කියති.

අතීතයේ මේ දිය ඇල්ල ඇසුරේ සඳවතී කුමරියට වාඩිවී දිය නෑමට පහසු වන පරිදි පුටුවක් මෙන් ගල් තලාව කොටා සකසා පැවති බව ජනප්රවාදයේ පවතී. එමෙන්ම ඇල්ලේ ක්රියාකාරීත්වය නිසා හෑරී ඇතිවූ දිය වලවල්ද මෙහි පවතී.

අතීතයේ මීට වැඩි විසල් ජල කඳක් ගලාගිය කුරණ් ඇල කලුවල නම් පෙදෙසේදී මෙම මනරම් දසුන නිර්මාණය කරයි. ජල මට්ටම අඩුවී ඇත්තේ කුරණ මඩකඩ වනාන්තරයේ ෆයිනස් නම් ආගන්තුක ශාකය සිටවීම හේතුකොටය. ෆයිනස් ජලය සිදිනබව බොහෝදෙනාගේ මතයයි.

තවත් ජනකතාවකට අනුව සඳවතී කුමරිය මාලිගාකන්දේ මාළිගයේ සිට කුරාඋඩ දියඇල්ල අසලට පැමින ඇත්තේ උමන් මගක් ඔස්සේය. එහි මුවවිට තිබි ඇත්තේ කුරාඋඩ වව්ලෙන ගල්ගුහාවේන්ය. මෙම උමගේ කොටසක් කොටිගල පෙදෙසේ ලිදක් කැණීමේදී හමුවූ පුවතක් ආචාර්ය සරච්චන්ද්ර ජයකොඩි මහතා පවසා ඇත. වර්තමානයේ පවා වව්ල්ලෙන පෙදෙසේ උමන් මගක ලක්ෂණ පවතී.

සුදුවන්පෙණ පිඩු විසිරවමින් ගලින් ගලට පැන එන කුරාඋඩ දිය ඇල්ල අලංකාරය. නමුත් වැසි දින වලදී නම් මෙය දරුණු චණ්ඩ ස්වරූපයක් ගනී. ඉතා කෙටිකලක් තුළ වැඩි ජලකඳක් පතිතවේ.

මෙම දිය ඇල්ලට යා හැකි මාර්ගය වන්නේ ඉංගිරිය නගරයේ සිට කිලෝමීටර් අටක් පමණ මීපේ දෙසට පැමිණි විට, හමුවන කොටිගල හංදියෙන් හරී කුරණ පාර් ගමන්කර, කුරාඋඩ පාරට හැරි, කිලෝමීටර දෙකක් පමණ දහම් කන්ද ආරණ්යෙය අසලට ගමන් කිරීමෙනි. එතැන් පටන් පාගමනින් ඇල්ල දක්වා ගමන් කළ යුතුය.

සුදුවන් පෙණපිඩු විසිරවමින් ගලින් ගලට පනිනා කුරා උඩ ඇල්ල නිර්මාණය කරන කුරණ්ඇල කුරාඋඩ ගම්මානය හරහා ගලාවිත් අරකාවිල පෙදෙසේදී මාවක් ඔය හා අත්වැල් බැඳ ගනී. (සටහන- ජානක තරංග ආරියරත්න)

Kura Uda Waterfall

Kura Uda Waterfall is situated in the middle stretch of the small stream starting from Giranchi Mountain in the Forest Reservation. Though this place was not so famous in the past, recently the number of visitors has been increasing. The Government Forest Reservation in which this waterfall is situated is rich in rare wet zone plants and herbal plants. Many birds and animals native to this area live here. (Wikipedia)

Turn Right

Turn Left

Keep going

Little more

Parked them here

Footpath began

Keep walking

The stream

Forest Patch

Footpath

Darkness

Little more

Final tea part

Close to it

Got into the stream

Small cascades

Dangerous points

Here is she

Getting closer

Kura Uda Fall

Near by

Side and clear view

Full View of it

Its beautiful

Zoomed view

Clear water

Slow Shutter

Nearest fall to Colombo

more slow shutters

Environment

Another one

Good Bye