Scaling Bambarakanda and Devil's Staircase

This post is long overdue. However, better late than never

Prishan and I since of long had made futile plans to hike to the top of the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka - Bambarakanda Falls. These plans finally materialized and along with another colleague named Indika, we finally set off on fulfilling this dream.

The more we do hikes across the country, the more we realize how much better our public transport system could be. It was the middle of June and as always we settled on taking a Kandy or Badulla bound bus from Pettah to get off at Kalupahana. Yet again, we had to battle to get on the bus; there is absolutely no governance in early morning Pettah when it comes to bus queues. People who've stayed in queue for well over two hours (read: us), have to fight as if they were on the set of the movie 300 to get on the bus before the non-queue members. However, finally we did get on the bus albeit a bit late and that messed up our schedule a bit. So it was well past 11 when we finally got down at Kalupahana.

The name of the halt is Kalupahana. So make sure you get down from there. Once you do, you will see there is a not-so-wide road going up the mountain in the opposite direction to where you came from. This is where you start the hike. When I first turned back to start the hike, I knew this was going to be a good one. The scenery in the background was absolutely breathtaking and simply beckoned us. The locals will give you wry and amused stares at the start. Especially when you look like you just landed in Kalupahana from the battlefields of Afghanistan, carrying heavy backpacks and all. But you just keep walking :)

It’s a tarred, single road. No unplanned turns. You just have to keep walking. The sensible ones will go up on a tuk tuk or some other kind of vehicle. But the rest of us prefer the old fashioned way by foot. If I remember correctly we walked a couple of hours until we came smack in front of the highest waterfall we had ever seen. There is nothing obstructing your view. There is you on the road, then there is the small valley below and then there's the gigantic waterfall. Nothing short of spectacular.

But stopping here was not the objective. The objective was to get to the start of the waterfall right at the very top. There is a footpath which leads bathers to the bottom of the waterfall. We took this footpath and came to the base. However, from the base it is evident that the top of the waterfall can never be seen unless we climb to the top. The rocky outcrops and somewhat tangly greenery makes it difficult viewing. The only way was up. And thus started the treacherous climb.

Okay that might be an exaggeration. It’s not that treacherous. But the recent showers had covered the footpath to an extent that it was barely visible. Add to that that the fact that the ground was covered in wet and dead pine leaves and that makes for a pretty tricky climb. Note to self (and everyone else) - ALWAYS try to do your hikes when the sun is shining.

Our initial topographical objectives included visting the little known 'Lanka Ella' as well. How you do this is, you circumvent the trek to the top of Bambarakanda and walk across the hill to your left. Follow the footpath. There is a couple of pretty good milestones to ensure that you're on the correct track. After about 15 minutes (or so) of trekking, you will reach an open rocky outcrop. More like a T-Junction with the tail of the T going up. At this point you should be able to see the highway snaking its way through the mountains in the far distance. If you reach here, you're not lost. If not, fear not. If I had written this post 3 months earlier I could've given you vivid details. There's only one way up to the top of B'Kanda and that’s up the mountain.

We trekked for a bit more and finally came across an opening whereby we could see the beautiful Lanka Ella. There's something about rain I tell you. The moisture makes the greenery more greener and lusher and prettier to look at and man was that a sight. (See pictures :)). However, this was not our main objective. Trekking to even the base of Lanka Ella, although it was in plain sight was a bit of a stretch on our schedule and legs. So we decided to turn back and go to the top of B'Kanda. 

As I mentioned earlier, the showers had redesigned the footpath to an extent that we could individually see many paths which looked like the correct footpath. So we decided to buck up and improvise. We had a GPS device, the top is in front and that’s where we will go. Remember Grade 9 science and 'Wisthapanaya'? (I don't really know what it’s called in English). That's the route we took. When you are very close to the top of the waterfall you will find an unmissable rocky outcrop to the right. It’s not more than 3 feet wide and looks like a plank set out on a pirate ship. Ideal iconic photo place if you're doing this height. Same as the Petronas Towers, The Eiffel Tower the northernmost point notice at Point Pedro etc. The difference being you don’t need to risk your life for those pictures. DO NOT attempt to take a picture here if the conditions are windy. Please. It’s not worth the picture. 

A few feet more and voila - the very top of the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka - and we're standing right on it.

Bambarakanda - The starting pond at the top

Did you know that the start of the waterfall you see in pictures or from the main road is NOT the starting point? That's correct. What we see from the ground is the secondary start point (or maybe third). At the top, it’s like your ordinary waterfall. The kind of one that you find when travelling towards the hill country at every kilometer. The water cascaded over the rocks, falls onto a pond that’s about waist high at most and the through an opening of not more than 1 foot between the marshy outline, leaves the primary pond. 1 foot! That's all it takes to form the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. Of course there are technicalities like secondary pools, water volume, temperature etc etc. But that was irrelevant at that time. One thing that I will NEVER EVER get used to is ice cold water on my body. But this was Bambarakanda - the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and we were at the very top pond which no one sees, we will probably never come here again. (That was Prishan's line of convincing. He's got balls when it comes to cold water.) And so I dived in. Spent about 15 to 20 minutes in the pond. From the base of the mini fall I looked up to see the drops of water hurtling down. They're fast, unkind but makes you think. I wrote an entire essay in my head with a very lucid and poetic interpretation. Needless to say, thanks to my aversion to sitting down and typing something, that never saw the light of day. It was overall an extremely surreal experience. 

After that dip, we had a bit of lunch and got ready to make our way through to Devil's Staircase. It’s not really a point of attraction but we plotted our route of exit through it because of its aesthetic splendor.  You need to come down from the falls and make your way back to the base of the waterfall and from there on to the main trail again. By trail I mean the tarred road. The road is pretty good for a good distance from here. But before that, night was falling. We had to set up camp fast and we had to find a safe place to set up camp as well. So we started our hike towards Devil's staircase again. The plan was to cover as much ground as possible before darkness fell and visibility dropped. We were heading towards the 'V - Cut', a distinctive V shaped opening between two rocks in the middle of the trail. This milestone was more to comfort ourselves that we won’t have much more to hike tomorrow morning. However, we were tired and dead beat and by 6 pm we were on a trail leading towards a private teas estate. There were a couple of estate guards in the vicinity and upon their advice we set up camp on the side of the trail. After having some 'tinned' food and bread, we settled in to relax and have a chat until all 3 of us fell asleep. To our misfortune, there was a slight drizzle which prevented us from rustling up a campfire. This was the only downside since the night became very chilly very fast

Devil's Staircase

We woke up at 5.30 am. The previous night before we went to sleep we did a rough calculation and

estimated that we had a good 11 kms more to trek in order to reach the Ohiya railway station. There was train to Fort at 10.30 am. Rested and fresh, we felt that we could do the distance in 5 hours or so. There was a stream about 5 minutes away from where we camped. We freshened up as quickly as possible and started the long hike back to Ohiya through Devil's staircase. After about an hour or so of walking I instinctively turned back. No joke. That's exactly how it happened. And then I saw one of the most breath taking sunrises I’ve ever seen. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before in all my travels. See for yourself. I attached pictures :)

After an hour or so more, there it was. The V-Cut in the middle of the road. We were elated because this meant that Devil's staircase is extremely close by. With a new lease of life we started to hike a little faster looking for it. But our excitement started to dwindle as we saw no sign on it as the minutes went by. We half stopped to see if we were on the wrong r
oute. That's when we realized we were right there. We were at the start of the Devil's Staircase. The Devil's Stair case is a stretch of road leading down the mountain with extremely sharp turns and steep levels. When seen from the other end of the mountain it resembles a staircase instead of a road and thus the name. It takes a skilled driver to maneuver a vehicle here. I would've easily driven a car over the slope on the first turn. Anyway there it was. Not a marvel of nature but a poignant landmark for us.

The hike continued. Soon we were on the Haputale mountain range walking towards Ohiya. Our GPS device and a GPS locator on the phone showed a by road cutting across a mountain at some point which could save us around 6 kms (Which is a hell of a lot when you're hiking). Upon speaking to a local, we were told that we are currently on the main road to Ohiya and the shortcut is a path up the mountain cutting across the tea estates. Pretty hard to miss. The road branched into two a little later with one path going flat around the mountain while the other went up the mountain. We knew which one to take. Halfway up the mountain we turned back and saw Devil's Staircase in the distance. I didn’t really think that we had hiked that far in such a short time - and we were well on course to catch the 10.30 train. 

And that's when we hit a slight problem. There was a small impasse cutting across the footpath we were taking and it sure as hell looked as if it was going to join the upper section of the path we were currently on. So we took it. And after 15 minutes or so we realized that this was not a path taken by any human being for

a long time. The trail disappeared; the density or the undergrowth thickened mercilessly and the prickly trees seemed to follow us. Before long we were smack in the middle of a tea estate, or whatever estate it was. And we turned back to trace our way back. However, the path that we beat through seemed to have magically disappeared. For all we know, we could've been air dropped there on a helicopter. There was no path, and everything seemed alike. It was surreal and beautiful. By then we knew that we won’t be able to make the 10.30 train.

Well the phone was dead, so there was no map. Prishan's GPS locator showed that we had to go down the estate to end up at the point that we got side tracked. And so we did. However, there's just so much that you can follow a device when you're lugging 13 Kgs with only one free hand. And when we looked at the tracker again, we had to climb! Now this was dangerous. Each step you take is a leap of faith. You don’t know what you'll step on or if you'll step on anything at all. A couple of times I planted my foot through some nettle riddled colorful plants only to find that my foot was not meeting anything and gravity was pulling me down. I hung on to the branches around and regained control and balance. This is not an estate meant for hiking. This is a plantation and there were irrigation cuts beneath the plants. Be warned. 

Finally. Finally!! We were back on the trail we got sidetracked from. There was a train at 12.45 pm too. So we decided to dwell on this episode later and put the pedal to the metal. A local told us to take another shortcut. This time however, we asked him three times for the exact directions and before long we were on the road to the Ohiya main road. We could sense a main road with tar and vehicles above us. 

Half an hour later, there it was. The Ohiya - Pattipola main road. We were just bursting with joy. 3 kilometers and 45 minutes more to catch the next train to Colombo - this was also the final train for the day. But the road was a downward slope and flat. Upon failing to hitch a ride to Omiya (because there were no vehicles) we put the pedal to the metal again. No water breaks, no choo breaks. We just barreled on counting the bunds, KM signs and sparse vehicles.

We reached Ohiya 10 minutes before train time. That was a close shave. And we had enough time to down a plain tea at a nearby boutique before the train reached the station.

And thus ended another fantastic hike. Definitely one of the toughest so far and also one of the more rewarding. We do have a KMZ file with the GPS coordinates. Send me an email if anyone requires it and I shall get Prishan to send it across. What with our unintended detour to no man's land, it’s not socially responsible to upload that file here without a good enough excuse: P

You can see the pictures on my Flickr profile right here or on Prishan's profile here.

Until the next time then, happy hiking!

Miranga