Knuckles - The stuff of legends

Team of 5

2 Days in January 2013

Public Transport

My usual travel buddies, Prishan and Lathika and I were arguing about which hike to do next - Knuckles or Peacock Hill. After research showed that Peacock Hill was not that great a challenge to surmount, we concluded on Knuckles as the place to go. We made one mistake - Global Warming.

It is now coming to a stage where weather patterns had become so erratic that it cannot be predicted by the greatest of equipment for a span over a week. We checked the weather over Knuckles before planning and it all seemed manageable. Light showers in patches and a good deal of sunlight - stuff that we are quite used to. But let me get to that later.

We spoke to Dinesh Deckker, a seasoned and ardent traveller who runs Nadegura.Com to get more info on the topography and landmarks on the trail that we were going to take. We decided to take the route from Kandy > Wattegama > Bamberalla route. Planning the travel time was painstaking because we were using public transport. We finally settled upon taking a bus from Fort to Kandy at 3.30 am as the first phase. It is advisable to get to the station at least an hour early if this is a long weekend. Lots of folk are going back to their hometowns and therefore the long queues for outstation buses. Our promised 3.30 am AC bus didn't turn up because the driver was hungover from last night (Or so we concluded). The next available AC bus was the 4.30am. Our connecting 'flight' from Kandy to Wattegama at 7.15 am. Thanks to our hungover bus driver and the even more hungover new bus driver, we missed the train from Kandy to Wattegama by 5 minutes. So bus it was from Kandy to Wattegama.

We reached Wattegama in about one and a half hours to catch the bus from Wattegama to Bamberalla - where our trail was supposed to begin. I can't remember the route number. Its 682 or 628. But you can't miss it. Once you're on the bus, just get down at the final stop at Bamberella. Don't confuse Thawalantenna, the bus halt with Thawalantenna the town. You need to get down at the latter which is at the end of the bambarella route. There is a little grocery titled 'Thilaka Welanda Sela'. Thilaka aiya is a legendary name among Knuckles hikers since the trail starts from his shop. There are two

routes to take. One is the slightly longer and better laid 'Knuckles Peak Road' or the shortcut that cuts across several private estates to reach the trail head. We only had a couple of maps from the Survey Department and a compass. So we took the Knuckles Peak Road. There is a nice little bungalow on the way titled 'Sandalu' at the bottom of the Knuckles Range. We met the manager Anil on the way to Bamberalla and he showed us around the bungalow and was forthcoming with some useful tips. Sandalu Eco Resort can be booked through the following link. The trail divides into two at this point - one going to Sandalu and one going to the foot of the trail. There is about a kilometer of hiking to do before you reach the trail head. Once you reach a concrete road, look for a little sign on the ground reading 'Knuckles Peak Nature Trail'. You need to turn right from here and now you're on the trail.

The hike

It was drizzling from the time we started. And it just got worse and worse once we started the hike. The weather was atrocious at best making the hike bordering on dangerous. Being the absent minded buffoon i am, i took all the essentials needed in my backpack - except for a raincoat. And paid the price heavily. Not to mention that my bag was not water proof. So except for a couple of clothing items, i didn't have any dry clothing at the end of the hike. Always always make sure that you carry dry clothes in a water proof bag.With the rain came another complication. Leeches. It was like being in 3D version of the movie '300'. The Battle of Thermopylae and all that. You can't afford to stop for too long in any given place when its raining this hard. If you have a phobia on leeches, DO NOT do this hike during the rainy season. We initially just flicked off the little creatures with our fingers, but they were persistent. Ultimately we just gave up and let them have their own way until we reached our camping spot. They would fall off eventually leaving little red dots on your body.
It can save your life in a hike like this.

The mist was extraordinarily thick and the path is treacherous. Keep in mind that this is not a path on a road
map. So there is basically no road. This is of course the case with any hike. But the beauty of the land we live in is just stupendous beyond. You will have to wade through overgrown Mana fields, bamboo forests and all other sorts of wilderness. Add to that a couple of absolutely gorgeous waterfalls that are just a hand's reach away from you and then it's just heaven on earth. The climb becomes very steep in some places requiring you to use both hands and legs. Given the muddy and slippery nature of the trail thanks to the rain, this adds an extra element of difficulty. Travel as light as possible and be properly equipped. I cannot stress this enough. The mist will reduce your visibility at times to like 5 meters. You can of course do this hike when there is absolutely no rain at all. Then the degree of difficulty is lesser - if you're into that kind of thing.

The summit

It was beautiful. Its a bit of a surreal experience at any given time to be on top of a mountain knowing that not many people have been lucky enough to see what we are seeing right now. Altogether there are around 34 peaks in the range with 5 of them being the highest. Our vision was barred with a thick mist on most parts of the panorama. But what we were able to see was extraordinary. Unfortunately it was raining far too hard and and we were shivering even more harder. So none of us were in a position to handle a camera let alone take one out. So that is one sight that will stick in our heads and we wont be able to share it with the rest of the world.

The camp

On our way to the summit we passed a couple of flat areas big enough for our two tents. We decided to come back down from the summit and camp at the last water source we found. It was an open area with no wind coverage. This of course is a bit dangerous. On an area such as Knuckles, being exposed to the strong winds and the climate during night time is not the cleverest thing to do. But we weren't sure of having access to water further down the trail and we were physically not in a state to go any further. Added to this was the drastically lowering visibility due to the mist. So we pitched up camp. We washed ourselves as best as we could from the river/pond that was next to us and settled in for the night.

The night

This was easily the longest night I've ever been through. We all cramped into one tent for dinner and to chat as friends do. But the temperature was atrociously COLD. I've never been a fan of cold temperatures after the Pattipola hike i did last year. But Pattipola was nothing compared to Knuckles during rain. To make matters even worse, there was no chance of making a fire given the rain outside and there was no chance of finding dry firewood either. So it had to be the tents. The rain ceased to a mild drizzle at most but the cold was unbelievable. We were shivering from head to toe although we were adequately covered by whatever dry clothes we had. Two of us camped in one tent and 3 of us in the other. It was a very very long night. At one point i remember waking up and asking the other guys what time it was. There was a loud groan across both tents when someone said its only 10pm. 8 more hours till morning. The wind was in its full force and at one point, Prishan and i were wondering how long the tents will last before they get blown away. Fortunately for us, the ground pins were sturdy and held its own till morning. Through gnashing winds and ice cold temperatures all five us made it through the longest night of our lives and the experience of a lifetime.

The hike back home

It is well documented that the weather in this range is unpredictable. And they were right. We woke up to a gloomy morning still cold as hell and this amazingly turned into bright sunlight and as hot as Colombo within half an hour. The sunrise was just unbelievable. Its as if Knuckles has its own life and dictates its own terms on how it lives. We woke up and looked at the summit that we reached last evening and the climb we had to do to go back.

It was a memorable and extremely rewarding hike. So much learnt for our next camping trip. There is something about the wild that makes you forget the toils and troubles of everyday living. Its like a drug that takes you by the collar and makes you get addicted to it. The difference is, the high that you get from finishing a hike like this will last forever.

Contact me through this post if you need more info on how to get there. I'm no expert. But I'll tell you what i know and better yet, direct you to people who know better. More pics can be found on my Flickr profile here 

Until the next post then, adios.

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Jaffna – The final frontier

Team of 3

4 Days in December 2012

Traveled by Car

For many local nowadays, Jaffna is the place to go to. I guess it’s mainly driven by the fact that one can now travel to the northern most district of Sri Lankan without being mortified by the thought of landmines exploding at their feet and bullets whizzing past their ears. All civil war related anecdotes aside, Jaffna boasts of a rich culture to our heritage that’s definitely worth grasping.

From what I see, locals and foreigners travel to Jaffna with two general motives. There are those who try to envisage themselves in a 3-D movie which was once the civil war in Sri Lanka. The bullet ridden buildings, the burnt vehicles and the still re-emerging cityscape is a grotesque reminder what Jaffna was not so many years ago.

For the other set of people (ie – me), Jaffna is all about unchartered territory. The culture of the unknown.  The land of mystery with an identity of its own. Having travelled all over the country, it’s amazing how Jaffna and the entire Northern Province can prove to be so different from the rest.

Day 1 – ‘The road to Elephant Pass’, Jaffna Mangoes and the wormhole to Pettah (And also Rio Ice Cream)

Jaffna : The public market as bright as ever

A point to note – to get a chunky bite of Jaffna (metaphorically of course), you need a minimum of 4 days. One and half days of which will be spent entirely on the road. Three of us decided to do this trip in my trusted, all terrain little car. Owing to many logistical and practical reasons, we decided to skip the route through Mannar, Wilpattu and took the left turn from Puttalam to travel though Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi. The route was about 40kms longer but was easier on my little car. What’s more, the A9 route from Anuradhapura onwards was perfectly laid and actually was quite scenic given that it was smack in the middle of the country. We left Colombo at about 3.30 am on a Thursday and rarely touched 90kmph per hour. We reached Jaffna town at about 2pm - right in time for lunch. Although tiring, it was 11 hours well spent. Not to mention that we were able to reach Kilinochchi with only a half tank of fuel.

It must be mentioned that security is still very much in place on the way to Jaffna. The legendary Omanthai checkpoint is still as large as ever and is pretty much the entry point to the Northern Province. They re-route, NIC holders and Passport holders through different routes for registration but unlike our expectations, we weren’t checked rigorously. We were allowed to pass through upon initial registration. A word of caution – be careful about what you photograph. Whatever said and done, Jaffna is still a sensitive subject. It would be best if you do not draw your camera out to photograph checkpoints and servicemen.

The next major checkpoint was Elephant Pass. The legendary elephant pass – the subject of many a folklore, movie and rumor.  Once you get on the ‘The Road to Elephant Pass’ you are able to drive through a stretch of land with the sea on either side – not unlike what you may witness in Kalpitiya. You must for sure try the roadside mangoes. Now that is real heavenly mango. Trust me on this.

Enter Jaffna. The first thing we notice is how absolutely, frantically busy the town is. It’s like we went through a wormhole and landed in Pettah. Street hawkers, the entire spread of major banks, a massive bus stop, petrol sheds, liquor stores, hotels and shops - you get everything in Jaffna. There are a couple of things you can’t miss. The big bright yellow public market smack in the middle of the town is one. The architecture of buildings obviously has a Tamil cultural influence and at times portrays a magnified view of Wellawatte. The next thing I noted is that you are not allowed to park on the sides of the main road. Instead, all vehicles big and small park in a line that is exactly in the middle of the road. That is the first time I came across a concept as such in all my travels across the country. And it is without doubt full of some useful merits.

The Nallur Kandasamy Kovil 

In the town, you can find anything. It is not overpriced as is commonly believed in Colombo. Some items are far cheaper and far more accessible than in Colombo. If you are into real beverages, don’t forget to check out Palm Arrack and Palm Toddy. Liquor stores are aplenty and locals can direct you to licensed toddy dealers. Language however proved to be a challenge. Fortunately, we had with us a Tamil in the group and that made things a lot easier. But even he mentioned that the accent is a lot different up here. Sinhala is rarely known and spoken outside of the town, but English is a viable substitute if you cannot speak Tamil. (Note to self – learn Tamil)

Had you landed in the town with no knowledge of the civil war, you wouldn’t have believed that it ever happened. There were no bullet ridden houses, shelled buildings, burned vehicles etc. But then again, Jaffna town was in government control for the better part of the latter stages of the civil war. I cannot say for sure, but maybe that is the reason why Jaffna looks quite urban.

There are many places to visit within the vicinity of the town. The old library now has visiting hours for sightseers and one can walk through many sections that allow public viewing. The building has been rebuilt almost completely but some photos hang on the great walls inside giving away some evidence on the massive destruction it suffered during the civil war. The effort of the relevant authorities and NGOs need to be commended for refurnishing the walls of the library through books and periodicals that appear to be quite current to my limited knowledge.

Standing tall and majestic a little away from the hustle and bustle of the town is the Nallur Kandasamy Kovil. The meticulous attention to detail that goes into building a Kovil will never cease to amaze me. A dark orange and regal in its presence, the Nallur Kovil is a must see for anyone who goes to Jaffna. My Tamil friend, a Hindu by religion initiated us into the proceedings of Hindu Pooja activities at this Kovil and it was definitely a learning experience. Kovils are synonymous with Jaffna given that Hinduism is the faith of the majority. But my favorite spot in Jaffna was the Old Dutch Fort. Built in 1680, it is now undergoing major reconstruction and preservation work. The Fort is a scenic sight. The ramparts overlook the Bay of Bengal and the atmosphere is chilled and quiet. A truly beautiful and serene place in the evening.

That was the end of Day one. Jaffna goes into hibernation by 7pm. There are no nightclubs, party spots, cafes or restaurants like in Colombo. You basically have nothing to do other than go home and spend the rest of the day till morning the next day. We stayed at a friend’s place in Chunnakum which was about 10kms from Jaffna on the Kankasanthurai Road.

Day 2: Sunrise in Kayts and a ferry to fable. (And also Rio Ice Cream)

Sunrise in Kayts

When you have only four days to be a nomad in Jaffna, you cannot waste it by burning daylight. We were up at 5am and were looking at a packed schedule for the Day 2. The first stop for the day was at the legendary Nagadeepa Kovil and Viharaya in the Nainativu island. You need to exit Jaffna and take the bridge that leads to Kayts. In total this is a drive of around 35 kilometers and thus needs to be planned accordingly.(I was later told by Prishan its called a Concourse, not a bridge. So much for Social Studies). Kayts is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in Sri Lanka. The lush greenery on both sides of the narrow road, quite possibly untouched by mankind and the picturesque greenery can easily take your breath away. We were fortunate enough to catch the sunrise off Kayts at about 6.30 in the morning. There’s nothing quite like it. I’ve uploaded a couple of pictures along with this post since words cannot pay justice to such a scene. Kayts is a small town with just the very basic essentials. But you do have electricity and other basic infrastructure. Goats are aplenty and roam freely on the road. I’m assuming their lifespan is not that great.

There is a ferry service which operates between Kayts and Nainativu to ferry passengers to and from the island and starts as early as 7 am. This is the equivalent of public transport in Colombo. Nothing more, nothing less. The ferry operators usually pack the ferries to the hilt with people and they’re not in the best of conditions although sea-worthy. Locals say that a trip to and back from Nagadeepa is usually a good half day’s worth of time. Luckily for us, Prishan (1/3^rd of our group) had a contact in the Navy and was able to arrange a gunboat especially for us. So we were spared the half day stay on Nainativu. The authorities have done up the Kovil in such a way that the massive structure can be seen from the pier at Kayts. The boat ride took not more than 10 minutes and we were soon exploring the island of Nainativu. The Kovil is under refurbishments and a special pier was being constructed to enter the Temple without having to go past the main pier which leads straight to the Kovil.

Once we finished our travails in the island, we came back to Kayts and decided to hit Casurina Beach – which is by far the most famous beach in the Northern Province. The beach was clean and clear like most beaches in the country. But the sea floor in the immediate bathing area was rocky in patches and took substantial neck high dips. It was a nice beach, but there are other beaches which I would rate above Casurina.

The Old Dutch Fort in Jaffna

We came back to mainland Jaffna for a late lunch and hit our now customary hangout on the ramparts of the Old Dutch Fort. After chilling for some time on the ramparts, we again paid a visit to the Nallur Kovil to take some night pictures of the structure and made our way back to Chunnakum. Day 2 was complete. But it was nothing compared to our itinerary on Day 3.

Day 3: Point Pedro – life goal achieved (And also Rio Ice Cream)

As is the case, Day 3 started early as well. Our first stop was the Kathurugoda ancient viharaya. As is the case with all tourist attactions in this district, there was security in place here as well. The next stop was the Keerimalai Naguleswaram Kovil and the nearby springs. Personally, I’ve seen enough places of worship by now to last me a lifetime, but Ananth – my Tamil friend is a devout Hindu. He even suggested that I do a longer than usual dip at the springs since it is said to possess the power to wash your sins away. Once the Kovil formalities were completed we walked towards the springs. Another word of caution to everyone concerned about hygiene – unlike us. There is a pool here for ladies and another pool for males. This is a typical public well sort of surrounding with about 50 to 60 people in the small pool at the same time. The steps are moss ridden and slippery and the water is neck deep all around. So this might not be a place for your kids to take a bath in. The water is a deep blue and feeds through a spring which is believed to be connected to the sea. All in all, the springs are worth an experience and if you’re not too worried about hygiene, it can be an enjoyable experience.

Next stop was Dambakola Patuna. Fable and historians agree that King Devanampiyatissa, received the southern branch of the world famous Sri Maha Bodhiya from Sri Sangamitta Theraniyo (pardon my terminology) at Dambakola Patuna. The place is nicely done up by the armed forces and is strictly guarded to preserve the hygiene and sanctity. There is a small picturesque dagoba at the exact place along with boards of historical data.

Kodi Gaha - Point Pedro

Next came the highlight of my trip – Point Pedro. For years I’ve been wondering as to when I can reach the northernmost point of the country and the day has come. Point Pedro is a fishing village in essence with the town being built on top of it more towards the mainland. After several detours we finally landed on the Point Pedro road and continued on until we reached ‘Kodi Gaha’. This is actually a cement structure with the national flag painted on and marked the northernmost point in the country. The little structure was more or less on the rocky beach and is a tourist attraction especially for locals who had never been able to make this journey for security reasons. After some customary pictures, we had lunch at Point Pedro and made our way back to Jaffna which was now actually quite a distance away.

That was essentially the end of our Jaffna travails. Come day 4, we planned to go back to Colombo through Mullativu – where the final stand took place during the last stages of the civil war.

Day 4: A rusting ship and the last stand

Another early start. I’m starting to wonder why I can’t wake up any time before 7am when in Colombo. We had breakfast from a bakery in Jaffna which seemed to be open 24 hours for all we know. The road was good and carpety (Is that a word?); until we turned off from Paranthan towards Mullativu. It was a bit too much for my all terrain little car to handle and far too much for my road rage to handle. But somehow both I and the car made it to Mullativu and we went to see an old LTTE prison camp and Soosai’s (The leader of the then ‘Sea Tigers’) house – both of which were of little interest to me. We travelled through the scarcely populated back roads where the final battle took place and came across the huge man made earth bund which was built by the LTTE as a cover against the advancing armed forces. We also passed through a massive vehicle yard which contained hundreds and hundreds of burnt and destroyed vehicles. One can only assume that this location was chosen after the war was over to collect and dump all the remnants of the vehicular war. The highlight of this part of the journey for me was the sighting of ‘Farah – 3’ off the coast of Mullativu. ‘Farah – 3’ was a massive Jordanian cargo ship which was hijacked by the sea tigers for its food cargo and later used as the central point of attack initiation by the sea tigers. More than its violent history, the destroyed and rusting structure is an artist’s sanctuary in its decaying splendor.

Then came the not so fun part of the trip where we drove back to Colombo. We maintained good speeds until we reached Chilaw. Come Chilaw we were harshly brought back to reality by blaring horns, bumper to bumper traffic, unruly tuk-tuk drivers and unlicensed bus drivers

Points to note if you’re travelling to Jaffna

• Even Google Maps screw up once in a while. Not all roads in Google Maps are actually roads.
• Try the local liquor. It’s not like you go to Jaffna every other day
• It helps if you know Tamil.
• Have your own transport. You can’t do this itinerary on public transport within 4 days
• Obey road rules. Traffic Police swarms the A9 and not like you can go to Jaffna to pick up your license again
• Kilinochchi has the last petrol shed until you reach Jaffna. (At least that’s what we know)

Overall, the visit to Jaffna made us aware of a culture in our own country that we were only privy to through books and media and that too was vastly different from reality. Jaffna is still a sensitive subject. Treating the civil war and its remains as a tourist attraction is insensitive to the people of the land who went through difficult times that we in Colombo can never come to imagine. Go to Jaffna for its culture, the city and its history. You will have much more to take home with you.

(More photos at my Flickr profile here)

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Belihuloya to Pattipola on foot : Hiking 101

Team of 7 (Aged under 30)

1 Day in April 2012 (Avoid Monsoon and rainy seasons)

By Foot (Bus and Train at start and completion)

A hike is more often than not, one of those things that the heart wants but the body cannot handle.  This was one of those hikes.It was close to 30kms in length altogether and done in one single day. As insane as it may sound, it was an experience of a lifetime and there are a couple of things you can take away from the experiences we gathered. So read carefully J
We were a group of seven guys all under the age of 30. I thought of mentioning this at the outset since in retrospect, given that we weren’t skilled hikers, I believe this played a major part. We left Nawala at about 6 am and made our way to Pettah by bus. We took the bus to Belihuloya and arrived at our first destination – The Belihul Oya Rest House, about 2 hours later. It’s a 145 km journey. So if you didn’t get enough sleep the previous night, there is no better time than these two hours. After a quick breakfast we got ready to start the hike. One can obviously come prepared with state-of-the-art hiking gear but this is not mandatory. Here is a list of things that we found necessary and handy during the entirety of the hike. 

•  Leach socks/Lots of Sidhdhalepa or any other leach repellant
• Biker gloves/Full-finger gloves (Optional)
• Thick cotton socks
• Flexible, used yet good-soled shoes
• Light and preferably used cotton trousers
• Water and snacks such as biscuits, chocolates etc
• Woolly warm clothing and thick skull caps
• A GPS Device

There is a road called ‘Non Pereil Estate Road’ right next to the Rest House. You may or may not have ‘bokkuwa’ harboring fresh spring water. The locals assured us the water was good enough to drink. But we still had lots of water left within our supplies. So we resorted to just freshening up and re-vitalizing ourselves before the steep climb that is now in front of us.

noticed that as soon as you enter, to yout right at the entrance is a by road of about 10 feet in width going up towards the mountains. This is the ‘Non Pereil Estate Road’ which leads to the Non-Pereil Estate. Key point to note here is that you must always try to travel as light as possible. It is also important that you distribute the weight across group members so that the chances of people falling behind are minimized. The road is almost a main road with a bus service as well so there isn’t any GPS tracking to do yet. Lakdasun.com can give you the detailed GPS co-ordinates which we found quite useful. Once you walk about 3kms up, the road takes a natural turn to your left with a little by road leading you straight into the paddy fields. You can of course take the main road which will lead you straight to the estate, but we decided to take the shorter, harder and much much more scenic route through the paddy fields. At the end of this paddy field there is a local village-type

From the bokkuwa is a foot path leading up towards the pine forest. If you know how to read your co-ordinates correctly, you can come to a place on this path where you can cut across the pine forest and hike through the fallen the pine cones and branches.

The pine forest was a sight for sore eyes and a treat to all senses. The smell of fresh pine was so refreshing and the breeze was not too cold and not too hot against our skin. But the climb is as steep as it can get and before long, we were all out of breath and pausing every 50 meters to re-affirm our bearings. A hike like this can truly make you understand how much of a ‘Kolamba Kakka’ you actually are. An elderly lady from the estate came walking down through the forest and we chatted with her for a bit. She must have been about 70 years old but was as fit as a fiddle. The rest of the way we hiked through some absolutely gorgeous mountains with low lying greenery that allowed us to see the entire Sabaragamuwa province from a bird’s eye view. Personally I came to the realization that a hike is the best way to see the beauty of Sri Lanka J. This area is known as the ‘Ihala-Galagama’ area. Although not advisable, we did this hike during the monsoon season and were mortally afraid that the rain would pour down increasing the ‘degree of difficulty’ (I’ve always been fascinated by that term). But we were fortunate enough to experience only a very slight drizzle which faded away as fast as a teenage boy-band. Leeches did make their presence felt. But there were no severe attacks in any way and we were prepared with salt water and sidhdhalepa to repel the fellows.Some of us who were wearing pants found it more practical to tuck our pants into our socks so that leaches became visible.

Halfway through this leg we ran out of water. But there were enough fresh water streams and rock mountain drips with clean rain water. So we had no problem in improvising a bit and filling our containers. Further down our short-cut we arrived on the outskirts of the Non-Pareil Estate. It is a Tea Estate owned by Stassen’s. We cut across this and came across some ‘line’ houses which housed the estate workers. Since we were travelling light and was on a hike, we did not load our equipment with cooking utensils and rations for lunch. So we were banking on us being able to sweet talk one of these line houses to rustling up a meal for a few bucks. After numerous inquiries the family that was talking care of the estate bungalow agreed to heed our request. For 2000 Rupees, all 7 of us were fed with a hot meal consisting of some superlative ‘pol-sambol’, cabbage, salmon and another vegetable which I cannot remember now. We were also given a freshly made pot of hot plain-tea which was like Scotch Whiskey for us given that the temperatures had dropped greatly by this time. There was a summer hut at the bungalow which we used to chill and rest for a bit before starting on the second leg of the journey.

Lesson number one was learnt at this point. No matter how physically strong you are, you can never compete with Mother Nature. If you have Asthma or any other breath and lung related condition, its best if you come extra prepared for a hike like this and there is no shame in pulling out and going home when you find it difficult. One of our team members conceded that the high altitudes were proving a bit difficult for his asthma and he decided it was time to bail out. Along with him, another member of the team who was feeling the physical pains of the strenuous climb also decided to pull out since he was not confident of completing the hike. In such a situation, it is advisable to let the individuals pull out, keeping aside the moral intention of finishing the hike together. Health and Safety always comes first. Better to die in Colombo than on an exposed mountain J

The other mistake we did was trying to do such a long and strenuous hike in one day. Ideally if we had brought along camping gear, we could’ve camped at the estate with prior approval. But we threw caution to the wind and began the second phase of our hike at about 5.30 pm. This phase upon completion would land us right at the famed World’s End. However, the trail was overgrown and unused for the better part of the year and was almost non-existent. Not to mention the added factor of animals coming out in the night. This is when the GPS device came to our rescue. We were able to point mark the coordinates and walk through the jungle paving a path for ourselves. Daylight was receding extremely fast and by 6.30 or 7 pm we were in pitch darkness with only our flashlights and the GPS device to guide us. Although non-existent, the slight markings of a previous trail was visible upon close scrutiny and we stuck to this with four of us taking turns guiding the pack behind us while one guy was permanently allocated to the GPS device. There were massive holes, rock inclines, fallen tress etc. blocking our way and focus on the part of the pack leader became critical. Not to mention the occasional sounds of animals scurrying to safety and alerting each other of our presence. By this time, the enjoyment of taking in the scenery which we had during the morning session had turned to an adrenaline filled adventure ride.

After many twists and turns and a fair share of agitation, we finally reached World’s End. In essence, we reached world’s end through the back entrance. World’s End was no different from the famous pictures appearing all over the internet with the cement and concrete blocks across the floor enabling visitors to take in the experience. And it was indeed a drop. I am naturally scared of heights so this was the equivalent of winning an Olympic medal. The remaining five of us took a much needed breather on the concrete slabs and finally got on our feet to complete the 4 kilometers that we needed to walk to reach the entrance gate to Horton Plains.

Thus came our next mistake. We had followed a travel log appearing in a local travel blog to the letter up to this point. What the blog did not say was that entering Horton Plains through World’s End is illegal since all visitors to Horton Plains must have a ticket. We continued through Horton Plains towards the ‘World’s End Trail Head’ without this knowledge. I must say that Horton Plains is overwhelming even at night. The plains were absolutely massive with no high level trees as far as one could see. We could feel that we were in territory not owned by humans and there was a sense of eerie observation where we could literally feel the animals of this sanctuary watching our every move. However we were too tired to be worried about it and trudged our way to the entrance. Halfway down the ‘World’s End Road’, we were arrested by an officer of the Wildlife Conservation Department. This is the point at which we got to know that we were trespassing and were on the wrong side of the law. A point to note – trespassing at a wildlife sanctuary is a criminal offence since the officers are responsible and have to account for the safety of visitors. Always, always get a pass or prior approval in an instance such as this. However, we were able to make our situation known to the officer who was then nice enough to drop us not at the top of the Trail Head, but at the entrance to the park itself. From here on it was only 5kms to the Pattipola station – which is the end of our hike. A good milestone to keep in mind is that you will have to pass the turn off to Ohiya on to your right. Continue straight on down the Pattipola-Horton Plains road to reach the station.

The time was past 10 in the night. We were exhausted and there was no sign of human life anywhere close by. But animal life was aplenty. We could clearly see yellow bright lights observing us from the trees and bushes above us, moving stealthily. The noises were getting slightly unsettling by this time. So for the first time in the hike a couple of us decided to arm ourselves with a couple of strong and light branches in the form of protection. It was an overwhelming feeling to be surrounded by so much nature, that one can’t help but realize how small a speck of life you are on this gigantic earth.

Pattipola couldn’t come any sooner. The sight of the station was like heaven for the five of us. The schedule showed the next train to Colombo at 6.30 in the morning if I remember correctly. So we all decided to cover up ourselves as much as possible and lie down to get some sleep.

Then came our next challenge. Pattipola was as cold as a refrigerator. We knew that this was the highest station in the country and were ready for some cold weather - but not this cold. Everything was ice cold. A couple of us who were too tired to care just fell asleep on the benches. But the others walked around in as warm clothing as possible looking for a warm enough place to lie down. Needless to say this was not a great experience. Finally we decided to improvise and hop on a train going towards Badulla and jump on the train going to Colombo which will cross us at some station between Pattipola and Badulla. The train was obviously warmer and we were able to get seats. This was one of the best decisions we made and we were asleep and comfortable in no time.

Somewhere around 6 am, we met the train going back towards Colombo, hopped in and settled ourselves on the floor of the canteen carriage for the 12 hour journey back to Colombo. The rest of the passengers were not very happy with us since we were flat bang across the corridor. But they were not privy to the amazing experience we went through and we felt like kings who should not be disturbed J

If you have the physical and mental capacity, by all means do this hike. But my advice is to do it across two days and camp overnight at Non Perail Estate. Also, get the prior approval of the Wildlife Conservation Department to use the back entrance to Horton Plains.

The links to the GPS Coordinates can be found in this webpage at Lakdasun.com. More pictures of beautiful Sri Lanka witnessed in this hike can be found on my Flickr profile.

Travel safe and responsibly. Take nothing but memories and leave nothing but footprints J

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