Etanwela Village

I know for a fact that the best scenic places on earth exist in the most remote locations. Recently I visited such a place in the Knuckles Mountains and experienced a truly inspiring journey to one of the most secluded locations in Sri Lanka.

The ‘Etanwela’ village is one of the few villages situated within Knuckles mountain region. The entire village is in a valley surrounded by mountains. Some of the best hiking venues in the Knuckles Mountains are located close to this village. Riverston, Pitawalapathana, Maningala and Kalupahana are some of them.

You can reach Etanwela via Raththota – Pallegama Road. The village is situated about 2000 feet above sea level and is home to 46 families. They have plenty of paddy fields, vegetable cultivation and cattle. In addition there is a village temple, a school and houses with basic facilities. The village is self sufficient, although a city dweller might not find many luxuries he enjoys in the town.

It is worth to note that, Mr. Dissanayake, elderly villager who himself worked as a district officer for the Department of Agriculture helped me and the team in finding the exact route to reach some of the significant locations surrounding this village.

As you can see from the picture above, the view from the village is spectacular. This is one of the places where I can appreciate the simple way of life.