Alive

Although the tree looks almost dead but it is not. A new branch has sprung with full of life.

This picture was taken at Yala National Park.

Uda Walawe

Uda Walawe National Park is situated about 160 kilometers from Colombo and it belongs to both Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces. The park is situated in a plain area but you can see mountains from North and West. The western perimeter is in fact made of Rakwana Mountains.

The reservoir is man made, but it has seamlessly merged with the natural eco system. River Walawe is the main water resource.

It is one of the best parks in Sri Lanka to see wild elephants. You can see more details here.

Yala National Park

Yala is a small area in the south east coast of Sri Lanka . The name ‘Yala’ is well-known as Sri Lanka’s most famous and the second largest national park (Ruhunu National Park) is given the same name. In fact Yala is a part of the park itself.

Yala is situated about 300 km from Colombo . The park is about 1000 square kilometers and it spreads in three districts (Hambanthota, Monaragala and Ampara) belong to three provinces.

The southern part is known as Block 1 and it is the more popular section. The entry point to this section is situated at Palatupana. Nimalawa sanctuary is situated adjacent to this entry point. Western and Northern Parts, belong to Uva Province, are comprised of Yala Blocks 3, 4 and 5. Kataragama and Katagamuwa sanctuaries are situated in the west, adjacent to the park. The eastern part of Yala, belongs to Eastern Province is now known as Kumana National Park. This was recently opened to the public after many years of isolation due to security reasons.

Yala is more famous for its fauna than flora. Elephant, leopard and bear sightings are regarded as prized ones while deer, crocodiles, wild boar and wild buffalos are quite common sights. It is also a paradise for birders.

Yala is situated in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The jungle is mostly made of dry monsoon forests, thorny forests and grasslands. Among the larger varieties, Palu trees are quite common. This area gets water from two main rivers (Kumbukkan Oya and Menik Ganga), but those also run dry during dry seasons. A few tanks in the park keep all the animals alive during dry periods. One prominent tank is Butawa Wewa, which is known as the last water resource that remains even during heavy draughts.

Yala is famous for its historical significance as well. Quite a few ancient ruins are scattered in these areas and some are yet to be discovered. There are a few prominent temples situated within this park. Sithul Pahuwa is the most famous temple which is situated on top of a rocky outcrop. There are a few more rocky outcrops in the park and some of the more prominent ones are Akasa Chethiya (Elephant Rock), Jamburagala and Pimburagala.

The Indian Ocean is the southern boundary of Yala and it has some of the most beautiful and unique beaches in Sri Lanka like, Patanangala, Kumana and Minihagalkanda.

Yala is one of the must-go-places in Sri Lanka and I shall bring more about this place soon.

This post was selected for Kottu Section of week end news paper, The Sunday Leader.

Udawaththa Kele

This is a wonderful forest reserve situated within the city of Kandy. It is located in a hill just behind the famous Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa).

The forest area is nicely kept and there are many walkways across it. This reserve is a sanctuary for bird lovers and there are many varieties of flowers also can be seen. The view of the city from here is very charming and you can even see the picturesque Hanthana Mountain too as shown in the picture above.

I have attached more pictures here and you can find detailed information about Udawaththa Kele in this link.

Anawilundawa

This interesting scenery was seen at a place called Anawilundawa in the Puttalam District. You can reach here via Colombo – Puttalam Road. A traveler had to turn towards the sea side after Baththulu Oya.

This area is connected to Mundal Lagoon South of Puttalam. It is a marshy area but very scenic in its own unique way. The watery landscape is full of different types of water lilies like Olu and Manel. The land is generally grassy but lots of thick forest patches can be seen.

It is a great place for bird watchers and to my knowledge, Anawilundawa is already identified as a bird sanctuary.

Horton Plains

This is a unique place for hiking in Sri Lanka. The cool climate will add spice to this picturesque venue. In Sinhala this is known as 'Maha-Eliya'.

There are many routes to this place and more famous ones are via Nuwara Eliya and Haputhale. This is situated aound 7000 feet above sea level, so easily it becomes the highest plain in Sri Lanka. You can reach here by train as well. It is only 7km to the plain from Pattipola Station.

There are three camp sites which can be reserved from the Department of Wild Life. All three sites are really good and I recommend you the one closer to Chimney Pool, which is one of the best camping sites I have ever been.

The total area of the plain (Nature Reserve) is more than 25 sq.km and most area is covered with rich coarse grass. Also there are good amount of forest patches everywhere. These are full of typical short trees with small leaves accustomed to windy and cold climates here. The undergrowth is very thick and walking in these forests is not easy. The same forests and grass land are home for many wild animals

There is no limit to beautiful places that you can visit here. Some of the prominent locations are listed below but there are many more.

1. World's End (a precipice with over 1000m drop)
2. Baker's Falls
3. Kirigalpoththa Mountain Trail
4. Thotupola Mountain Trail

In simple words, Horton Plains is a paradise for hikers!

Thotupola the Third

Thotupola Kanda (mountain) in Horton Plains is the third highest point in Sri Lanka (2360 metres above sea level). The climb to the top is quite easy and a good starting point for a young hiker.

When you travel from Nuwara Eliya to Horton Plains via Pattipola - Ohiya Road, The trail entry point lies about 400m from Pattipola main entrance of the Horton Plains Reserve. The entire hike to the top will take about 1 hour and the total climb will be less than 200m. The first bit will be through tall shrubs and then you will come to an open terrain with shorter shrubs. You need to come to a mini peak before the Thotapola main peak. The top of the mountain is full of thick vegetation so it is bit diffcult to see a panaromic view but still the view is awesome. You can clearly see a good half of the plain and Farr Inn (The place where world's end trail starts) from the peak.

Since this peak is within the nature reserve you need to get prior approval from the Department of Wild Life.

Cool Streams of Horton Plains

Horton Plains is the highest plain in Srilanka situated above 2000 metres from the sea-level. It is at the lower edge of Central Province and plenty of cool springs of water sprung from this area and flow towards lower lands below. Belihuloya, which is a tributary of River Walawe, is one such stream made of the water from the plain. Horton plain is a principal catchment for the main rivers of Sri Lanka.

Any hiker will find hundreds of such streams all over the plain and there are many beautiful waterfalls created from them. A lot of hiking routes like the one to kirigalpoththa are signposted according to these streams.

Knuckles Range

This is one of the best places for hiking in Sri Lanka. Depending on your liking you can choose either easier or harder track. This absorbing area is situated in the north edge of central highlands.

One important factor is that this forest, gets rain from both North East and South West Monsoons. So it will be quite wet most of the time and a climber should be ready with appropriate gear to fight heavy rain.

There are many roads to enter this area and the most popular one are Bambarella via Wattegama and Luluwatte via Hunnasgiriya. Also you can reach the north side of Knuckles Range via Pallegama. See my past post for details - Pitawalapathana.

Any avid nature lover or a hiker will find the seventh heaven here! This mountain range is home to number of indegenous flora and fauna. There are plenty of hiking routes through this forest and some of the notable routes are Knuckles Mountain, Kalupahana Mountain, Meemure Village and nitre caves. Also if you like further adventure you can do a longer trip across the range from Looluwatte to Pallegama! For that you need some past hiking experience or guidance from an experienced hiker. I will bring each and every track in details with my future posts.

Minneriya Safari

Although you are not allowed to walk in this nature reserve, this is one of the most picturesque nature parks in Sri Lanka. Hence I thought, I must write something about this beautiful place.

The exact name is Minneriya Girithale Nature reserve as it spread around and between two tanks known by the same names. you can reach there on Habarana - Polonnaruwa Road.There are lots of animals in this park and you are sure to see lots of wild elephants in vast grassy lands adjoining the tanks. The view is spectacular!