| Day 01 |
Arrive in Sri Lanka to be met by a representative of H E M T O U R S and transfer Bolgoda, Colombo. |
| |
Bolgoda Lake is the largest and most beautiful fresh water lake with the highest bio-diversity in the island. The added advantage is that it is situated not more than 20km from the commercial capital Colombo. It is full of mangroves giving rise to a rich diversity in aquatic fauna and flora. |
| |
By the water's edge of this lake is a luxurious holiday bungalow named The Medagama River Retreat. The calmness and tranquility of the area adds to the charm of the bungalow and its surrounds . The River Retreat with an experienced chef to cater to the taste buds of discerning guests , has three air-conditioned rooms and a spacious garden. The expansive lawn is an ideal play ground for kids of all ages. Furthermore, the Retreat has its own swimming pool & for adventure lovers , its own Mini boat-house where supervised canoe & boat rides can be arranged. |
| |
Overnight : Resort in Madagama |
|
|
| Day 02 |
Early at 7.00 am, leave for the Singharaja tropical rain forest. You will be driven to the starting point of the trek. Start the trek 5.2 kms from Deniyaya , crossing one of the most known low country tea estates – Ensalwatte Tea Estate. From there you will proceed 6-7 km till you see an escarpment onto your right. Just before entering the forest you will see a typical small rural house. Once you reach a small stream a bit further on, the real journey begins here as you proceed through the forest itself ! |
| |
You will have to climb in the dense forest along a (sometimes difficult) footpath from an elevation of 391m to 1080m - the highest level of this forest. Though it is only 14 km trek, it may take up to 03 hours due to the tough terrain. |
| |
The vehicle will be ready at the other side of the border when you emerge from the forest and will drive you to the base of Adam’s Peak (Ratnapura side). Make the most of the rest time during the journey – a long night of hiking lies ahead of you! |
| |
With packed supper, snacks and drinks begin the Adam’s Peak climb in the evening with experienced local guides |
| |
Overnight : Adams Peak in Sleeping Bags |
|
|
| Day 03 |
Watch the sunrise from Adam’s Peak and then come down to the base, where the vehicle will pick you up and drive you to a Planter’s Bungalow in Bogowanthalawa for a late breakfast |
| |
Relax for the rest of the morning |
| |
Afternoon, short trail through a Tea Plantation for 02 to 03 hours |
| |
Overnight : |
|
|
| Day 04 |
After breakfast, drive to the starting point for the Bogowanthalawa / Galpothuthenna trail and continue trekking in the morning from Bogawantalawa to Galpothuthenna. |
| |
This is a trail of massive diversity – through forest, jungle, tea plantation and grassland, with ascents, descents and flat terrain, desolate and inhabited areas, changing vegetation types and some of the most spectacular views in Sri Lanka. |
| |
Beginning in the Bogowanthalawa tea plantation itself, you then start a rapid ascent up through a jungle terrain. When you come out of the jungle, you reach a more open grassland terrain, similar to the landscape of the famous ‘Horton Plains’ (which is situated only slightly higher up). You are sure to see the footprints of the leopards and sambhar deer that roam there (you may even spot the animals themselves if you are very lucky!). Along the way, you will follow the river, also noticing a number of man-made holes (the result of the gem-mining that goes on in the area). |
| |
You will then go back into a scrub jungle area where the next part of the trail takes you on a footpath towards the ‘Non-Pereil’ tea estate. On the way, you will cross the Belihuloya river – an ideal place to take a break for lunch and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. |
| |
On coming out of the ‘jungle tunnel’, you can see for miles beyond, including the ‘Samanalawewa’ reservoir and the dam itself. You will pass the tea pickers’ houses, vegetable plots, a small nursery school before reaching the ‘Non Pareil’ tea plantation itself. Heading down through the tea plantation, you will get to a more sparse and rocky area, you will continue on through forest patches where you can see bear monkeys and a wide variety of birds. This part of the descent is rather steep – the panoramic views are incredible! The last part of the trail leads down through a dense pine tree plantation and finishes up at the small village of ‘Galpothuthenna’. You will be met by the vehicle at Galpothuthenna and driven to the River Garden Resort, Belihuloya |
| |
Overnight : |
|
|
| Day 05 |
After breakfast, start the Kinchigune / Hulan Ella Falls trail. Start the trail from the Eco Lodge at the small village of Kinchigune, overlooking the famous Samanalawewa Reservoir |
| |
The trail goes through paddy fields, past vegetable plots, forest patches and even a Buddhist temple. Beyond the temple, it goes through a very small village into a completely uninhabited area, characterised by intermittent patches of forest and savanna, eventually leading to the Walawe River. The river marks the 8km point of the trail, but to continue on we cross it at ‘Mulgammankada’ and hike through the Riverine Forest, alongside and down the river. During this next part of the trail, one will not come across any human habitation, and apart from an occasional small group or two of gem miners, who come to this desolate area and camp out here to mine for gems, one will not meet other humans on the way. After another 2km walk, we come to a beautiful rocky area where there is a waterfall of about 40 ft in height. This waterfall is called ‘Hulan Ella’ or the ‘Walawe Ganga Falls (West)’. The beautiful, serene, and ever-changing forest next to the river and waterfall is home to an abundance of varying flora and fauna. The flora and fauna in this area consists of the occasional migratory Elephant, Sambhur Deer, Indian Munjak, Flying and Giant Squirrels, many birds (Changeable Hawk Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Stork Billed kingfisher, Gray Hornbill etc.), Lizards (3 endemic), Geckos, Skinks, Snakes, Amphibians, Snails, Butterflies and Fishes. |
| |
This will be camping on a “participatory basis” where guests will assist the staff in setting up the Camp and in the cooking. |
| |
Overnight : Camp at Hulan Ella |
|
|
| Day 06 |
Breakfast at the Camp and decamp. Continue trekking from Hulan Ella to Duviliella & then proceed in a vehicle to Belihuloya again. |
| |
HULAN ELLA / DUVILI ELLA FALLS TREK - A trek through through the forest, passing a place where the river divides in to three and flows down as three streams for about 300 metres before rejoining. Always remaining in the cool shade of the Riverine Forest, we reach our final destination in time for lunch. At the end of 10km walk from ‘Hulan Ella’ we come to the ‘pièce de resistance’ – the majestic, breathtaking and awesome ‘Duwili Ella Falls’. This waterfall is also called the ‘Walawe Ganga Falls (East)’. It plunges a dramatic 80 ft from a level rocky ground into a large deep pool at the base. The falling of the water creates a cloud of spray, resembling a cloud of dust (hence the name ‘Duwili Ella’ – in Sinhalese, ‘Duwili’ means ‘dust’ and ‘Ella’ is ‘waterfall’) |
| |
After lunch at the Duvili Ella Falls there is a short climb up some steps where you will be met by your vehicle and driven to Yala via Hambegamuwa passing through typical Srilanakan village’s, taking narrow by roads. |
| |
Overnight : |
|
|
| Day 07 |
After breakfast, embark on a full day Safari of Yala National Park which lies 24 km northeast of Tissamaharama and 290km from Colombo on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka and spans Southern and Uva provinces. The park consists of 97,878ha. The altitude is 90m from sea level. The vegetation in this park comprises secondary forest, possibly a few hundred years old at the most. It is predominantly semi-arid thorny-scrub, interspersed with pockets of fairly dense forest. Small patches of mangrove vegetation occur along the costal lagoons. Yala is renowned for the variety of its wildlife and its fine coastline and associated coral reefs. A large number of important cultural ruins bear testimony to earlier civilizations and indicate that, much of the area was populated and well developed. |
| |
On completion, proceed to Colombo |
| |
Overnight : |
|
|
| Day 08 |
Transfer to Airport for departure |
| |
|
| |
|
