Enchanting Mountain Trails
10 Days/ 09 Nights
Dambulla, Riverstone, Knuckles, Kandy, Kegalle
Jetwing Lake,Nagala Bungalow Campsite, Riverstone Campsite, Sandalu Bungalow Campsite, Hotel Suisse, Elephant Bay Hotel
- Minneriya National Park
- Andawala Buddhist Temple
- Village of Hinguranketa
- Riverstone
- Manigala Rock
- The Knuckles Mountain Range
- Meemure Village
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
Day 01
Program: We will meet you at the airport with a nice chilled Ice Tea and transfer you to Sigiriya; the cultural heart of Sri Lanka. Guest who arrive in the morning will have the opportunity to choose to either climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress OR go for an evening Safari at Minneriya National Park. Before dinner we will brief the entire group about the next few challenging days.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress: – a “UNESCO World Heritage Site” and the 5th Century “Fortress in the Sky” is perhaps the most fantastic single wonder of the Island. It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the Palace some 600ft high. On its summit are the foundations of the Royal Palace. Also on the summit are the water tanks that used incredibly modern hydraulic techniques to supply water to the palace and surrounding gardens. On one of the stairways remains the only known ancient work of Sinhala secular painting. Frescoes of 21 life sized damsels in all the freshness and delicacy of their original colour remain.
The Water Gardens, Fountain Garden, summerhouse, Boulder Gardens and the Caves with the enclosed are should not be missed.
Minneriya National Park: – This 8889 hectare national park is famous for its large population of elephants in herds of 100 to 150 roaming in the jungle and seen in the catchment area of the lake.
About 300 wild elephants, wild buffaloes, wild boar, spotted deer, sloth bear, Sambhur, crocodiles, jackals, 9 kinds of amphibians, 25 kinds of reptiles, 160 species of birds, 26 varieties of fishes, 78 varieties of butterflies make their home in the Minneriya National Park.
Jetwing Lake
Superior room
Full Board Basis
Day 02
HIKE TO GAMMADUWA (8kms)
Program: After an early breakfast we transfer (1.5hrs) to the small village of Andawala which is the trail head. Before setting of we will say a prayer and receive the blessing of the monks at the Andawala Buddhist Temple. Our hike starts of through tiny village paths and then leading across small paddy farms. We will walk along tiny irrigation streams for the first 2kms before turning off into the forest. We continue our journey through patches of forest interspaced with pepper farms till we reach the village of Hinguranketa. Here we take a short break and refill our bottles before the next stretch. The remaining hike is on tiny jeep paths till we reach the forest bungalow whose surrounding lawns will be our campsite for the night. Around the campfire we can listen to local folk songs with a hot cup of tea in our hands.
Nagala Bungalow Campsite
Camp
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 03
HIKE TO RIVERSTON (16.5kms)
Program: Today we head to Riverston, known for its beautiful vistas of Sri Lankan Hill Country. Our hike starts from the remote Gammaduwa village. We start climbing uphill through pine forests and get onto the only trail to the extremely remote Kargastene village. This remote village is completely isolated and supports only a small farming family. From here the scenery completely changes and we hike across a large grass land for a few kilometres before heading back into the jungle. Our route crosses small reservoirs and streams before we reach the village of Puwakpitiya where we stop for lunch. A lunch that you will need to help cook! A nearby waterfall is a great place to go for a small swim before the next stretch of our arduous journey. From the village we need to climb through the forests to reach Riverston. Our path takes us through dense jungles that sometimes host elephants. We come out of the jungle in front of the famous Mini World’s End. The last stretch is on jeep trails up until the main road.
Riverstone Campsite
Camp
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 04
RIVERSTONE DAY HIKE TO MANIGALA ROCK (13kms)
Program: After a scrumptious breakfast we take on our 3rd hiking day. Today from our base at Riverstone we head to famed Manigala Rock. We start of on the village bus road before turning of onto smaller village back roads. We pass through bright green paddy fields. It is interesting to see paddy grown using the step farming or “Helmalu” method necessary in hilly areas. Our climb then takes us through the forests with a lot of small streams to cross. We then begin our climb to the top of Manigala Rock. From the top we can see the mighty Knuckles range which we will tackle the next day. After spending some time on the peak we begin our hike down back to our campsite.
Riverstone Campsite
Camp
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 05
RIVERSTONE TO KABARAGALA (15kms)
Program: Today is a long winding day that showcases the vegetation in the area. We start in pine forests along jeep trails for the first half of the hike. There are beautiful views of the valleys around us the entire way. We then cross some thick forest brush and enter into cardamom plantations. We pass a small superstitious forest temple where people from all over Sri Lanka come to perform animal sacrifices. Our path then continues along the Thelganu Oya river till we finally come out into Tea Country! We walk the last few kilometers through a tea estate before getting into the busses and heading to our campsite for the night
Sandalu Bungalow Campsite
Camp
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 06
KNUCKLES PEAK HIKE (13kms)
Program:. Today we summit the famed Knuckles. Our hike begins on a jeep trail that soon gives way to Tea estates. We shall visit a tea factory and get a tour on the process. We then head into the jungle to begin the difficult climb up to the summit. At 1900m asl it is one of the higher peaks in Sri Lanka. Our path snakes through tea estates and jungles. We also pass many small waterfalls on the way up. Hopefully it is a clear day because the view from the top is breath-taking. After eating our packed lunch on the top we begin our descent back down. We then get back to our camp site again.
Knuckles Range: - The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District. Whilst this name was assigned by early British surveyors, the Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning Mist-laden Mountain Range (Cooray, 1984).
Sandalu Bungalow Campsite
Camp
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 07
KNUCKLES TO MEEMURE | KANDY – 1.5 hours drive
Program: We’ve saved the best for our last day. Today we cross the Knuckles range through the scenic Corbett’s Gap. Our hike begins through crossing small streams. We could also spend some time swimming in a waterfall pool. We pass rice paddies and coconut groves and enter a heavily forested area. The trail climbs gently for an hour and then levels out and undulates though this wonderful forest. The only sounds we can hear is the birdsong all around us. We emerge from the forest at Meemure village and looking back we get great views of the pointed peak of Lakegala. After a refreshing swim in a waterfall we transfer to Kandy.
Celebratory dinner at hotel Suisse.
Hotel Suisse
Standard Room
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 08
KANDY EXPLORATIONS | KEGALLE
Program: Today is our well earned day of rest after the challenging past few days. We spend the day at leisure. Go for a massage in the hotel spa. Or if requested we can organise special day tours of Kandy City. In the evening we can visit the Temple of the Tooth, a sacred Buddhist temple.
Kandy: the hill capital is another “UNESCO World Heritage Sites”. It was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese Kings during the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and was finally ceded to the British in 1815.
To the Buddhist of Sri Lanka and the World, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
Today it is the center of Buddhism, Arts, Crafts, Dancing, Music and Culture.
Visitors can see these Dance & Music at the daily Cultural Performances held at several places in the city.
Elephant Bay Hotel
Standard Room
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 09
PROJECT DAY
Program: Full project day at Kegalle Site
Elephant Bay Hotel
Standard Room
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10
DEPARTURE
Breakfast
Program: We will transfer (3hrs) you from Kegalle to the airport in time for your return flight.
Alternatively we can offer beach supplements.
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