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Day 01 |
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Arrive in Sri Lanka to be met by a representative of DTSL and transfer Bolgoda, Colombo. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Overnight : Resort in Madagama |
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Day 02 |
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Early at
7.00 am, leave for the Singharaja tropical rain . 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 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 itself ! |
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You will
have to climb in the dense along a (sometimes difficult) footpath from
an elevation of 391m to 1080m - the highest level of this . Though it is
only 14 km trek, it may take up to 03 hours due to the tough terrain. |
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The
vehicle will be ready at the other side of the border when you emerge
from the 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! |
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With packed supper, snacks and drinks begin the Adam's Peak climb in the evening with experienced local guides |
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Overnight : Adams Peak in Sleeping Bags |
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Day 03 |
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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 |
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Relax for the rest of the morning |
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Afternoon, short trail through a Tea Plantation for 02 to 03 hours |
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Day 04 |
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After
breakfast, drive to the starting point for the Bogowanthalawa /
Galpothuthenna trail and continue trekking in the morning from
Bogawantalawa to Galpothuthenna. |
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This is a
trail of massive diversity - through , 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. |
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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). |
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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. |
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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 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 |
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Day 05 |
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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 |
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The
trail goes through paddy fields, past vegetable plots, 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 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 , 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 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. |
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This will be camping on a "participatory basis" where guests will assist the staff in setting up the Camp and in the cooking. |
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Overnight : Camp at Hulan Ella |
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Day 06 |
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Breakfast
at the Camp and decamp. Continue trekking from Hulan Ella to Duviliella
& then proceed in a vehicle to Belihuloya again. |
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HULAN ELLA
/ DUVILI ELLA FALLS TREK - A trek through through the , 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 , 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') |
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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. |
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Day 07 |
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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 , possibly a few hundred years old at
the most. It is predominantly semi-arid thorny-scrub, interspersed with
pockets of fairly dense . 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. |
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On completion, proceed to Colombo |
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Day 08 |
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Transfer to Airport for departure |
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