(From Bambarella through Kalupahana along Kalu-ganga to Rambukoluwa and Pallegama)
Amidst the freezing cold and thick mist, we managed to pack our camping gear early in the morning and start the hike. Our plan was to climb down a little further and find a way to go around the mountain to avoid the cliff, so it took about one and a half hours when we were climbing another mountain, which seemed to be to the east where the huge cliff was, and could get to the top of it where there was another cloud forest beginning from the top, which we had no choice but to cross. You can see the mountain I mentioned below (first photo) and the forest on top (second photo). If you zoom in, you’ll notice the cardamom trees, which are about 6 feet tall. This is the sight that made us jump for joy, since this was the first clue that our first destination was closer.
There was a vague trail as we entered the dark cloud forest patch. It could’ve been because of wild animals like Sambhar deer or wild boars, but since cardamom trees were there, there was some probability to assume that it may be due to human activity. We moved on at a faster pace, climbing up and down. As we went deeper, the forest got darker, with stiff dark green vegetation and a thick forest canopy. It was getting hard to move forward.
The map indicated a range of connected plains like mountain peaks, so we decided to climb up. Within no time, we realized it was tough as hell but giving up was not an option at that time. The main obstacle was the thick pygmy forests closer to the peak. Once we passed that, the scenery was unbelievable. It felt like floating in the sky. The peak, with an altitude of about 1800m, was like a plain but covered with pygmy forests that were not more than 3 feet tall. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos because of the heavy winds and thick mist. Soon we found out that this was a kingdom of Sambhar deer. There were resting places and trails everywhere and we followed the trails leading to the direction of our destination- North East.
The quick decision to climb up the mountain made our journey easy. After crossing several peaks, we entered the forest patch again and it was a descent. We had passed the highest parts of the Knuckles Range and KMP-Vadiya is located somewhat lower in altitude, so it was wise to follow a stream down. Soon we discovered a little footpath and within 50 meters, a new structure that was being built (supposed to be illegal). We were overjoyed since this is confirmation of human activity, but we found no one; instead, there was a clear footpath heading in the direction of KMP Vadiya.
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| Signs of human activity (illegal) |
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| Abandoned Cardamom Estate |
Finally, after getting lost in the trail a few times and passing overgrown abandoned cardamom estates, we approached our first destination-KMP-Vadiya.
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| KMP-Vadiya (Abandoned Cardamon Barn) |
Time was 2.45pm, no human sign in the barn. The second destination of our hike-Doowili Falls, located at the beginning of Kalu-ganga; we knew it was closer and also had a cave, which was appropriate for an overnight stay. Since there were only a few hours left before dark, we decided to give it a try. A trail ran besides the barn through abandoned cardamom estates, passing a tree-trunk bridge and suddenly it branched off into two trails. We chose the trail on the right and it went passing a large grassland (pathana) where we found a burnt down structure (probably a barn burned down by the department of forest). The famous “Thunhisgala” mountain could also be viewed from this pathana.
The trail ran across the pathana and entered the forest, ending up at an abandoned cardamom estate. Even after a strenuous search, we found absolutely no evidence that the trail we took leads to Doowili Falls. We had walked more than 4 km from KMP-Vadiya. It was about 5 p.m., so we had no choice but to return to the barn before it got dark, thinking of taking the other trail first thing in the morning.
The night at KMP-Vadiya was way better than the previous night. Inside was warmer and had a separate small kitchen where we could enjoy milk coffee after having bread for dinner.
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