| Year and Month | May, 2013 (24th) |
| Number of Days | One Day Trip |
| Crew | 8 (between 28-45 years of age; I’m of course not sure 100% about this  ) – Sri and the Clan – Danushka and his wife (Thilini) and his friend (Harsha), Tony, Harinda and his two friends (Wuminda and Prince) and our driver Indika. |
| Accommodation | N/A |
| Transport | Hired Van (Mazda Bongo) |
| Activities | Hiking / Photography / Getting to know others |
| Weather | Excellent for hiking – (It was dark and gloomy and even drizzling at times but didn’t disturb our journey one bit) |
| Route |
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| Tips, Notes and Special remark |
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| Author | SriAbey |
| Comments | Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread |
There can’t be many people who haven’t been to Kandy along A1 or by Train, can they?
If there is, well I suggest you do it some time
The people who’ve been on either along the road or by train must have seen a gorgeous girlie from Kadugannawa towards Aranayake. She’s so unique and iconic; you simply can’t have missed seeing her. I’ve seen many people including myself, craning their necks out of the windows to get a better look at her.
She simply is irresistible. From far away, you see the similarity between her and Sigiriya. That’s why many call her “Little Sigiriya”. It’s been etched in my memory from the very first day that a closer look would be grand. So joining Lakdasun speeded things up for me. So much better, instead of a closer look, I wanted to climb her.
Note: Harinda was not happy about me calling all these mountains She/Her. What can I do? 
I always feel that way towards them. Fortunately Tony managed to convince him that was the best thing to do
So after the strenuous hike of Great Western (got a call yesterday that she misses me big time ), out of nowhere, Harinda suddenly suggested we take Tony with us on a hike. He’s someone who always comments on a trip report, encouraging us and we wanted to take him with us on a mild hike (according to Harinda) first. Not that he can’t do a strenuous one; we just wanted to get to know other members better, you know
When asked Tony, he very willingly agreed to and making things more interesting, Danushka too wanted to get on board with his wife. Sheham agreed as well as he hadn’t done Bathalegala before. Harinda got a couple of friends and we were ready to rock and roll. Danushka, Sheham and Tony messaged that they would be free on Vesak Poya day and Harinda and I too decided to give it a go as well.
Danushka arranged the vehicle (very reasonable rates, contact Danushka should you require the contact details) and everything was on course until 23rd evening when Sheham unfortunately got injured with his arm and had to pull out. Danushka filled in the vacant space with his friend Harsha, another Danushka-esque grand hiker and photographer.
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Trip Highlights:
- Bathalegala Hike
- Asupini Ella – Unfortunately we took the wrong path and couldn’t get close to her.
Danushka picked me around 5.00am on 24th and we then proceeded to Pelawatte to pick Harinda and his two friends (seasoned hikers, Wuminda and Prince). We headed towards Peliyagoda to pick the man of the moment, Tony and he was all dressed up for the fancy-dress-parade and waiting impatiently for our arrival. So all 8 of us with our reliable driver Indika finally started hitting the accelerator along A1.
Tony insisted that he’s gonna do the trip report but I wouldn’t hear any of it. Under so much pressure, he had to give in. Harinda then chipped in and promised to give him a chance probably next time. You should’ve seen his sorry face and I almost felt like giving up writing.
One more important thing. If it was us travelling with own friends or maybe even relatives, we would’ve been chatting about some gossip or some other thing which is useless. But when we all got together, it was all like an encyclopedia had opened up on 4 wheels. We talked about Ravana and many legends related to him, nature trails, Knuckles, environmental issues, etc. and it was so interesting and we didn’t even know that we had reached Warakapola where we planned to have breakfast at Waahalkada. That’s what happens when like-minded people get together working towards a common worthy cause. Wuminda’s sharpness helped us slow down just in time.
It was busy inside but we managed to grab ourselves seats overlooking the adjoining river and the food was delicious but a bit expensive for our like. After about half hour, we set off again, the sky was dark and gloomy, however I was hopeful for good weather. Again, tummy full and armed to the teeth, we were back on road and started discussing what we are good at talking about: Nature. It was a privilege to have experience guys like Tony and Danushka whose input was invaluable.
Tony had brought us a map and he knew the roads really well and Harinda kept joking Tony’s second name was Road. We reached Givilipitiya and stopped at a shop to buy some more rations. Then Tony showed us how nicely we can see the rock from the road. I hurried out of the van and followed by Wuminda to get a better pic from far. There was a co-operative shop closed due to Poya and we took some great shots from there.
Then the help of locals we reached the Bathlegala turning and followed the concrete-paved road towards the trail head. About 500-600m before, the road was impassable in our van and we decided to walk up. Anyway it’s good if you do that coz you can see the surrounding and get a sense of the lives of those people.
As it was Vesak Poya day, all the entrances to the houses were decorated with coconut leaves (Gok Kola). We were surprised at first and someone even said it must be a funeral but when Tony asked a village person, we got to know the real reason. An interesting thing and to our joy, we saw a Dansala serving soft drinks with pieces of apple sprinkled on top along with good old Marie biscuits.
It was good timing as were already starting to get exhausted and we had our fair share and Harinda and Wuminda (It rhymes nicely) almost emptied the whole Dansala. Then it was time to do the trail and we kept going till we came to a rubber plantation where the track leads you to further up. There’s a notice put up on a rubber tree showing you the path.
Danushka won’t simply leave any stone, plant, insect, butterfly, etc. waiting patiently for a perfect opportunity. We went up led by Tony and soon entered a forest patch. It was thick overhead cover from various trees about 500m till we reach the steps built along the rock upwards. They even have put up a cable and it’s really helpful when climbing down.
Surprise, whenever I said “Boys, let’s make a move”, Tony was the first to react, raising his arm as if to show his presence. He even claims that he’s the youngest-looking father among his children’s parents (This couldn’t be independently verified due to immense pressure from the father himself).
Prince kept us going with his never-ending stories of various kinds from politics to nature. It was hilarious to hear that Prince been telling a mixture of few stories together and Tony had trouble making head or tail of them.
Another thing was Tony’s strong protest against colonialism and the names we inherited from them for which I fully agreed. We keep calling Torrington square for our Independence square and many other places we use those brutal and barbaric governors names. Thanks to Danushka, we learnt that Baker’s falls has a Sinhala name which is Gonagala falls. It’s a pity we still call that beautiful fall after the Elephant killer.
As a result Tony kept calling Prince, Kumara (translated version) and it was a hit and everybody started calling him by that name. Eventually he stopped responding if we call Prince. However, Kumara got shortened as the day went on and finally it was just “Mara” without Ku. It was all smiles and laughs all the way and we reached the summit before midday. By the way Tony hit it off with Prince and kept say that he’s a “Jolly Baduwak”.
The moment we hit the top, everyone turned themselves into Photographers, Models, Actors and various Hollywood characters as if in a trance. You can get a clear 360-degree-view from the top and I heard clicking noises nonstop. Believe me; you can’t be satisfied even if you take million pics. You wanna take more and more and some more.
The summit has a lone tree and you can reach either end by turning to your right and left about 100-200m to either end. After quick Biccie and water break, we chose the right path and followed it. We saw some remains of firewood, clear sign that some people had either cooked or camped there. It would be very difficult to fix a tent up there as the winds are extremely strong, but not impossible.
To my surprise, I saw a hut like brick and sheet structure and would’ve built as a shelter for the masons who were building the temple. It has about 20 feet hall with an open kitchen, toilets, stupa, bell and a Bo tree. There was also another path towards the bottom and apparently it leads to the other side of the village and must be the one the Monks use when they stay at the temple. I wanted to ring the bell but most said it would bring the people running but I couldn’t resist so decided to ring it quietly. After all it was Vesak Poya, most sacred of all for us.
Through the Stupa, we reached the edge of the rock and the view is Fascinating, Breath-taking, Mesmerizing, Awe-inspiring, Exhilarating, Stimulating, Tantalizing, Exciting, Elating, Pampering, Spirit-raising, Soul-lifting, Inspiring, Touching, Evoking, etc. etc. etc.
Gosh, I simply can’t describe it folks, really sorry about it. You gotta see it for yourself and you will know what I’m talking about. You can see hundreds of mountains in a range surrounding and you feel as if you are right in the middle of Heaven…
My (our) country is heavenly beautiful and incomparable. To make things more exciting, we could see the Asupini Ella far away towards Aranayake. I couldn’t wait anymore to go see her. Then after taking a little over a million pics (figuratively speaking), we decided to go to the other edge. All of a sudden out of nowhere there was black cloud and we could see it was raining in the mountains faraway, probably towards Dolosbage. We hurried into the shelter of the makeshift hut and while we waited, the wind kindly took the rain away and brought some gorgeous and teasing mist. We were enveloped in the mist and all of a sudden, it was as if staying at Horton Plains.
We soon started talking about World’s End and all and then and there decided to make another gathering there. The mist simply hung over a hilltop as if Icing on a Cake. Harsha simply won’t leave anywhere, but we were soon running outta time and pushed on to the other side. You can see more mountains and we even saw (If we’re not mistaken) Knuckles mountain range, Dolukanda, Alagalla, etc.
After a Cream Crackers and Cheese feast, and many more pics (almost a billion this time ) and we decided to big our farewell to one of the most Single Beauties in Sri Lanka.
 After Breakfast at Wahalkada… (From Left – Sri, Hari, Tony, Harsha, Prince and Dana) |
 Every sight is a picture taking opportunity |
 There she is… |
 Just got off the van and ready to do the hike. Photo courtesy: Harsha De Silva |
 Tony showing us “Wal Veralu” – not edible though |
 She’s wondering who all these folks are… |
 Dana, name please… |
 Emerald Dove… (Thanks Dana) |
 Tony declaring open the Bathalegala Maha Dansala… |
 She was a member of the Dansal party… |
 Couldn’t help taking this… |
 Wuminda giving a hand to Prince aka Kumara – Photo courtesy: Harsha De Silva |
 Please adhere to this |
 Tony had to keep those plants aside so that I could take the pic… Trail head |
 Climbing from the beginning |
 Not used recently |
 Just got the first glimpse from up |
 2-minute break |
 Like a young girl’s hair… |
 Just a curious investigator |
 Inside the forest patch |
 Reached the base of the rock… steps are built |
 Very steep climb, thanks for those who built the steps |
 Simple wow |
 Stupa seen from the base of the rock… |
 More to come |
 The youngest member waiting impatiently for other members to appear |
 Thankfully we didn’t have to go from here… there’s a path onto the right… you could still do this. Haridna did it as a case study for Lakegala |
 Kept asking if we could do this one as well |
 You can view 360 degrees |
Panorama 1
Panorama 2
Panorama 3
 Just helping |
 No rains bothered us at all |
 Experimental shot |
 Just reached the top and this is the middle and you can go to either side for better views |
 We turned to the right |
 Can you see the remains of a woodfire |
 Heading towards the temple |
 The hut I. was referring to.. |
 The hall of the temple |
 The Bo tree… I was glad that We could go to the temple on Vesak Poya day… |
 It says it all… – Click Image to Enlarge |
 Such a beautiful sight |
 The Buddha statue is in the below of the stupa |
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 He was just off the Stupa… |
 Vivid colours |
 As far as my zoom can go… Asupini Ella seen from Bathalegala top |
 Wide angle of Rassagala |
Panorama 4
Panorama 5
Panorama 6
Panorama 7, getting dark coz of the rain
 Rain went towards Mawanellla |
 Pop colours |
 The mountain range linking with Dolosbage |
 Sri and the Clan – Photo courtesy: Danushka Senadheera |
 Yeah, we did it – Photo courtesy: Danushka Senadheera |
 Time to go see the other side |
 Icing on the cake? |
 Never ending mountains |
Panorama 8
Panorama 9
Panorama 10
 Reaching the other end… can see as far as you want |
 Harsha simply loved this |
 Sharp edge |
 Mawanella is somewhere there |
 Is that the Knuckles? |
 Bidding our farewll to Bathalegala Girlie… |
We climbed down amid Prince and Tony’s funny stories and surprisingly Dansala was still going strong. They had apparently not gone bankrupt in the morning attack by us and we hit them again this time, real hard. 2 glasses of drinks turned into 3 and four and soon our tiredness vanished into thin air. Having said our thanks to those people, we came to the van to find out our driver is starving and quickly offered what’s left of biscuits and cheese.
Then it was time to go see Asupini Ella and along the way down we checked with village people and they said it’s possible to go closer to her. However, Harinda checked with a friend of his and got the news that the path is very difficult and not easy to tackle but village people said it was later built nicely.
Having regained our lost spirits, we reached Dippitiya town, passing onto Aranayake and reached Horawela Junction where the road is split into two. One goes straight while the other is taking a left turn via a bridge towards Hemmathagama. People said we could take either road and we chose the Hemmathagama road and followed it up about 1km till we reached Arama Raja Maha Vihara road and took it.
After another 500m-1km, we reached the Asupini Ella hydro power plant and had to walk from there. We were all very excited and went hurriedly. Dark clouds were hovering about threating to break loose at any minute, forcing Harinda to take his beloved umbrella.
We went past a house and for our sins, didn’t bother checking with any of them coz we had been checking all along the road and took our chances. There was a huge pipeline (about 3-3.5 feet in diameter) and we followed it about 150m till we reached a place where the path forked into two. One steadily going uphill along the pipeline with steps built and the other just a footpath heavily overgrown. We took the footpath and it was crazy going coz leeches started troubling us and Prince simply can’t bear them, neither could Wuminda.
We just kept going, repeatedly saying “Boys, let’s not give up now” which motivated Tony immensely. It was extremely tiring and we then reached a kind of dead end and realized that we are hopelessly lost. Yet Danushka got down towards the waterway and tried to make his way while Tony and the gang bringing up the rear along with Harinda too tried to pierce the thick bushes and find a way into the waterway without success.
Mercifully, mobile reception was good and we kept in touch with each other all the time. Then Danushka, Wuminda, Prince and I (the 4-man reconnaissance team) tried to go further uphill and link with the steps and the pipeline. It was impassable and we returned where Danushka tried to get down and the rest of the 8-man commando team was waiting for us.
Harsha said as a last resort, to get back down and search for a way up coz we were desperate to get glimpse of her up close. Harsha and I then got back down while the others waited for us but we couldn’t find a way up. However, Harsha noticed a house on the other side of the river bank and figured the other road which ran straight from Horawela junction must also lead to the falls. It was starting to get dark and the whole area was twilit and Harinda suggested we give it a go some other time.
Yet we didn’t want to leave our mission unaccomplished but had no other way to do it. Sadly we turned around determined to visit her again. We were amazed to see how quiet Prince has become due to his uneasiness (didn’t want to use “fear”) with leeches. He was kinda shell shocked and didn’t even attempt at small talk like he did in the morning. Wuminda too was suffering from the same disease but not so badly hit.
Harinda had taken some Alum with him and I saw both Princes legs like snow dusted with Alum. It was heart breaking and at the same time funny to see him asking Harinda “Harinda, what shall I do now?”. We then turned around and reached where the path split into two and Wuminda asked if we could go and have a peep around but I said no. We would come back for her one day. Prince wanted to come back on coming Sunday but when reminded him of leeches he quickly fell silent again.
We reached the house and got into conversation with an elderly lady and she said we should’ve taken the path with the steps. That will end up at a dam and we can cross it to get a better look of the fall. I got so frustrated, disappointed, angry, sad, etc. not to have followed it in the first place. All the others felt the same. We just washed ourselves quickly at her house and reached the van.
Suddenly, I remembered what Thomas Alva Edison had once said. When someone asked “You have failed so many times before inventing the light bulb”, he promptly replied:
“I didn’t fail so many times. I found so many ways that won’t work”.
Suddenly I felt better. He allegedly tried more than 1000 times without success before inventing the bulb yet didn’t give up till he invented it.
I felt the same way. We didn’t fail to reach the falls; we just found a route that won’t take you to the falls.
Next time, we are not gonna take anything for granted. We gonna check our way all the time and I promised myself that I won’t rest till I see my dear Asupini Ella up close.
We left in the van and suddenly Tony wanted it to stop coz he’d got a better view of the falls from the road. We decided to do our best and take pics of her as best as we could coz we had two of the best DSLR cameras with experienced photographers in Danushka and Harsha. They set up the tripod and we took dozen or so pics of her and they came out grand.
What a consolation for our tired limbs and hurt minds. We then took the Aranayake road to Mawanella and along the way stopped at a Belimal Dansala and the jiggery served was tasty. Prince kept asking for Kadala all the time and little did he know that he wish was about to be granted. As soon as we passed Mawanella, we came across a Kadala Dansala and Tony went and asked for 9 bags of them and we enjoyed it thoroughly coz we hadn’t had a proper lunch.
Then reaching Kegalle, there was a restaurant called “Champa Bakers” and their food was fresh, tasty and very reasonable. So if you wanna have a decent meal around Kegalle, that’s the place. It’s on Kandy main road and you can’t miss it.
After a lot of traffic jams, we finally reached Peliyagoda and dropped off the youngest member of our group. (Your guess is as good as mine ). Then one by one we all got off and reached home.
So that’s it folks. Another of my fairy tale which is woven around a real story. It was great fun with the fellow Lakdasun members and we all got benefitted from each other’s knowledge.
Sri and the Clan de Bathalegala comes to an end… Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.
Cheers…
P.S. Harinda was actually gonna suggest a new name (“Bathalayage Bathalegala Sancharaya”) but he later changed his mind coz there were many more members and only one Bathalaya.
 The notice put of by Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council… but afterwards no clear signs to follow…
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 This notice is there when you turn left from Horawela Junction passing the bridge then take the right soon as you pass the bridge |
 Rassagala where Asupini Ella originates |
 Asupini Ella Hydro Power Plant entrance |
 Main building |
 Power House |
 The footpath along the perimeter of the power plant |
 We initially tried to follow the river upwards but couldn’t make it |
 Looks like a nice bathing place |
 Water way coming from Asupini ella and joins Maa Oya… |
 Entering the path along the huge pipeline |
 The pipeline runs all the way to the top where a dam is built to block the water… you gotta follow her |
 Harsha, Prince and Thilini trying to figure out the path |
 The track forks into two here. One running with the pipeline and the other a right turn… for our bad luck, we thought of taking the footpath on the right and paid dearly for it |
 This is where Danushka, Harsha and I got down in a desperate attempt to go uphill and get a close look of her |
 It has a nice pool but not sure if it’s safe for bathing |
 I was franctically trying to go up |
 Could see the falls barely throught those tree tops in the middle |
 Gotta be content with these |
 On our way back, Tony spotted this and we decided to stop and take pics… what a consolation |
 Getting near |
 My little point and shoot doing a great job |
 Up close… as best as I could get her |
 Professinal touch by Danushka |
 Another good one from Harsha |