| Sri
Lanka Camping Experience |
| Duration: 7
days/6 nights |
Tour Code:
ECOSLK-08 |
|
Day 1: Colombo
Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Hikkaduwa. On the way, City
Tour in Colombo. Dinner and overnight stay at Coral Sands Hikkauduwa
or similar.
Day 2: Hikkauduwa
Snorkeling in Hikkauduwa sea, one of the finest snorkeling spots in
Sri Lanka. Dinner and Overnight stay at Coral Sands Hikkauduwa or
similar.
Day 3: Singharaja Forest
Early morning, depart to the "Singharaja Forest".
Singharaja Rain Forest
with an extent of 11,250 ha. is the only patch of virgin rain forest
left in Sri Lanka. Having the highest number of endemic flora and
fauna species in the island and a very high biodiversity, this
forest was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989.
Out of these two villages our visit
would be to the village of Kudawa. The stay over for the night would
be in an Eco Lodge, which is built and operated by a person in the
forest itself or in a forest department dormitory.
Day 4: Waulpane Cave
Leaving for "Waulpane Cave" after an early morning Bird
Watching Trail.
Waulpane Cave is an
isolated cavern set against the eastern slopes of the Rakwana Range.
It contains a large number of stalactites oand stalagmites and is
estimated to be approximately 500 million years old. You will
journey Approx. 300 meter underground to discover this prehistoric
world. While there are few fossils visible in the caverns wall, the
main building process is still continuing. The stream which runs
through this cave becomes a beautiful waterfall at the center,
giving you a mysterious and a thrilling experience.
Leave the cave around 2 pm to
"Udawalawe Park" for a safari tour.
The 30,821 hectares dry zone
game park, Udawalawe Park, was declared as a protected
national park in 1972 and is world famous for its Elephants, seen in
all their playfulness -whole herds of them, adults and babies-
bathing and playing in the water or feeding. Deer species such as
spotted deer, sambhur, barking deer and langur, along with wild
boar, water buffalo, jackal and leopard are some of the prominent
wild animals found in this park. "Udawalawa" is one of the
best parks for bird watching too. The endemic species of bird called
Red Faced Malkoha has its favorite habitat in the 192 square km
parkland. Serpent Eagles, Hawk Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles,
Black Eagles, Black Capped Bulbuls, Racket Tailed Drongos, Malabar
Pied Horn Bills, White Necked Storks, Open Bills, Ibis, Shama - The
forest Nightingale Stork Billed King Fishers and peacocks are found
in fair numbers.
Dinner and overnight stay in a
campsite in the park or at the border.
Day 5: Belihuloya
Leave for "Belihuloya" for after an early breakfast.
Belihuloya is a very
picturesque and romantic hamlet situated about 160 km from Colombo
in the historical Sambaragamuwa Province. This zone is a
climatically transitional area linking the wet & dry zones and
the hill country & the low country. This very important location
has made it one of the places in the country with the highest
bio-diversity.
Evening canoeing in the
Samanalawewe Reservoir or Mountain Biking Trail. Then, dinner and
overnight stay in Eco Lodge/Cottage in Belihuloya.
Day 6: Horton Plains
Start the journey around 6:00 am, after an early breakfast or with pocketed
breakfast, from Belihuloya to Horton Plains Nature Reserve.
Horton Plains, most
certainly one of the best nature reserves, which consist of famous
world's end, Baker's fall, Chimmini Pool etc. Approximate hike to
cover all these world be 5km. Most of the day both small and big
World's Ends are covered with mist and clouds. So, one must have
patience to wait at these points for clouds to clear to get a
glimpse of steep drops. The big world's end has a sheer drop of 3700
feet.
Picnic lunch at Horton Plains.
Then, start the mountain biking trail
from Horton Plains to Belihuloya.
This particular route has got
its name as "Satan's Steps" due to the steepness
and narrow sharp bends, -mainly hairpin bends. You should not get
deceived by the good road condition when you cycle first few km's,
as the condition of the main climb is really bad and worth
conquering. One of the main highlights on this route would be the
Sri Lanka's highest Waterfall, "Bambarakanda Waterfall"
which has a height of 790 ft. Having a dip in the natural rock pool
at the bottom of this fall would be an unforgettable experience.
You would cycle approximately 21
km, along this road downhill to Kalupahana to meet your vehicle.
From Kalupahana you will be driven to Belihuloya, which is 14 km
away.
Trekking/traveling in a vehicle,
options are available at no extra cost but should be requested at
the time of booking.
Dinner and overnight stay at the
Cottage/Eco Lodge.
Day 7: Kithulgala
Early morning Agro Tour in the area. Then, after breakfast, proceed
toward Kithulgala for a white water rafting.
White water rafting in
Kithulgala, "an interesting affair between currents and
rapids". This thrilling adventure on the white water sections
of Kelani River is suitable for amateurs as well as professionals
alike. During the run you will experience the thrill of shooting
rapids and euphoria of making it through. The river's clear water is
born in the heart of the peak wilderness reserve and tumbles through
a rocky gorge just above Kithulgala.
Transfer to the airport in the
evening
[Option of getting an extension
in Colombo or Kandy is also possible but should be advised at the
time of booking.]
For more information on camping see
Camping Information
- The facilities at the Rainforest
Lodge will be basic which includes rooms with attached toilets
with only cold water, NO ELECTRICITY FULL TIME. [solar
power/generator lights at night]
- It is recommended to have
sunglasses, sun block lotions, insect/leech repellent and
personal effects for warm/windy/rainy conditions.
- It is recommended to use light
clothes and trekking shoes or boots for trekking.
- It is the best to wear shorts
and T-shirt with soft-shoes (river sandals or sports shoes)
during the canoeing and white water rafting.
- You will be given raincoat,
torch and helmet of canoeing and white water rafting.

|