A sojourn in Knuckles Range-by Anula Wijesundere

Source:Island

My brother, Hemantha, made the bookings and all travel arrangements for our Knuckles journey over the Independence weekend well in advance.On Friday, the third of February, our driver Manoj arrived with Malli and Devika, sharp at 5 am to pick up Ajita and me. Soon after, we collected Deepa and Sanath from Borella and set off on our tour.

We drove from Colombo to Katugastota cutting through the central expressway enjoying the picturesque scenery on the way. The road from Katugastota, through Madawela, Wattegama to Panvilla to Hulu Ganga was in a relatively poor condition, bumpy and uncomfortable. We next reached Hagala Junction and drove past the Gombere State Plantation Estate to reach our destination around 10.30 am. This was the Knuckles Misty Bungalow, our abode for the next three days. It was a terraced bungalow with all the basic necessities except television, as the monkeys had damaged the TV cable. So, we were deprived of television for the next three days!

In the afternoon, we began touring the waterfalls and the Knukles range. We drove back to Hagala and witnessed the “Jodu Ella ” situated in a private tea estate. The “Jodu Ella ” consists of two parallel falls, lying alongside each other like a couple: hence the name. Thereafter, we drove along the Bambarella Road to see the “Sari Ella” which was situated a short walk from the main road, inside the Batagala State Plantations. Along the short walk we cleaned the pathway of discarded rubbish. The “Sari Ella,” was a beautiful sight with water flowing like the fall in a sari.

As there were no dust bins in the vicinity, we had to take the rubbish back in our vehicle to the “Misty Bungalow” for disposal.

At dinner time two community dogs came to the verandah, and sat patiently while we had dinner. The Bungalow caretaker informed us that whenever cars were parked in the driveway of the bungalow, these community dogs came to the veranda and patiently waited for food and all visitors obviously obliged.

On Saturday, 04 February, after watching the Independence parade on our mobile phones, we set off to the Knuckles range along the Katulowa Road. We drove past the Cargills’ water purification plant, parked the car and commenced the three-kilometre walk to the boundary of the Knuckles range. Thereafter, we commenced

the trek to see the Knuckles Falls. This long trek was through a very narrow footpath, permitting transit of one person at a time, walking on roots of trees, clinging on to overhanging slender branches for support. The trek also included crossing streamlets treading precariously on slippery stones until we finally reached the destination – the magnificent Knuckles Falls. It was a wonderful sight with cascades of water gushing down after the recent heavy showers

At the Knuckles Falls, we met a group of schoolboys from Ampara, a honeymooning couple from Anuradhapura and a group of tourists from GermanyWe all enjoyed the breathtaking view of the wonderful cascading Knuckles Falls, despite the tedious trek.

The following morning, we visited the Ranagala natural pool and had delicious pol roti from a near-by boutique. We then went past Gombare Estate to Bambarella to see the HuluGanga Falls. We walked down the steel stairway to a viewpoint to see the stupendous Falls and hear the thundering sound of water pounding the rock as it reached the base. The water of Daluk Oya was diverted to join the Hulu Ganga and this massive flow of water was transmitted through a massive pump which descended sharply over 500 feet to the Kosgama Power House where turbines produced hydroelectricity. This was designated as a tourist attraction and four partly built motels were seen in the vicinity. However, during the Covid 19 pandemic and the economic meltdown that occurred subsequently, the constructions of the motels were abandoned with overgrown shrubs surrounding the partly built motels.

Thus, we had a brief sojourn amongst the Knuckles range, experiencing the unspoilt beauty of the mountains, the tea estates and the waterfalls. It was indeed a quiet and an exhilarating experience away from the hustle and bustle of Colombo.