Day 04 to Day 06

Day 04 - Trek from Ihala Galagama to Kumbalgama with overnight camping.

After finishing breakfast at the campsite, you will begin your trek to Kumbalgama through Belihuloya and Kinchigune. The Ihalagalagama – Kumbalgama trail will begin with a trek through Belihuloya, a famous hill country destination and a village in Kinchigune. Passing an Eco Lodge in Kinchigune, we will venture through paddy fields and vegetable plots before reaching a small gravel road. Shortly, we will pass a small village school down this gravel rod which only has two teachers and sixteen pupils! In the school garden, one can find scattered particles of pig iron, which is ample evidence of the early period of steel industry. Further up, you will reach a small ‘kammala’ in other words a blacksmith’s workshop owned by Piyasena, who runs this business to support his family, who he like many others have been displaced by the reservoir.

It is by this Kumbalgama village where we will end our fourth day’s hike and stop for lunch (if we already haven’t eaten by now that is!) and also set up camp for the night. We will work together to light up a campfire and cook food as a community and share it amongst us.

Day 05 - Trek from Kumbalgama to Kaltota via Ahaspokuna and vehicle transfer to Udawalawe for overnight camping.

Post breakfast at our campsite, we will begin out trek from Kumblgama to Kaltota. This trail will initially take you through a gravel road which then leads to a tarred road from Kumbalgala to the Samanawewa Dam. We will proceed along this road for about 2 kilometers and pass typical signs of vegetation belonging to the intermediate climatic zone which mainly consists of shrubs called ‘Maliththa’ also known as Woodfordia fruticose which is a rare medicinal plant. We will then arrive at a Buddhist temple which has a shrine room built inside another shrine room that is about 8 feet in length and breadth built on a wooden frame with a wooden door that is nearly 350 years old. We will stop to rest at the temple, and explore the temple and converse with the monks with our staff acting as translators.

Once we commence the trek, we will proceed through another small village into a completely uninhabited area characterized by irregular patches of forests and savanna, eventually leading you into the Walawe River which will make the 8 kilometer point of our trail. In order to continue, we must cross it at Mulgammankada and hike through the riverine forest running alongside and down the river. During this part of the trek, you will not come across any other human inhabitation apart from the handful of gem miners who camp out here to mine gems. Upon reaching Kaltota, you will be picked up by a jeep which will transfer you to the Udawalawe Big Game Campsite to end your day’s trek.

Day 06 - Departure to your next destination.

Your final day of the trek, will be spent going on a jeep safari at the Udawalawe National Park, which is located in the boundary of Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones. With approximately 400 elephants residing within an area of 31,000 hectares, the park is one of the best places in the world to see wild elephants and it is not unusual to see large herds gathering to feed and bath by waterholes.

In addition to its main attraction of elephants, the Udawalawe National Park is also home to many buffaloes, water monitor lizards, sambar deer and monkeys. Bird enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to experience a winged paradise with not only the variety but also the quantity of birds at the park.

Udawalawe with its fascinating wildlife, history and culture provides an array of historical sites that are also natural wonders which is guaranteed to satisfy even the most seasoned traveler.