Kanneliya, the tortuous 16-mile hike!!!
By: Purushoth Anandaraja
Tags: Sinharaja Rainforest, Sri Lanka, Hiking

This time we had decided to go for a hike and make the weekend a bit sportive and adventurous. So we choose to visit Kanneliya as the tripping destination!. On a great Friday morning, we packed our hiking kits and other luggage and started our ride from Colombo at 7 am. After a 2 hour ride, we exited the Pinnaduwa interchange and drive to Dediyagala Monastry (which is situated at the foot of the hiking spot), which was about 2–3km. We finally arrived at the hiking spot, but before starting the hike we decided to have our breakfast. The administration provided with a decent breakfast as we previously booked for breakfast.

We started our 6 hours (what the guide said), as soon as we had our breakfast. To be honest the hike seemed a piece of cake but as we climbed the path actually disappeared!. We had to almost climb a huge vertical rock with creep hanging on a nearby tree. Not only rough roads, but we also had to face several challenges like leeches and green snakes. We had to pick about 30–50 leeches which clung to ourselves so quickly throughout the hiking. Due to the excessive drinking of water, we ran out of the water so quickly, but the guide said: “You have to fill water from the creeks which come from the top of the mountain”. It was pretty awful we had to keep out bottles against the rocks to collect water which was dripping.

Pic 1- Kanneliya hill foot. Pic 2- A rough path we had to cross during hiking. Pic 3- Some inhabitants of kanneliya rainforest. Pic 4- Places we rested while we were hiking. Pic 5- Another path we crossed during hiking.

All of a sudden, while we almost made to the top of the mountain (about 1.5km to the top) it started to rain. Our faces started to gloom as the skies above, because we feared the view at the top is almost impossible if it rains, due to the rain the leeches and the slippery rocks said that this is a very wrong decision to move on!. Hoping for the great view we stayed in the canopy coated forest for an hour for the rain to stop with the company of leeches. The rain lasted for about 45 minutes. We started to move on to the top hoping for view among all these unexpected hindrances. But to be honest, our guide seemed so confident about the hike and he seemed ok with everything and he didn’t even have a mobile phone or a medi-kit. After a 1 hour hike, we made it to the top at last!. Wow, finally the mountain range, the sunlight, and the misty air made all the worries go away. The view was not bad at all!. Finally, we have achieved what we expected in the morning. The guide said, “It was an 8km hike you came all the way through these rough paths! In his own words!. After resting for an hour we decided to climb down before it gets too dark because it’s too dangerous due to its inhabitants and non-communicative landscape. As we climbed down it was a bit fine to coop with and less tiresome. We filled water in a little creep where the rainwater ran like a river and some water was collected there. The place was so quiet and we just wanted to enjoy the peacefulness but the leeches in the ground did not allow us to stay in one place, so we had to constantly move on.

Pic 1- Curious friend taking a selfie. Pic 2-The mountain top on the kanneliya hilltop. Pic 3- The gorgeous view on the top

Climbing down, down, down we finally reached the foot of the hiking spot before 4 pm as we expected. We were so hungry and thirsty but we thanked the guide for the wonderful journey. After paying his wages we returned to the hotel we booked in the village near the Dediyagala Monastery. They provided with a grand meal when we went there. We did not bother to clean ourselves, we just straight away barged into the dining area and had our lunch and sat in the chairs for a while. Before we start to pack up we were told there is a natural pond nearby the village for a good bath. So without hesitation, we went to have a swim and have a good relaxing time before we head back to Colombo. Amazingly the pond looked so calm and huge. We were a bit scared to get down in it but later on, the pond seemed really cool and the water was so clean and refreshing. After it started to get dark we decided to return to our hotel but the pool and the environment made us reluctant to get out.

Pic 1- A creek we collected water. Pic 2- tree canopy. Pic 3- a rough hiking path. Pic 4- At the end of the hill spot.

After all those great memories we headed back to the highway in 30 minutes planning to get back to the city before 10 pm. But truly everyone was so tired so that we have to switch positions due to sleepiness. Hoping to get back home soon, finally, we reached our homes around 1130pm with one guy being ended up with a cramped leg and another one with a twisted knee in the hike!. But when we see the photos and the Vlog the next week, it still looked so adventurous and the most challenging hike we ever had. Cheers to everyone!!