REFRESHING NATURE TRAIL IN HILL COUNTRY

                    REFRESHING  NATURE TRAIL IN HILL COUNTRY

HIKING SUMMARY  - THE ROUTE 

• Bandarawela Railway Station - Ohiya Railway station (about 1 hour by Train)

• Ohiya Railway Station - Udaveriya Junction (2Kms - 40mins) 

• Udaveriya Junction  Udaveriya Village (03 1/2Kms - 011/2hrs) 

• Udaveriya Village  Idalgashinna Railway Station (04Kms - 02hrs)

•  Idalgashinna Railway Station - Tangamale Sanctuary

•  Tangamale Sanctuary - Adisham Bungalow ( Haputale )(05Kms - 03hrs)

• Adisham Bungalow - Haputale - Bandarawela

 

The journey was started early in the morning. We arrived to the Bandarawela Railway station  around 7:00 am. Train arrived at 7:15 am. It has taken about 1 hour to reach to "Ohiya railway station". We were lucky to witness of so many breath taking sceneries on the way.

 

                                                           Ohiya Railway Station.

The trekking commenced from here. There is a path behind the Railway station.

 

We continue on hiking to the Udaveriya junction. At this point there is a path way to Horton plains. It is about 14 km from there to Horton plains. 

Then we arriveed to the Udaveriya view point.

 Rhododendron Arboreum
(Maha Rath Mala)

             This flower is endemic to the Central region in Sri Lanka. Grows in the Up country  region 1700-2300 above sea level. Especially in Horton Plains, Ohiya, Pattipola  & Seetha Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya District and also in Knuckles Range & the Namunukula Range.

  Black-lipped Lizard       ( Calotes nigrilabris) 
Kalu Kopul Katussa.

Endemic, submontane and montane species, found at elevations of 1,000m and above. Inhabits tree trunks, hedges and shrubs, where it hunts for insects  worms by day. This species is tolerably common at localities such as Hewaheta, Hakgala and Nuwara Eliya, in the Central Province, Pattipola, Ohiya, Horton Plains and Peak Wilderness.

Sri Lankan Tiger (Parantica taprobana)

The Ceylon Tiger (Parantica taprobana) is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

 Common Bluebottle ( Graphium sarpedon)

Continue the hike from Udaveriya to Idalgashinna.

We  walk through Diversified Environmental Systems with  magnificent scenery. 

Arrived in Idalgashinna Railway Station. This is one of the highest Railway stations in Sri Lanka. Most of the time this area is covered by the mist. You will catch up with a fantastic scenery in here. And also can go through a tunnel which calls "Bimgeya" in Sihalese. This will be a wonderful experience for you.

We started to climb towards "Thangamale Sanctuary". This is a birding paradise. We were lucky to spot some endemic birds such as Sri Lanka Wood pigeon.

We met an old road which has used by the English Tea Planters to transport tea to the Railway Station. In the above photo you can sea a mile post at the side of the road.
In the below picture you sea the road which we came and below that the railway. You can also see the gap and this was really an adventure for us.

Some times it's covered with thick mist and creating fantastic scenery.

Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

Sri Lanka Wood-pigeon (Columba torringtoniae)

White-bellied Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis pallipes)

This is the end of the old road but in the middle you can't find any sign of this road.

Our trekking was end in hear. The Adisham Bungalow. A monastery run by Benedictine monks. Adisham Bungalow is a nineteenth-century British period building, which was modelled on Leeds Castle in Kent, England. Sir Thomas Villiers, a distinguished British resident in Sri Lanka in the early 20th century, used it as his country house.

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike (Hemipus picatus)

Then we climb down the mountain to take bus to Haputhale, and then to Bandarawela by Bus. It was about 5:30 pm when we reached to the Bandarawela town.