Battulu oya trail to Adam’s peak

Year and Month	February, 2016
Number of Days	2
Crew	4 (Harinda, NG, Sanketha & Myself)
Accommodation	Fishing Hut
Transport	Pajero
Activities	Hiking, Pilgrimage, waterfall hunting, scenic ride
Weather	Sunny morning and a slight drizzle in the evening
Route	Maharagama -> Avissawella -> Watawala -> Nallathanniya -> Moray estate -> Fishing hut -> along Battulu oya -> Paradise -> Dehenakanda trail -> Summit -> Rajamale trail -> Fishing hut -> Returned back via Kalugala -> Colombo [Download Google Earth Trail Map From this link]
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Wear attire as to cover your hands and legs to avoid torn scratches Avoid during off season and rainy periods because traveling along a river could be deadly. Beware of flash floods It’s better if you can carry a stock of water (1L per person) and food products. Start as early as possible Do not carry Plastic items (Minimize), Make sure you bring back everything you took. Beware of wild animals Dehenakanda Path is cleared within a month after the season begins If it rains there are leeches in millions so be prepared Do not camp on river beds It’s about 2Km from fishing hut to Paradise Click here to get all the details about fishing hut Follow proper religious rituals (as you can) respect the holiness of the place. Please do not litter and leave only foot prints. This trek may be illegal to do so because the peak wilderness is a protected area. You could be legally penalized for using this trail, I’m not responsible for any misfortunes you may come cross This report is purely to share the beauty of Peak wilderness
Related Resources	Trip report: Batulu Oya Water Fall Trail, A New Trail to Climb Sri Pada (Adams Peak)
Author	Ashan
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Battulu oya trail to Adam’s peak

The map – click to enlarge

In 2013 we got together and did the Dehena kanda trail to Siripade. And on our way we came across a location called Paradise which is seethagangula of Dehenakanda trail. The river which we crossed was Battulu oya which flows by Fishing hut of Moray estate before ending its journey at Maussakele reservoir. At that point while enjoying the beauty of paradise we started wondering if it was possible to reach this point from Fishing hut. Though we had an idea of doing this trail the momentum was given by Shashika’s journey which he did in 2014 along the base of Adams peak stream to fishing hut. So myself and Harinda started planning this most awaited journey of the year. While Harinda was dealing with the booking of fishing hut I was mapping out our virgin trail.

NG and Sanketha joined us as promised and Amila as usual didn’t make it. We left Colombo early in the morning to reach Nallathanniya by 7.30am to have some “Pol roti” as breakfast. Our next stop was at fishing hut and the well-directed boards aided us at every junction. After reaching fishing hut we emptied our bags and took the stuff which we needed for the hike. Been able to reduce our load was a great advantage. At around 9am we got in to the river and started jumping on to rocks in no time. All of us decided to where slippers other than Harinda because at some points we had to get in to water. The first landmark was the junction where the two streams (Battulu oya & base of Adams peak stream) meet and it was roughly 700m’s away from Fishing hut.

7 virgins

destination

holy peak

view from moray estate

moon is still alive

Battulu oya valley with holy peak

wow	along battulu oya

calm river

an orchid

unknown beauty

some mushrooms

beauty

over the rocks we go

wow	through the gap

the peak was seen all the way

where the two streams meet

After reaching our first landmark we had a short rest and got ready to tackle the 1.1Km distance towards Paradise. We knew that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park because few rocky cliffs were seen on Google earth. After about 150m along the stream we came across a beautiful waterfall of Battulu oya which was about 50 feet in height. Many who stay at fishing hut’s do hike to see this cascade so it’s not a hidden beauty as some one would expect. We had some food stuff at the base of the fall and rested a bit because the next part was going to be difficult. After the mini break we started to climb along the right bank of the waterfall and we had to cling on to rocks to reach the top. From the top of the fall we entered the forest patch on the left bank because we were facing continuous rocky cliffs. After bypassing few small cascades we reached the flat river bed. Though this was a small distance it took lot of time to tackle through this thick undergrowth.

not an easy walk

undercover

a mini cascade

slow shutter

the valley with colourful tree tops

looking back

Fishing hut falls

close up

a break

top of the falls

more obstacles

pinky beauty

another cascade

and another

tackling the jungle

top of a fall

another cascade

flat river bed

On top of the last waterfall we had another break before beginning our journey in search of Paradise. The section from the top of the last waterfall to the Paradise was a scenic stretch. There were lots of safe bathing places with crystal clear water forming wonderful mini tanks. Finally we reached the waterfall at paradise and we climbed up along the footpath on the right bank. At paradise we decided to have lunch after having an icy cool dip. We did notice that the trail of Dehenakanda seems to be more polluted than it was in 2013 and it was a sad sight. All travelers should keep in mind to be responsible.

off we go

rock pool

slab rock

ha ha note harinda

crystal clear

yellow tinge

ferns

yellow petals

a narrow part

Battulu oya paradise falls

at seethagangula / Mahaweli / Paradise

top of the fall

paradise

couldnt resist

After along rest it was time to start hiking uphill. The ascend from Paradise was a continuous one until we reached the flat area which ended at Base of Adams peak stream. Our next main stop was at the above mentioned stream where we refilled our water stores. Next stretch was a nonstop uphill climb until the summit and not like last time the path was cleared one. We also did come across four villagers who were clearing the path while camping at paradise. A 30 minute on and off drizzle brought up few concerns but it wasn’t a big issue. When we reached the summit it was around 5pm and we were blessed with an empty “uda maluwa”. We couldn’t see around because it was misty and we decided to start descending ASAP.

diversity

ah a common catch

the next ascend

more to climb

i forgot this guys name

bena samanala

obstacles

relatively flat

the peak covered

contrast

base of adams peak stream

pettigala range

through the mist

path along mahagiridambe

valley of waterfalls

while climbing up

tree art

bena samanala

wild creatures

the summit is closer

kunudiyapauwa

at the exit point

Andiyamalathenna

heramitipana

blessed with mist

white counterpart

Ehela kanuwa

last bit

at the summit

new bell

From the first shop on Hatton trail we had some “kottu mee” and a tea to replenish the lost energy. At the end of the railing of the Hatton trail we diverted towards the Rajamale trail. We had to hurry on because the light was not on our side. When we reached Sadagalatenna it was almost dark and we had to pull out our torches to see around. A 20 minute break was taken to enjoy the lovely sight of the lit up peak with passing by mist. From Sadagalatenna onwards it was a continuous descend until the trail end. After reaching the trail end we took the estate road until we reached fishing huts at around 9.30pm. After reaching the hut we didn’t waste any time and had our dinner before falling asleep.

nallathanni

maskeliya

peace pagoda

hill country wild dog

maoussakele

yellow eared bul bul

entering the moray trail

dusk

looking back

at sadagalatenna

misty peak

zoomed

slow shutter

at the exit point

Next day early morning we were waked by the sounds of birds. It was a pleasant sight to see the holy peak straightway from the window and elsewhere in the premises of Fishing hut. We did walk around and have a peek at the other two huts too but we were happy with hut number 3 which was where we spent most of our time. It may be small but the tree hut in the middle of the river was worth a million dollars. Most of the morning session was spent on hunting Blue magpies and though there were plenty of them it was not easy to capture any. Rest of the morning was spent by having a chit chat at the tree house. At around 11am we had an early lunch before departing. Our caretaker Raju was a splendid guy and we thanked him for his great service. This was one dreamily journey which we managed to pull off successfully and all of our team members played there role in it.