Forest Calling!!

It is a blessing when your close friend visits you as you grow older.
It is even more a blessing when she wants to go see some of the lesser known less touristy places of the country!
She found out about this beautiful Rain forest and to our delight it was doable in a day!
Without much further thought, we planned a trip to this place the next day itself.
We started the day quite early! Albeit the fact that both of us are not early birds, we managed to wake up and be ready to start the journey by 6.30 am itself in order to avoid the peak hour rush..

Let's start with some facts about Kanneliya Rainforest: (PS: These are exerts from a bit of online research)

It is next to Kondagala and is located in Southern part of Sri Lanka. Kanneliya Rain forest has a length of 59.23 kilometres. It located about 36 km to the northeast from Galle.
Kanneliya Forest Reserve located in the Galle district is the largest of the KDN, or Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya, forest complex. Kanneliya is regarded as one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country (as well as in the world). The bio-diversity of Kanneliya is considered richer, even compared to the world heritage rain forest “Sinharaja”.Most of Kanneliya today is a forest that had recovered from selective logging that had happened in the 1970s. The water-flows in the forest are now recovering with a numerous numbers of streams adding life to the diverse vegetation and some what hilly landscape. These streams create several beautiful cascades in side the forest. They also provide ideal opportunities for nice cool dip in some of the purest streams in the whole world! I can vouch for that!!!

Kanneliya Bound via A2 highway

This was all enroute Kanneliya! We were truly blessed with a brilliant weather! Light showers through out the journey which lasted right until we started our hike. There on, the trees gave us a canopy.

Reaching Kanneliya can be a bit of a challenge as google map may not give the correct route towards the end. It is pretty much straight forward and easy until the last mile.There on, its best to ask the localites for guidance.

It would be easier to commute if you had a car. Otherwise by local transport, unless you know the language and the place, it can be quite tricky.

Fact: Highways in Sri Lanka are real highways where only 4 wheelers and above are permitted to commute. (Not the ones like in India where bicyles, two wheelers,three wheelers and even bullock carts are allowed to commute freely)

Once you get there, you should take a guide service to take you around. Depending on the kind of hike you take, the guide fee varies.

There are 2 types of hikes. One is a shorter distance one which covers about half the area and the other the full distance one which would take you all the way to the top as well(this takes a whole day to cover and return which is a roughly 6-8 hour hike).

We chose the shorter distance one as we had to return soon.I think we paid about 600-800LKR for the guide.

For Sri Lankan nationals and residents, the entry is free. For tourists, the fee is 800 or 1000 LKR if I am not wrong. Cant exactly remember the rates (growing old and memory's taking a beating).

Our guide Rohan was a very sweet elderly man who has been a guide here for over 15 yrs!

We hiked across to see various streams, beautiful trees and creepers and plants, a bat cave and brilliant waterfall.

The water in the streams and waterfalls were so fresh and pure that you could just drink it straight up and feel instantly energised. Thats what I would call a mineral water. Not those bottled ones they serve claiming its from the mountain ranges and rip you off your life savings!

We spent over half a day here in this mesmerizing heaven cut off from civilization in nature's lap, enjoying her gifts (sans the leaches which are in abundance there!!)

These leaches are really fast mind you! Nasty little blood sucking vamps!

Our guide got one and put it on his palm. Those rascals cant such blood from the inner palm as the skin is too thick to penetrate for them! So that little rascal kept dancing like Prabhudeva there until he was released back into the ground!

Here is the video of it:

This blog is going to be a picture galore with each picture special in its own way..

This is the first ever plant species on earth apparently!

Giant Millipede

Civilized animals visiting the rain forest

Obediently following Rohan- The Guide

Entrance to the cave

A little rest on the tree house structure

check out the creeper thats held the tree!

Another cute climber on the tree

So pretty yet poisonous! Reminds me of some people I know!!

The tree is being held prisoner!!

They call it the kangaroo lizard here

spot the monkeys

view from the hike!

beautiful wild mushroom

Inside the cave

It was my first experience going into a cave. I was excited and a bit heavy with anxiety at the same time not sure what to expect.. Crazy thoughts ran in my mind (all thanks to the weird movies I have watched where bats attack and killed people like vamps) Although anxious I was too excited that I kept close pace with the guide and was eager to go in.. Was quite a steep descend to go into the cave and once inside it was pitch dark.. The guide's torch wasnt too helpful.. we could hear a few bats but visibility was poor.. what we could see with our plain eyes could not be captured on camera either..

The joy of having water flow on the hands! immeasurable!!!

We hit the waterfall after this..Hit would be the  apt word as the rocks were quite slippery.. As we reached there, we got carried away with excitement and left our bags and shoes at a place.. The water wasn't at its full force as there hasn't been much rain in the country this time..

As we returned, we realised that the bags were getting surrounded by leaches..

My driver got bitten by one of them.  But from what I learnt, these guys only suck the bad blood out (well not bad blood per se... more in the literal sense which is the impure blood) from our bodies..

So he let the little sucker take his own sweet time and drink up to his heart, err in this case, stomach's content and fall off bloated..

Talking about bad blood, if only leaches could be used to suck away bad blood between people.. the world would be such a beautiful place to live in!!!

 Ok no deviating.. Back to what I was saying... 

Thankfully, my friend noticed them suckers at the nick of time and saved herself from being marked by them!

I guess I could call myself lucky that day as I managed to leave neither attacked by leaches nor slipping and falling (which am quite infamous for 😜)

We returned content and elevated in spirits and went in for the customary touristy sight seeing of this place called Galle.. 

More about Galle in my next post!

Giant creepers entangled to form this unique structure!

Beautiful stream