Backpacking to Badulla

Sri Lanka is undoubtedly one of the world's best escapes for nature lovers and holiday makers. Among many of it's attractions, the journey from Kandy to Badulla on train, is sure to add an unforgettable experience to ones tropical vacation. 

I have traveled countless times to the upcountry or the hills of Sri Lanka but not this popular train ride. So in order to be more close to nature, we decided to backpack to Badulla. We thought it was better to take Night mail to Badulla and explore the area over 2 days and hop on to Train from Badulla in the morning on third day. This way we get to enjoy the scenic route in the early morning which is a bonus.

Having this in mind we went to book the trains and found out that all 1st class and second class and sleeping coaches are booked out respite being there at 9 in the morning on booking opening day. Not very surprised, knowing how stuff work in this island, we went ahead and booked something called a '3rd class limited passengers' in the Night mail. This was necessary as if the train got crowded, which is normally the case here, we won't be able breath, let along sight seeing.

We arrived at the Colombo fort station fairly early on Friday night and got on to the train and took out seats. The carriage was rustic and old but the seats looked comfortable enough for the next 8 hours. We had our dinner before the train leaves and settled nice and warm to get some sleep. We had good leg space but the seats are not adjustable and I soon discovered, I'm not going to get any sleep here. But that's all we have got and somehow managed to close our eyes for few minutes here and there. 

After a tiring journey we could finally see some day light from the horizon. We heard from the Guard (official), that we are nearing the highest point of the island and the highest railway station in a few minutes. So despite the cold breeze, we stood near the doorway to take a better look at the 'Pattipola' station. It was too dark, I couldn't see much except for the name board and few flower beds.

View in the morning

As planned we got off at Demodara, another famous place for several things and one being the railway loop. The loop is considered a civil engineering marvel, giving a solution to an elevation issue that came up during building this track. We thought it would be nice to explore the loop on foot. Yes you can do that here. First thing, we had to find something to eat as we were starving but the place looked empty. No boutiques close by and we had two hour gap to explore the loop before a train arrives. That left us no option but go see the loop empty stomach. We could see the rail track going beneath us as we were standing in the station. I was so impatient to jump on to the loop.

Rail track disappearing 

We ate some biscuits reluctantly and started down to the rail track. As soon as we got on to the track we instantly forgot about the breakfast or tea. That was the first time I have actually walked on a train track and with such a narrow passage and rocky walls. It was strangely beautiful in the morning light. The sides were full of wild flowers and lush green bushes with pearls of dew glistering in the morning sun.

wild flowers

Narrow passage

Rock from one side and dropping on the other

Wild sunflowers

As we walked pass this passage, we could see the beautiful hills around and the marvelous landscape below. The mist was still lifting up and gave the place a heavenly touch. 

Mountains covered in mist

Walking further, more scenery began to unveil and we could see mountains that are so far away, giving us a hint of the elevation we are at. We could see two tea factories below and the tarmac ran along the hills like a ribbon.

The main road

A Tea factory 

As we walk along the railway track, we were met with a few villagers who probably walk this path every day. It's a common thing here to use railway tracks as shortcuts to get to places avoiding the busy roads.

A tea pucker on her way to work

Look how old these tracks are. Sri Lankan rail network was build by the British mainly to transport produce and they still use the same. Most of the signs and warnings you see are archaic and many would find alien words.

Looks scary

As we took the next bend, there was the tunnel. The trains goes through this to exit the loop and just above the tunnel is the station, where we got off. 

The tunnel

A closer look

Just before entering

The tunnel was damp and wet with and had a strong smell. I felt really creep entering in to it and before long we could see where the smell was coming from. The ceiling was covered by small bats and below them, the floor was covered with their fesses, needless to say. So we walked fast to the other side holding breath. We stopped briefly to take a look at the deep holes engraved on the the walls inside. A hole is big enough to fit a person tightly and are used in emergencies to get away from passing train. Sounds crazy. 

Through the tunnel and back in to the nice and fresh air. The train that pass through this tunnel then goes over a beautiful iron bridge, which is secured by merely a frail iron fence which looked pretty worn out.

The bridge

Looking down

Stream below the bridge

As we crossed the bridge over, we could see the huge pillars carrying the frail frame and it looked supper strong and solid after all. 

Pillars underneath

That ends the loop and we had to take a small footpath and walk down the main road to get back to the station. We found a small village tuck shop and bought two wired looking bread rolls with sugar sprinkled on it, the only edible thing they had. It looked like they were sitting there for ages. But as we were starving, this made a nice breakfast until we get to our lodge. We took another train and got off in a small station near Bandarawella, another scenic area. We had booked a hotel already as they become full in the season. After a short walk, we were able to reach our hotel and took a good few minutes to stretch, clean and eat. The staff was very friendly and gave us a prompt service. 

Without wasting much time, we set off to checkout the famous 'Dhowa' rock temple which was close by. We took a small bus ride to get there and got right in front of the gates. Bought some flowers from a small stall beside the road and entered the sacred place barefoot. The place had a calming effect with all the white washed walls and clean sand beneath your feet. the only sound was from the leaves of the huge 'Boo' tree and the small stream that ran down by the side. 

Natural spring water pond

We soon realized that this temple was built by converting a cave. And as you walk inside, you could see how well they have done that and how the painting are still remaining.

Inside the temple

I had already taken this, before I saw the 'No Photo' sign. So No more photos of the inside. After offering the flowers we brought, we went outside to take a walk around the place.

Then we saw this huge Buddha statue carved in the rock and it's believed that it was done by King Walagamba while he was hiding in this temple. The ancient tale tells about a monk who gave sanctuary to this great King during a battle and the king later turned this cave in to a monastery and offered it to the monk to show gratitude. 

This statue is 38 feet in height and shows signs of decay. It is also said this is half finished as the King had to leave before it's completed. After another few minutes of admiration, we descended the rocks to have a closer look at the lovely stream.

Clear waters

It was time to leave the temple and our next thing on the list was the Adisham bungalow. So we took a but to Bandarawella town and got on to a bus heading 'Haputhale', with a bag full of street food. The street food tasted amazing and made us a nice lunch. We got off at Haputhale town and found the road that leads to Adisham bungalow. Quickest way to get there is by 'tuk tuk'.

We bought tickets at the entrance and walked in through the breath taking garden so perfectly maintained. One can find all the flowers that are unique to this climate in this garden and no doubt about that.

Flowers all over

At the center of this beautiful garden stands the magnificent  bungalow. This was the country seat of the late Sir Thomas Villiers. This was built in the British era. No photos are allowed inside and it;s only a fraction of the building is open to public. The rest is a monastery for priests. 

You can buy lot of local produce sold in a stall at the back of the building including home made cordials and jams and even fresh strawberries grown in their orchards.

Strawberries

After the guided tour inside, and a nice avocado smoothie, we spent few minutes walking in the garden before heading back to the Haputhale town. We decided to walk the 10 km back as the route was scenic and we didn't have anything planned for the rest of the day. So we set off on foot munching on strawberries and wild cherries we bought stopping every few steps to watch a bird or wild flowers.

View along the way

To make things more interesting, it started to rain cats and dogs halfway through. We weren't prepared for a thunder storm like that. It was fun walking in that heavy rain and we were soaked by the time we reached the town. We tried to get dry as much as we could before getting on to a bus, so as not to offend other passengers. 
It was getting dark and cold and we reached Bandarawela around 7 in the evening. We walked from there to our hotel, another 2 Km as it's pointless to wait for a bus as buses are scarce around this hour. We reached the hotel, all tired, worn out and starving but it was nothing that a hot bath and hearty dinner couldn't fix.

The plan for the next day was to hike to the Liptons seat. We set the whole day for the hike as it included a long walk up the hill which would take lot of time and we needed to do it leisurely. After good nights sleep and a scrumptious breakfast we set off. Took the bus again to Haputhale and then from there took another bus that leaves every hour to Dambetenna Tea Factory which is a long way. The scenery on either side of the road was simply beautiful and we had ample time to enjoy as the bus was literal crawling up the super steep hill road. 

We got off at the destination. This was the starting point of our hike which is a good 7 Km. If you don't walk to go on foot, one can always drive all the way up, but where's the fun in that? 

Starting point

We walked through what seemed like a small village with houses built so close to one another. Passing the village, we entered in to the tea estates. From this point onward, the road lies through the lush tea plantation. We were speechless. It was heavenly. 

The more we walk, the more the scenery grew. It was tea everywhere, beautiful landscape, cool breeze and wonderful fragrance of tea leaves. 

Tea pickers at work

It took us almost three hours to reach the top and for the most part, I bypassed the road and climbed through the tea bushes to make the walk even more adventurous. At the top was a clearing and a flat ground, which is lately renovated and built up to cater visitors. The Lipton's seat lookout at about 2000m above sea level had the best view of the surrounding. The Scottish tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton had used this place to inspect his plantation.

Scenery below

Mist unveiling the scene below

plantation At one corner was this small boutique or tea house with few wrecked chairs. That was all we had there and we ordered tea which felt like such a good idea after a tiring hike. We were served some treats as well. The tea tasted excellent and we got to know they use the Lipton's tea from the factory down at Dambetanna. We went for a second serving and it was so refreshing sipping tea sitting there in the middle of tea bushes.

Better than the best high tea

After strolling around for another hour, we started climbing down. On our way back we took small detours to scenic lookouts and stopping at few places to admire the view. It was getting dark soon and the sky was heavy with clouds. We knew it's going to start poring soon and picked up the speed. When we reached down, it crossed our minds that it would be a good idea to take a tour in the Tea Factory too. So we stepped in and inquired about it.  To our joy, we were told to take tickets and soon the official joined us at the entrance. He took us through various departments of the factory, showing how the leaves are turned in to tea dust at the end of a long process. No photos were allowed so it's only the memories that we could bring and of course some tea.

Feeling awesome having seen the tea production, we climbed down to the bus stop to find out that the last bus it about to leave and we felt really really luck. If we missed it by any chance, we would be in real trouble, either walking 20 Km in cold rainy night or ripped off by a tuk tuk. After another slow bus ride, we reached the hotel just in time for dinner. 

We had dinner along with some nice wine in the balcony as the rain cleared and went to sleep fully satisfied about the days hike.

Next day's plan had two things. First to visit Dunhinda falls and then to go see the Bogoda temple. As usual we left early just after breakfast and headed towards Badulla. Falls is about 5 Km from town and we could get off right in front. You have to then walk a narrow track through the jungle to get to the Dunhinda Falls lookout. The track was mainly rocky with some places with muddy puddles and slippery edges. 

Interesting track

In the areas where there is space, people had put up stalls and they sell stuff from souvenirs to corn cobs. This track takes you directly to a formed stage where you can see the Dunhinda falls in its full flare. 

 

From the view point

If anyone is brave enough, there is a challenging descend to get to the water below. So we went ahead and got down on to the rocks below. The falls looked more grandeur from there.

Falls from below

 Having spent a good amount of time jumping on rocks, we climbed back up. The stalls had cool local orange juice which was ideal for the moment and with a last look at the falls we returned to the main road. We then took a bus to Hali Ella where the famous Bogoda bridge is. From Hali Ella, we had to take another tour to a remote junction called 'Jagulla' which took about fifteen minutes and locals on the bus helped us find the place to get down. From Jagulla junction we travelled another 3 Km on foot on a scenic route to the Temple. The Bridge is the oldest surviving wooden bridge and is said to be 400 years old. But the temple's history ran back a good 1000 years to the Anuradhapura era. 

Bogoda bridge

The bridge is build over 'Gallanda oya' which is a very beautiful stream and we couldn't resist getting our feet in to it's crystal clear waters.

Gallanda oya

Leaving the temple, we started back towards 'Jagulla' junction and we were starving. The small village backery near the bus top had something that looked like days old cake and munched it away thinking how good it tasted. We had to wait forever until a bus finally arrives to take us back to Hali Ella, where we can catch the  next ride back to Bandarawela. On our way, we got off at Ravana Falls. It's a crime to bypass this magnificent water fall without getting a proper look at it. So we spent time admiring the falls what's considered the widest fall of them all.

Ravana falls

Surrounding mountains

More mountains

Then we caught a bus and got off at Ella. We thought we'll have a decent evening tea at Ella Rest House which is popular for it's location and fine service. So we took off our loaded backpacks sat on a nice tea table in the garden facing the mountains and the Ella gap and enjoyed a classic cup of tea. We were able to see the approaching storm so clearly and that was a phenomenal sight.

Storm clouds

Soon we'll be covered

We hurried up, not wanting to get soaked up in the rain, caught another bus for the third time on the same route and got to the hotel for dinner. The next day we had to do an early morning drill to get to Badulla to catch our train back home. So we after dinner, we packed up and went to sleep with alarms all set. 

Next day we left early with our breakfast backed to catch a bus to take us to Badulla. Once there we had bit of trouble finding the entrance to the Railway station but finally we did. So we hopped on to the train which was a new one with nice interior, clean floors, clean seats and nice toilets. Yes, it was a pleasant journey back, enjoying the scenic views. There were several tunnels and the beautiful scenery all the way till Kandy. 

Crossing the Demodara bridge

Crossing the nine arch bridge

Old steam engine on display

Entering a pine forest

This is the most satisfying trip I ever did in Sri Lanka and it's memories are still alive with me. Every time I get to sip some good tea, I travel back to those hill in my mind and imagine sitting a midst those lush green tea bushes.