Sri Lankan Travelogue : Hapugastenna Trail to Adam's Peak - two days off the beaten tracks across the peak wilderness

Tips and Notes:

The trail is entirely along the jungle. No human habitats will come across during the journey. So be well prepared for anything as there’s no one you can seek any help from.
The chance of meeting wild animals is high.
Climb is strenuous. Your fitness should be good and not recommended for ones with illnesses.
This is doable in one day if you are fit enough, but be prepared for a night stop.
This is an untouched territory with least human interactions.
Leech protection is required for the first part of the journey.
Please do not harm and pollute the nature.
Minimize carrying plastics and polythene. Bring back all your garbage and dispose properly.

Climbing the Adam’s peak, the holy mountain has been the ultimate pilgrimage for the Sri Lankans for more than thousand years and is a tradition of Sri Lankan culture too. The fourth highest mountain of the country attracts many thousands of pilgrims during the season from December to May for worshiping the Lord Buddha’s holy foot print and thousands of other hikers to conquer its tough strenuous climb and to enjoy the serene nature of the Peak Wilderness.

There are six known trails used for this pilgrimage, out of which the trail via Nallathanniya is the most used, hence the most crowded and polluted, followed by Rathnapura and Kuruwita trails. All these three trails are crowded during the pilgrimage season and have highly commercialized in the recent times. Paved with cement steps and facilitated with all you need from food stalls to toilets, these trails have made the journey easier which is the very reason for becoming the Adam’s peak climb more of an ‘entertainment event’ rather than a ‘pilgrimage’.

However the other three trails are lesser visited and ‘developed’, hence remains natural and lesser polluted. The trail from Hapugastenna via Dehena Kanda, which we chose for our hike, is the least used, least polluted, hardest and the one with the most wilderness experience.

The trail head is at the border of Hapugastenna tea estate, in a corner of Rathnapura district. The estate is bordering the Peak Wilderness Natural Reserve. The van we hired took us to the trail head along a difficult and washed out estate road. Our team consisted of eight adults and two kids – me, Ashan, Mithila, Sheham, Harinda, Nera, Theshantha & Nimmi with their kids. All the backpacks were loaded, leech protection applied and we started our walk after paying respects to the Buddha statue and descended a little till we met the estate border where we crossed a stream and entered the Peak Wilderness.

final preparations

gearing up

at the trail head

Podda getting the blessings

we enter the wilderness

the stream

we worked as team right from the begining

this stream feeds the Rath Ganga river

The ascending started soon after we crossed the stream. It was an unforgiving acute climb from the moment it started. This trail entirely goes through the thick jungles of the Peak Wilderness Nature Reserve. The chance of meeting other groups of pilgrims is extremely rare and there are no human habitats, shops or any other human activities met along the trail. The path is cleared by the villagers at the beginning of the pilgrim season, so we had no problem of finding the way. But there is a chance of meeting animals, especially the wild elephants on this trail.

The journey was continued at a moderate but steady phase. We did not want to rush as we had a couple of ladies and kids in our team and had planned to camp for the night near a river we were supposed to cross. Many breaks were taken as the climb was hectic. Tall trees prevented the sun light in to the jungle, thick undergrowth prevented us from seeing what’s beyond, the mist and the cold weather embraced our sweaty heated up bodies and occasional showers wet us but the journey was enjoyed and went on along the beautiful jungle path.

it was an acute climb from the start

like father like son

tired

the jungle path

path to heaven

the hard climb

lunch time...

wow

The darkness invaded the jungle sooner than we expected yet we had not reached our first day’s planned camping place. The mist and the darkness made the surrounding spooky and we were exhausted. At around 5 in the evening we saw the outer world for the first time since the hike started. A little later we saw the lit up Adam’s peak through a little gap in the jungle and then the total darkness invaded us. Yet we were not at our destination and had no idea how far it was from us.

We had a little chat and decided to camp at the first suitable place we meet unless we reach the river. With that decision me and Ashan sped up and went ahead in search for a suitable camping place while others continued at the usual phase. Ashan and I crossed a little stream, then climbed a little and came to a flat area with enough width for pitching the tents and instantly decided it is good for camping. We left our backpacks there and went back to help others by easing their load. Mithila, Nimmi and Nera were a little behind and we left them at the camp site for pitching the tents and went back looking for the others and also to collect some water from the stream. Theshantha who was carrying the sleeping kid in his hands was the first to meet and then Sheham and Harinda came. Theshantha quickly prepared the dinner and then we went to sleep.

beauties were seen even in the dark

for the first time looking out of the jungle

a peak of Pettigala range is seen

our tents in the morning

The long sleep eased up the previous day’s tiredness and we resumed the journey early next day. After about half an hour journey we reached the river and were speechless by the beauty of it. The river is branch of Battulu Oya which feeds the Kelani River later on. The place which the path crosses the river is an absolutely a heavenly paradise. Crystal clear waters, the river banks decorated with wild flowers and ferns, two waterfalls and the natural swimming pool reminded of a well planned garden. We were ecstatic by this unspeakable beauty and started running around freely enjoying the serene nature.

our stuff left for the night

the morning views

morning rays

lokka continuing

shining under the morning rays

rays from heaven

The Paradise - the first sight

below is a waterfall

wow

wondering around

what a beauty

here she plunges down

view from top of the waterfall

rituals by the pilgrims

one of the two watrefalls

isn't she a beauty..?

reflection

Ashan capturing the beauty

and it flows on

landscaped..?

awesome

wanna have a swim here..?

jacuzzi

After a good wash from the icy cold water, a filling breakfast and traditional rituals the journey was resumed. Another one hour journey took us out of the thick jungle and entered the mountainous forest. The peak was seen clearly and the final stretch of our journey, the Maha Giri Dambaya was seen to us. A rain started as soon as we entered for the final stretch crossing a stream. From there onwards we had to climb along the mountain slope of about 70 degrees gradient through the jungle. This part of the trail wasn’t cleared off well, so the path was invaded by the thick undergrowth. The rain wasn’t heavy but it continued steadily making the path slippery. We were soaked in the rain as our rain coats were torn into pieces by the undergrowth and shivering with the cold. The jungle gradually ended and we were in the middle of shrubby area where we could see the entire surrounding. The beauty of the nature all around was beyond words, but unfortunately none of us could capture it on our cameras due to the rain.

cooking meal & burning the garbage

place for the rituals

this team of villagers passed us

the peak is seen

our last phase is seen

no photos from this onwards...

After a hectic climb in the rain we reached the point the trail joins the cement steps of the Rathnapura trail a little below the peak. The peak was fully covered with fog as we reached there but later on got clear in the evening giving us some great views. It was one of the best journeys in my life with a lot of cherished memories.