Trekking & Hiking Expedition to Duwili Ella & Elephant Safari in Udawalawe

• Arrival at Belihuloya.
• Check in to Kichigune Adventure Camp overlooking Samanalawewa Reservoir.
• Canoëig at Samalawewa in the afternoon.
• Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite (HB).

Nestled amidst the beautiful hill country, Belihuloya is a picturesque little town located in Sabaragamuwa province, 616 metres above sea level. The beautiful hillside location is a climatically transitional area, linking both the dry and wet zones and the hill and low country and making it one of the richest bio-diversity spots in Sri Lanka – and an ideal location for nature lovers! Belihuloya is perfectly in tune with nature and provides a gorgeous setting for all sorts of adventures from climbing to canoeing and trekking. Here, you can enjoy the scenic waterfalls, historic sites, and nature trails.

Surrounded by rugged mountain sceneries, the still calm waters of the Samanalawewa reservoir offer an idyllic location for canoëing. Whether you want to go for a relaxed little paddle for a couple of hours, venture out to the mouth of the Belihuloya River or spend an entire day exploring the perimeter of the reservoir, you are sure to have an unforgettable experience. A well-experienced guide will provide you with the right technics, safety instructions and modern life jacket.

• Start the trail from Kinchigune village at 6.00 am.
• Lunch in a suitable location along the trail.
• Dinner and overnight stay at a participatory campsite by a river.

TREKKING DISTANCE: 12 km starting from Kinchigune

DURATION: 7 – 8 hrs

GRADING: Moderate / Hard

The trail starts in the small village of Kinchigune, overlooking the Samanalawewa Reservoir. You will venture through paddy fields and vegetable gardens to a narrow gravel road that takes you to a small village school and local blacksmith’s workshop. From there, you will continue to a tarred road, surrounded by typical shrub vegetations (consisting mainly of ‘Maliththa’ – Woodfordia fruticosa). After a couple of kilometers, you will arrive in a Buddhist Temple. This 350-year-old wooden temple is well worth a visit, and the local monks will happily answer to your questions about it’s history.

The trail will then take you through uninhabited forests to Walawe River and to the rocky lands across it. Apart from some small groups of local gem miners, it is rare to meet any people in this desolate area that is home to many animals and birds – such as sambhur deer, Indian munjak, flying and giant squirrels, changeable hawk eagle, brown fish owl, stork-billed kingfisher, gray hornbill, and various species of lizards and butterflies. Sometimes, even the migratory elephant can be spotted here.

The campsite will be set by the river, where you can have lunch and enjoy a refreshing dip in cool water. The dinner will be cooked by the campfire, in the most beautiful setting under the stars! And your guides, taking care of the lookout duty, will assure you a peaceful sleep throughout the night.

• Early breakfast at the campsite.

• Continue the trail to Duwili Ella.

• Lunch at Duwili Ella and vehicle transfer to tented safari camp boardering Udawalawe National Park

• Free Evening. Dinner and overnight stay

TREKKING DISTANCE: 8 km ending by Duwili Ella Waterfall

DURATION:  3 – 4 hours

GRADING: Soft / Moderate

After decamping in the morning, the trek will continue in the cool shade of riverine forests to ‘Thunkinda’ where the river divides into three streams that rejoin after about 300 metres. The 100 kms trail will end by the majestic Duwili Ella, also known as the ‘Walawe Ganga Falls’. It plunges a dramatic 25 meters into a large deep pool creating a misty cloud. Hence the name ‘Duwili Ella’ – in Sinhalese ‘Duwili’ means ‘dust’ and ‘Ella’ is ‘waterfall’).

These impressive sceneries offer a perfect setting for a delicious lunch, brought fresh from our River Garden Restaurant in Belihuloya. Before the departure, you can enjoy an invigorating river bath too.

You will be transfered to Big Game Camp in Udawalawe in a safari jeep after lunch. You will be free in the evening exploring the surroundings. A hearty BBQ meal will await for you followed by a night walk in the camp to witness the nocturnal life of the animals.

• Early Morning Jeep Safari in Udawalawe National Park with a packed breakfast

• Back to the park entrance and drive to Elephant Transit Home

• Visit bottle feeding of milk to elephant calves and continue your journey to your next location

Go for an early morning jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park with a packed breakfast. You will have a private jeep to explore the park at your own pace.

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

Located on the boundary of Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones, Udawalawe National Park, is one of the best places in the world to see wild elephants. With approximately 400 elephants residing within the area of 31,000 hectares, it is not unusual to see big herds gathering to feed and bath by the waterholes.

In addition to this main attraction, Udawalawe is home to many water buffalo, water monitor lizards, sambar deer and monkeys. The bird enthusiasts shall be in their own winged paradise with not only the variety, but the quantity of bird species in the park.

Udawalawe, with its fascinating wildlife, history and culture, offers an array of historical sites and natural wonders, guaranteed to satisfy even the most seasoned traveler.

Once the safari is finished, back at the park entrance and drive to Udawalawe National Park to witness the bottle feeding of milk to elephant calves at 10.30am.

ELEPHANT TRANSIT HOME
Udawalawe Transit Home is a place; where closer to 52 baby elephants are being taken care of with minimum human interaction as they are separated from their mothers. Mothers of these babies are either killed or lost due to non ending Elephant –human conflict in Sri Lanka. The transit home provides food, medical care, everything a baby elephant needs. When the elephants are big and strong enough, they are released into the wilderness and start living a “normal” elephant life. A few times a day, visitors can enjoy the feeding hour, when the small elephants rush to drink milk and play with their mates. As any other babies, elephants like showing off, especially when spectators are around.

It’s time to depart, your experience will over with the bottle feeding. You can either continue to your next location or can extend your experience to Yala National Park or exploring Sinharaja Rainforest as an option