Day 4 continues..

The drive to Horton Plains National Park (HPNK) via the vast green grass-fields of the Ambewala farm and New Zealand farm managed by Ambewala was a treat to our eyes. At the entry gate of the HPNK, we bought the tickets for the nature trek through the plains leading to World's End and Baker's falls. Vehicles are allowed only upto a certain point after the entry gate, after which the area is demarcated for trek lovers.

 The short trail up to the demarcated point by vehicle was home to wild stags that could be easily spotted:
Steps downwards leading to the trail

A small museum about the birds and animals present in the national park

The trail began like this..






advanced into uneven grounds like this..


We planned to walk at least upto the mini World's End which would have been around 5 kms round trip. R was a total sport and walked enthusiastically refusing to be even held when he faltered over the uneven grounds of small rocks and stones. The trail began as a cobbled path but as we proceeded further into the trail, it began to get a little muddy and rough though it was still manageable. At a particular patch, the shrubs and trees on either sides grew denser making the trail colder and a tad eerie. We came across many other trekkers, mostly foreigners, who stopped to greet us, smile at R appreciatively and carried on. Our hopes to reach at least the mini World's End rose with every advancement and as we breathed in the fresh air, listened to myriad insects and birds' sounds, enjoying nature to the fullest. We'd have made it but just as we were nearing, R showed signs of tiring down. We were still tempted to carry on but we were hesitant of tiring R further. It was unfair on the poor kid and then there was the possibility of us needing to carry him all the way back which also would have proven difficult considering the fact that we already had almost walked 2 kms into the forest. So we just thanked our luck for having come even this far and started our trail back. R kept up his spirits for a major part while we took turns in carrying him back whenever he appeared jaded or slowed down.

Fully pumped with the energy of such a power-packed morning, we bade farewell to Nuwara Eliya and started on our downward and a long journey (it took about 5 hrs) to Tissamaharama, called Tissa in short, a town 21 kms to Yala National Park where we were to take a wildlife safari. Signing off from the cooler hills we geared up to face warm to hot weather conditions from hereon. We drove through sleepy villages of Ohiya, Hauptale and Ella, where we halted at the Rawana Falls. We reached our hotel in Tissa, whic was strategically located on the banks of Tissa lake. All the rooms had sit-out areas from where one could view the serene lake. The rest of the evening at Tissa was meant to relax as we had to be up early next morning for the jeep safari.

Rawana Falls at Ella

Hotel Lake wind on the banks of Tissa lake







8 comments:

  1. the guy walked TWO kilometres..awesome awesome awesome..did I mention earlier that you are very brave! to travel with a two year old!!! awesome awesome

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    1. thanks, RM :-))He loves running about and basically expending his energy, loves open spaces..am glad in the end to have incorporated a lot of parks, gardens in this tour.
      really, it nothing to do with bravery. Am sure you if you take your R to place where she can expend her energy or some place she'll surely like, then your vacation will be much less stressful.

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  2. I agree with R's mom.. R is so energetic!! And he's so cute also.. :-) nice pics again..

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  3. Good planning Uma...love the itinerary. I'm amazed that R actually walked 2 kms...I don't think my kids have ever done that much at his age...good job on the side of the parents :)

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    1. aah..thank you, Aparna..feels good to get this compliment from the planning guru :-)
      and thank you for the lovely comment on parenting too..it is not often that I get to hear something like this..:-) though, I am not sure R's love for walking has anything to do with our parenting.. ;-)

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  4. This travelogue is a really good guide for anyone wanting to visit Sri Lanka Uma :). And I keep forgetting to mention - I am loving the captioned photos style !!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Aparna..as usual you are kind with your compliments :-)

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