Week Without Walls at The Highlands

Feature image: Hiking to Lanka Ella Falls through the pine trees, taken by Pep

 

Intro

This year for our WWW experience we got to choose which micro-trip we participate in. I chose to do the Highlands Hiking Trip, where we spend most of our time in the tea country, high up in the mountains (Ella and Nuwara-Eliya). I chose this trip because it seemed most exiting to me; I haven’t spent alot of time inland and wanted to experience the cold temperatures and unique climate.  I was exited to engage with a different kind of eco-system we are normally used to. In this blog I will go through briefly what we did on each day by referring back to the journal I kept on the trip, and i’ll show some images my pears and I took on the way. There will be a separate CAS block regarding my photography on this trip. 

A map showing the key locations we visited

Day 1

We left school early and it was about a five hour drive to our first location. After lunched we hiked the rest of the way to the campsite. The hike was 8km, we passed through mostly open paddies (see images below). I worked with peers to help each other cross the river.  We camped and had dinner at a place called “The Village of Steal.”

Photo of our group hiking to camp

Walking along the endless paddy fields

The camp-sight overlooked a large river (tents down the hill)

Day 2

We ate breakfast, packed and left camp early to visit the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka; Bambarakanda Falls. It was a stunning sight, and I took photos of my pears posing at the base of the falls. After that, we hiked to a separate waterfall that some of us were able to swim in (Lanka Ella Falls). This hike was my favourite on the trip, because the biomes we walked through were most beautiful to me.  We walked on the edge of a mountain through tall Mexican pine cones, than on an open grass fields with a huge drop that looked over several other mountains. I do have a fear of highest but after a while, with perseverance; I got used to it.

Liam at the base of Bambarakanda Falls

Group photo by Ms. Kamila

Sasindu by the edge

Amazing views hiking to Lanka Ella Falls

 

We had lunch at Olympus hotel (where we stayed at for the next two nights), than we walked up Lipton’s Tea Road, which was a long walk up a tea plantation. Although the statue was a bit underwhelming, the view from the top was amazing, we sat and drank locally grown tea and watched the macaques.

 

A macaque family spotted near Lipton’s Seat

Group photo at Lipton’s Seat, taken by Pep!

Day 3

Day three was definitely the most intense moment on the trip however still a highlight. We Hiked through Horton Plains in order to reach the 2nd highest peak in the country. We spent seven hours on foot, and I was really struggling a few times to stay commitment. However, I set goals for myself to try and keep up with my peers so we could support each other. We shared snacks and checked in on one another. The journey up was beautiful, and reaching the top of the peak was very rewarding for our hard work and perseverance. We also saw some amazing wildlife such as birds, interesting insects and even deers. We saw wild orchids and different fungi’s as well.  After our hike we made a quick visit to the Horton Plains Museum to learn more about the habitat around us and the wildlife we saw.

Horton Plains (images taken towards the beginning of our hike; before we started ascending the mountain (which was thick jungle)

 

The wildlife

Taken by Ms. Kamila

Lucca enjoys his packed lunch at the peak

 

James poses with the the deer we spotted on the way back

 

Interesting museum displays

Day 4

We packed and left Olympus hotel early after two nights of staying there.  We visited the Jagro strawberry farms in Nuwara-Eliya. We also stopped by the Ambuwella fields, where we saw wind turbines and free range cows. It was interesting visiting these two places, I got to learn more about how strawberries are grown and about cow milk production.

   

Amewella Farms

 

We enjoyed enjoyed strawberries at Jagro Plantation

 

Wind mills on the fields

 

After that we drove to the Nuwara-Eliya town. I admired the architecture as we drove by and it was really cool walking around Victoria Park, where I took majority of the time taking photos . We stayed the night at Jetwing Hotel. Today was really productive. We saw so many different sides of Nuwara-Eliya and the importances of the country-side. It really felt like a different country, just because of how different it is to Colombo, you realise how diverse  Sri Lanka really is.

 

Victoria Park, Ethan and Moises in the last pic

 

Day 4 isn’t over yet! That evening  we did a night trek in a jungle near the Jetwing Hotel. A guide taught us about the different reptile species in the area and what we could expect to find. We also learned about their behaviours and how to not harm them whilst taken photos. We wanted to keep the ingenuous frog species of Sri Lanka Safe whilst observing them.  I took some pretty good photos of the stuff we saw, and I definitely learned a lot.

 

Here is a rhino horned lizard I spotted

Hourglass frog

Yet to be identified

Day 5

We woke up really early and left to Pidurutalagala, the highest peak in Sri Lanka. We drove up in the van because the peak is also used as a military training base, so the rules are quite tight. The view at the top was incredible. It was really cold and I loved seeing the temple at the top and being above the clouds. We could even see Adam’s peak from the peak.  After that, we went back to ST. Andrew’s, had breakfast, and packed for the long drive back to OSC.

Me at the entrance to the peak, taken by Ms. Kamila

Military equipment at the top of the Peak

Above the clouds

Adam’s Peak in the distance

At the highest peak in Sri  Lanka stood a compass statue

Conclusion

This week was probably one of the most physically and mentally challenging weeks in my life. I think I really pushed myself and  expanded my comfort zone throughout the trip. I learned so much about the tea country, in such a short amount of time. The things I was lucky to see, are  defiantly once in a life moments. I am very thankful that I got this opportunity to become closer to my pears and become closer and more mindful with the environment around me.

Hiking to Lanka Ella Falls through the pine trees, taken by Pep