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The Knuckles Mountain Range offers secluded rice fields, tea plantations, forests and waterfalls. I’ll show you how to plan your trip into nature away from the tourist crowds.
This area is situated in the heart of Sri Lanka, just north of Kandy, making Kandy an ideal starting point for your journey. The region boasts nine distinct peaks, each rising to around 1200 meters in elevation. The landscapes vary between these peaks, offering a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Depending on the route you choose and how long you plan to explore, you’ll have the chance to experience different zones within this vibrant and scenic area.
We normally try to do everything without a guide, as it is usually simply not necessary. But that wasn’t the case on our tour, especially as we didn’t have to worry about transportation.
It is definitely recommended to travel with a guide. It’s also interesting to hear what the guide tells you about the plants and life in the region. For example, many spices such as pepper and cardamom are grown there, which I had never thought about as a European.
Perhaps it is possible to take your own transfer to the village of Heel Oya, for example, and set off on your own from there with the help of Google Maps.
We did a guided tour with Nipuna Knuckles Trekking. And can recommend it 100%. The guides were super nice and everything was well organized. It’s best to send them a WhatsApp message (because in Sri Lanka it feels like everything runs via WhatsApp) and you’ll get all the information you need within a very short time.
The day hike is called the Hill Oya Trek and leads 15 km through rice fields, tea plantations and forests, at the edge of the Knuckles Mountains. Those who wish can spend a night at the base camp and continue the next day via various waterfalls to High Knuckles Peak.
The price varies depending on which tour you choose, how many people you are and whether you can/want to join a larger group. We did a day trip and joined a larger group and paid $90 (two people) for the tour including transportation from Kandy, breakfast and lunch.
We chose to do the Hill Oya Trek (15 km) as a day trip, because we only had one day and therefore decided against spending the night at base camp. In hindsight, I’m glad I did, because I was pretty exhausted in the evening.
We were picked up at our homestay in Kandy at 6:30 AM on the dot by a friendly driver. We drove for about an hour to the small village of Hil Oya near the starting point, where we were served a hearty breakfast. We were offered coffee and tea several times and were treated very well. While I don’t eat that much in the morning, my boyfriend filled his belly (which was definitely the right decision).
The hike then began with lots of information about the rice fields and various spices such as pepper, cardamom and vanilla, which are grown there. This was followed by a tea break with the locals. Relaxed, we thought.
I was wrong, because suddenly it was more and more uphill through the rice fields, tea plantations and grass lands. Fortunately, we took regular breaks to catch our breath and drink enough. However, the rapid changes in the vegetation were pretty cool.
After about halfway, the vegetation changed and we reached a small waterfall, which came just in time. We couldn’t wait to jump into the water. We also had a hearty lunch (delicious, but a little spicy). And of course, I slipped on a wet stone before anyone else. Unpleasant.
I have to admit that the second part of the route was a bit strenuous and dragged on a bit, but I’m a real beginner and not exactly fit, because the others didn’t seem to mind so much. But I was rewarded at the end with an incredibly beautiful view.
In the end we were picked up in a jeep and driven back to Kandy, exhausted but proud that we had made it. Meanwhile, the rest of the group made their way to the base camp to hike the second stage the next day.
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