Morning
We wake up in our romantic accommodation, high in the mountains on the border of Knuckles Conservation Forest. We enjoy breakfast with views of the surrounding tea plantations and jungle. The atmosphere is enhanced by the sounds of morning prayers from the village of Bambarella in the valley below. This moment could be savored for a long time, but our plan is a trek called The Knuckles Five Peaks hike.
The websites of local guides offering this experience are sparse on details, so we put together our own plan from the few pieces of information available. Maps help us the most, revealing that from our area, specifically from Knuckles Waterfall (approx. 1,300 m a.s.l.), a path leads to the Knuckles summit. We therefore head to the waterfall in our tuk-tuk.
The ride is relatively comfortable for about the first half, then rougher sections and a few stream crossings that we must overcome appear. Where the road takes a sharp turn we decide to park our tuk-tuk and continue on foot. Although we later see a few tuk-tuks that went higher, this seems like a good decision since the road is steep and heavily damaged from previous rains.
About half an hour’s walk brings us to the very start of the trek. There is a small booth where a national park employee collects the entrance fee. We ask him with gestures about the difficulty of the trek and from his articulation and gestures we learn that we are on the right track and that the trek will be a great experience.
A few metres further the path leaves the road and enters the surrounding vegetation. The beginning is quite waterlogged, but that quickly changes and the route continues through dense, overgrown vegetation. I check the map on my phone several times to make sure we’re going the right way, since the surrounding growth seems to try to swallow this route entirely.
After a few minutes the route starts to approach a nearby stream and eventually leads right to Knuckles Waterfall. It’s a smaller waterfall where water runs down a rock face. One can imagine that during the rains it must look much more monumental. Unfortunately, there are also traces of messy visitors here — litter on the shore of the small pool into which the waterfall falls.
Complications
I look for where the route continues but can’t find it. After a few minutes I begin to suspect that we missed the correct turn somewhere along the way. We retrace our steps and I carefully scan the lush vegetation for the continuation of the path. And then it happened. Something bit my calf. I look closer and in shock realise that a leech has just latched onto me. I quickly remove it and Iva and I check each other. We find that it is not a solitary parasite. There are quite a few, and some are already making their way toward our skin over our clothing. Huge luck that we both set out in long trousers.
We help each other get rid of these disgusting creatures and quickly adjust our clothing so that more leeches don’t easily reach our skin.
I speed up the search for the route and finally, about 100 metres back along the trail from the waterfall, I discover an inconspicuous turn that climbs steeply in the right direction. It really is an inconspicuous turn and we continue along it.
We climb
The route crosses the nearby stream a few more times. Crossing it isn’t such a problem — there isn’t a lot of water at the moment — but finding the continuation of the route on the other side isn’t always easy. Everything is influenced by our recent leech experience. We consider areas around water to be the most risky. We don’t stop anywhere, keep moving and regularly check our feet.
Gradually we leave the vicinity of the stream and the path begins to climb more, now over drier, grassy terrain. The forest becomes sparser and the first rays of sun reach us. After about half an hour we find ourselves on a clearing and take our first break. We have gained some elevation and the first views of the surrounding landscape open up.
After a short break we continue along the clear trail and climb to the nearby edge of the forest. We enter denser vegetation again. The trail is already quite distinct in these sections. As we proceed further you need to watch your head — if you are tall, it’s easy to hit branches.
The map says we are moving briskly and that we have passed the first half of the route to the summit. After about another half hour we reach the place where a path from the village of Thangappuwa joins our route. From this point the trail takes on its steepest ascent, at times you have to hold on to surrounding trees and rocks.
The surrounding vegetation still blocks our views, so we appreciate when we come across a rock formation right by the path. It’s easy to climb and enjoy the views of the surrounding landscape from there. The views are, however, partially limited by clouds slowly rolling into the surrounding valleys.
On the summit above the clouds
We continue and meet the first people coming towards us. We learn that we are only a short distance from the summit. Encouraged, we press on and indeed — after crossing two smaller saddles we find ourselves on the summit.
Only here does one leave the dense vegetation and enjoy beautiful views in all directions. And we are lucky. We climbed above the clouds, which have by now rolled in from all sides. The scenery resembles a classic inversion. The clouds are about 100 metres below us, the sun is shining on us and we enjoy a well-deserved rest on the summit.
Our solitude and peace are, however, after a while interrupted by a few tourists who arrive here with their local guide. They are from Belgium and we start talking to them. We learn that leeches are common here and are not only present near streams but practically everywhere in the surrounding grasses. The best protection against them is classic Dettol, which you should rub on your feet, clothing and footwear. Their guide willingly treats our clothes and we immediately feel safer.
Although we reached the end of the official route, the Knuckles peak at 1,863 m a.s.l. is, according to the map, still a bit north of us. And indeed — from our spot you can see that a path runs along the ridge through a saddle to a neighbouring summit. Although I’m a bit tired, I decide to explore this section. The trail here is less walked and the local guide warned me that it is no longer an official path. After a few minutes I easily cross this section and find myself on the summit. This spot is roughly at the same elevation as where the official trail ends and the views are very similar. I begin to understand why most people don’t go here.
Return
Thanks to the pleasant weather we stay on the summit relatively long, but in the end our craving for a great dinner forces us to return the same way. On the way we meet a few more groups heading to the summit. As usual, we are the only ones without a guide. At one point this even annoys one of the guides escorting a group of tourists from the Netherlands. We receive a short “lecture” that what we are doing we shouldn’t be doing. Apparently the local guides don’t want people to go here without them because they’d lose business. All of this is, of course, hidden in his speech behind a pile of other arguments. In any case, we listened politely and continued on our way. Everything goes easily from then on since we are on a known route and we quickly return to the tuk-tuk and then back to our accommodation. Yum, that dinner… but that’s another story.
Facts about the trek The Knuckles Five Peaks hike
Location: Knuckles Conservation Forest, central Sri Lanka
Mountain range: Knuckles Mountain Range (Dumbara Kanduvetiya)
Highest point of the route: Knuckles peak – approximately 1,863 m a.s.l.
Elevation gain: approx. 500–600 vertical metres (depending on the approach)
Route length: approximately 7–8 km (there and back)
Time required: usually 4–6 hours
Difficulty: moderate to higher (physically), technically not demanding
Signage: minimal to none
Terrain type: jungle, streams, muddy sections, grassy ridges, forest