Rural outback cycling challenge: dry zone forest road – Kalthota

It is a ride to 50m from 1200m passing breathtaking diverse scenery, different vegetation types and many different communities. Feel the climatic diversity of Sri Lanka. Close interaction with the local community. There are few better ways to truly experience the essence of Sri Lanka's rural culture and its untouched natural beauty than on a bicycle. Get up close and personal with some of the island's rural folk and experience what life is like in a traditional Sri Lankan village.

Some of the tour highlights – Samanalawewa reservoir and dam, Kuragala view point, beautiful Kalthota Pass with many hairpin bends, Doowili Ella Waterfall, Kalthota irrigational canal, and the Elephant Corridors of Udawalawe National Park. You will be led by an experienced cycle guide.

Itinerary

We start the bike ride after putting on the cycling gear followed by a brief on the safety, trail and pit stops etc. We cycle past the Sabaragamuwa University and some breathtaking scenic villages to reach the Samanalawewa lake dam. From here, we climb up few kilometers, through the forest reserve to reach a viewpoint of the magnificent lake. After a little rest, we do a few short uphill and downhill stretches to reach to Balangoda/Kalthota road. We cycle on this route to reach Kuragala. We park our bikes and do the climb to Kuragala Rock. It’s a sacred place for Buddhists and Muslims also.

We take our bikes again and go down the scenic Kalthota Pass until we reach the turn off to the Duwili Ella– one of the hidden gems of Sri Lanka. We will do a walk to see this magnificent waterfall. The next lap of the cycling trail is mostly downhill and flat. Upon reaching the Kalthota hamlet, we take the left turn and cycle along a beautiful canal until we reach a newly-built fairly broad tarmac road. We cycle past many interesting landscapes, encountering villages as we cycling through an Elephant Corridor. Our final destination on this cycling journey is the Big Game Camp–Udawalawe.

Stop At:

• Kuragala Archaeological Reserve, Balangoda 70122 Sri Lanka
• Kalthota Doowili Ella Falls, Kalthota, Ratnapura Sri Lanka

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