Virgin Village Trek

Knuckles mountain range has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site & there're lots of untouched natural areas just waiting to be discovered. "Manigala" virgin village is one such place. Electricity, piped water or roads are not available in this village. You'll have to walk on top of paddy fields, through small jungles, etc just to get there. The trek is simply out of this world. There's a small river flowing inside the jungle & we put our tired, bare feet into the cold water & small fish came along & pecked at our feet. It was a nature's massage free of charge.

The village ends with the "Manigala" mountain where the hike begins. This is a 15km hike in total. We were joined by a stray dog from the village for the climb. It stopped when we stopped & started again when we had stopped resting. The villagers believe that this dog was a former villager who had come back, to protect & keep an eye on the village & the mountain that he loved a lot.

Enjoying an authentic scrumptious village lunch after all of this was heavenly. Everything was fresh off the feilds & the food was very tasty.

Civilizations still exist in Sri Lanka, cut out from the entire world where innocence still prevails. If you visit this village please help them out, but don't make them depend on tourists for a way of living or do things to make them change their lives to better accommodate the visitors. You & me are just mere passers by. Lets observe, experience & pass by. Leave nothing behind, except footprints.