The Mini World Ends Here... - Pitawala Pathana

October 21, 2020

The Mini World Ends Here... - Pitawala Pathana

You're probably wondering why I'm doing this. And for me, the answer is simple: Sri Lanka needs more Sri Lankans to tell the world her story. To experience her endless offerings firsthand and capture her diverse beauty accurately. And most importantly, to create content that inspires and informs on how you too can come to experience it all for yourself. So here we are, Exploring my little country...

So back to my blog, today I’m gonna talk about a famous location in knuckles mountain range closer to Riverstone surrounded by and many beautiful waterfalls. The area above the Knuckles range was declared as a climatic reserve, a conservation forest, and a National Biosphere Reserve for its unparalleled biodiversity. The climate in the Dumbara range varies from extreme wet to almost-arid. The area is highly windy most of the period throughout the year. The beautiful valley around Knuckles massif is called “Dumbara” because it’s always misty. The region is blessed with rich fauna and flora, nourished by intermittent rains and water cascading from surrounding streams. The Knuckles mountain range (Dumbara Valley), called so because it resembles the knuckles of a clenched fist, consists of 35 peaks which rise above 900m, perhaps the highest aggregation of such peaks in a single mountain range.

Pitawala Pathana is a montane grassland and a pygmy forest spanned across the Knuckles range. As the name suggests, it is literally a grassy plateau area. It’s an easy walk from the main entrance and it takes about 30 minutes to one hour to cover the area of 250 hectares along a trail of 750 meters of gently sloping rock slab covered with just a thin soil layer surrounded by lush green mountains and never leaving soft mist. The turfgrass of about 10 cm in height gives a velvety appearance to this sloping expanse of grassland. Isolated and scattered trees and shrubs could be seen. Many endemic plant and animal species were found in this area. It has amazing landscapes and you can walk around the plains. Only the short trees and shrubs and grass found here as there is a lot of seasonal wind blows across this place. It is a biodiversity hotspot, so many endemic plate and animal species are found in this area. The soil in the plains is not very rich in nutrients and thus certain plants have adapted to find the required nutrients from insects. Kadulessa, one such carnivorous plant species, has a sticky serum that traps unwary insects.

With an ecology expert, The ecology and dynamics of the grassland vegetation at Pitawala Pathana is worth examining. The open meadows hold the deepest secrets compared to any habitat in Sri Lanka. With an ecology expert, you can discover its biota including amphibians, small mammals, lizards, tree frogs, and a few endemic plants. Due to extreme winds, only small plants survive the rocky flat terrain. Many carnivorous plants trap unwary insects. It spreads out over an expanse of about 10 hectares of a gently sloping slab of rock surrounded by lush green mountains and never leaving soft mist. You can discover two endemic species. One is a frog known as Dumbara Galpara Mediya and the other is Patan Ala, a type of grass. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is a rare type of grassland that evolved in response to a particular ecological condition and can be found nowhere else in the country. A semi-evergreen forest on somewhat deeper soil surrounds the grassland.

Good news for the non-hike lovers, The hike is about around 1-2kms. A gentle 750-meter hike from the ticket counter takes you to 2 viewpoints close to each other. No animal hazard has been reported. And unlike other most beautiful places in Sri Lanka, you don’t have to worry about leeches. But be careful when you deal with the wild. You can hike around the plains but some areas are prohibited due to habitats of extremely rare animal species. Please aware to follow the rules. Here you see a whole different environment. The Pitawala Pathana ends in a sheer drop. It is certainly nerve-wracking to glimpse into the depths, hundreds of meters below similar to the world’s endpoint at Horton Plains. That’s called the “Mini world’s end” fascinating, isn’t it? Oh honey you should’ve seen the scenery! Can explore nature in a different dimension. It’s a remarkable view for all 360 degrees. You can see a breathtaking view of pine forests, tea estates, paddy fields, and mountain peaks which is a nice bonus. The open stretch of countryside drops away at the mini World’s End viewpoint where a couple of sheer cliff edges give you magnificently chilling views of the surroundings. Prefer to visit during day time. Trust me the serene and peaceful environment and surroundings elevates this place in a nature lovers' mind and allows them to connect with Pitawala Patana on a deeper level.

How to get there...

The most common easiest route is the Mathale-Rattota road. About 31 km away from the Mathale town. You can also take Dambulla-Mahiyangana road. But I recommend the first route if you’re a nature lover. From Colombo go to Kandy and then go to Matale on the A9 route. From there, turn to Raththota road and come to Raththota town. Take the right turn from the three-way junction in Raththota town. It will lead you to Ilukkumbura – Puwakpitiya. the turn to Riverston is at the 28th km post, and 3km down in Ilukkumbura road you can find Pitawala Pathana, and in about another kilometer’s distance is the Pitawala Pathana Mini World’s End. From Matale town, it takes about an hour by car to ascend the hill on narrow roads. En route, one can see pine forests, tea estates, paddy fields, and breathtaking views of Gombaniya, Yakungala, and Kirigalpotta peaks.

Please Do not...

At the entrance, you have to buy a ticket from the forest department counter. Near the entrance, there’s a garden with some benches where you can have your lunch or snacks. But make sure you discard your waste properly and it’s better if you bring your polyethylene wrapping back as there are a lot of dogs here and there looking for food.

Do not that that this area is vulnerable to very strong winds, so you have to watch your step and refrain from trying things that can be dangerous. Think twice before you attempt anything adventurous.