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You are half way up the Geelong Mountains in Eastern Sri Lanka. Monaragala town is well behind you. The road leads up, entering an old English rubber plantation still in use, long after the English left. The trees grow randomly on the slope. The path has crumbled with time, a clear marker of its history. A bumpy ride over a well used stone stream, the result. The real hike only starts when the three-wheeler cannot handle it anymore. The surroundings change with the slender trail and steeper slope. The rubber trees are closer to hand growing between big rocks. Some of the rocks become rock faces as you walk on, up the mountain.
A few times now the view has opened up between the growth, showing the horizon beyond the valley. The town far away; the air a little cooler. Now it opens up much more than before. You are standing on a plateau. In all directions you can see beyond the reach of a yell, to valleys and mountains that call to be explored. The place you stand is a major junction of many trails leading up or down for miles, each with its own gems to be discovered.
One hike done and many ahead, you can sit and relax and stay however long you like. A roof over your head comes in the form of the traditionally built eco lodge. It is made in fitting with the environment and covers the plateau with its 360-degree view. In fact, all the facilities you would reasonably need are there at your reach in the midst of the hills a true hiker hopes to discover.
You are at Raxawa Estate, a place to rest your head and put your legs to the test or to stay in comfortable seclusion. Raxawa is in keeping with and open to its surroundings, so much so that it confuses your senses weather you are inside or out. You can find peace and quiet in an otherwise hectic country. All in all you are not just hiking through fantastic nature, you are living there!  |
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