Ian Lockwood

East view of Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) from about 1600 meters. (December 2007) 

In the last few months I’ve had a chance to visit Sri Pada and the Peak Wilderness forests on several occasions. In December I took my IB Environmental Systems class on a three-day trip to Peak Wilderness. We stayed at the Fishing Hut and used our time to explore and study the montane and cloud forests that surround the sacred peak. The bird and reptile sightings were modest with a highlight being a flock of 10 or so Sri Lanka Blue Magpies around the hut. We hiked up on a forested ridge leading to the peak but stopped short of making it all the way to the main path and summit. I had a chance to visit the peak again when my friends Matthew and Shelly visited over the winter holidays. We had a very nice walk up and night at the top of Sri Pada in early January. Swimming in the large pool below Laxsapana Falls was a marvelous experience that mirrored the sense of awe on Sri Pada’s summit.

Impatiens sp. in Peak Wilderness forest near the Fishing Hut. (December 2007)

Looking west from the Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) summit just before dawn. Colombo’s lights can be see on the far Horizon. The lights demarcate the Ratnapura and Kuruwita paths that snake through the Peak Wilderness forests. (January 2008) 

Summit temple bells on Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) looking northwards. January 2008 

Sri Lanka Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornata) in flight in front of Sri Pada. Taken near the Fishing Hut at dawn. (December 2007)   

Laxsapana Falls, Central Highlands (December 2007) 

OSC students at Laxsapana Falls, Central Highlands (December 2007)