The Magic at Morning Side

By Damitha Hemachandra & Devaka Randeniya

The long awaited rains have come to Rakwana at last, adding mist to the mountain peaks, greenery to the forest and more volume and noise to the numerous waterfalls found on the way to Morning Side.

is an uphill ride to Morning Side, passing various landscapes and sceneries of paddy fields being made into Liyadhi by farmers or lush tea estates being picked by pluckers, or, it could be mountain peaks rising one over the other to greet the clouds. The mist had settled down for the morning after a good night's shower and Adam's Peak was visible in the far horizon over the settling mist and other mountain peaks. According to a passer by it is a rare scenery to catch.


The skyline grew more vibrant with the sunrise and now mountain peaks were visible against the grey sky no matter where we went. Nature seems to have spent its vigour on Morning Side to create a dream heaven on earth. The uphill ride was a spiralling one as we closed in on Morning Side. There were 'Ten Bends' or 'Vangu Dahaya' to be won over. Each bend had its own surprise. There were 12 waterfalls we passed during the drive through 10 bends. There are 17 waterfalls to be seen throughout the entire journey to Rakwana. Rakwana receives comparatively less attention from the urban population and the results are obvious. There are less vehicles, less pollution and less commercialisation. It was hard to spot a vehicle on the road to Morning Side during half an hour of travelling.

The only vehicle to pass was a fully packed truck which was used as a bus by the Morning Side residents. The neat, carpeted road suddenly changes into a stone laid rugged road, through a tea estate and the uphill climb becomes more challenging than ever. The old road was originally built by the British and is still maintained in its original fashion.


There stands a forest on the top of the mountain waiting to be conquered. After few minutes of struggle by vehicle, there is no choice but to walk up the hill. The path did not look too promising and the drizzle promised more leeches. After a 30 minute walk through the tea estate and passing two small waterfalls we reached the entrance to the forest-Illumbakanda. The entrance looked gloomy in the rising rain and mist.

It was a two hour walk through the leech filled forest to the I llumbakanda watta' forestland but the scenery from the top was breathtaking. The Sooriyakanda rises in all its majesty from one side while numerous mountain peaks including Adam's Peak fill the opposite skyline. Illumbakanda'looks like a baby giant surrounded by its elders.

It was another one and a half hour walk down and this could become longer depending on the number of leeches you have to pick from your legs. The mist had now risen to cover the peaks from our view and traces of the dream heaven were denied to us