solo on the Mahaweli Ganga Sri lanka 2022🇱🇰

In 2022 I headed out to Sri Lanka with my Starboard touring SUP and a sense of adventure. Sri Lanka formerly called Ceylon is an amazing Island filled with wild and wonderful animals, amazing food and some of the friendliest people I have ever met whilst travelling. 

I travelled to Sri Lanka because I was working with SUP Escapes on their fantastic SUP and yoga retreat. We spent 5 days surfing as well as exploring the coast and mangroves of the south of the island. We also guided the clients on a 2 day white water trip down the Gin Ganga. This trip was a wild 2 day adventure down grade 2 white water. We camped on the riverbank in hammocks and were woken by the peacocks squawking. Visit supescapes to join!

After the adventure with work it was time to explore solo. I took on the mighty Mahaweli Ganga this amazing river is the longest in Sri Lanka and my 4 day expedition took me through the spectacular Somawathiya National Park. Within minutes of inflating my board and setting off I encountered my first crocodile of the trip, I lost count of how many I encountered over the following days and I knew more crocodiles were watching me than I saw. The first day was filled with small rapids and choices of channels to take when islands appeared in the middle of the river. Some rapids were bigger than others and a couple needed an inspection before I ran down them. 

The wildlife I crossed paths with on this trip was amazing. On my first night in the hammock I was woken in the morning by monkeys swinging around above me in the trees. They were very interested in me, I can't imagine they see many people sleeping in their territory.  On day 2 it was unbelievably hot and sunny, I was paddling in the shade at the sides of the river instead of in the main flow. I stopped on a beautiful island for 2 hours just to get out of the heat. My inflatable board was only at half PSI because in the heat I didn't want to put any extra strain on the stitching and glue. I made camp later than planned. 

The river was ever-changing. The first two days were a playground of white water, small rapids, big rapids, and a braided maze of islands that kept me guessing at every bend. The final two days opened into flatter, slower stretches, where the river lazily twisted through sandy channels and around long, low islands.

The wildlife made this trip unforgettable. On my very first night in the hammock, I woke to the sound of movement overhead. Looking up, I found myself in the company of monkeys, swinging from branch to branch, staring down at me with curiosity. Can't imagine they see many humans sleeping in their territory. Another evening, I spotted elephants crossing the river in the fading light, unfortunately they vanished into the trees before I could grab my camera.

Every night, I camped right by the river, in my hammock between two trees. One evening, I struggled to find a good spot,  the forest was thick, the trees too close together. Eventually I found a gap, but it was right across an elephant trail leading to the river. That night I kept a fire burning until dawn, hoping it would keep any curious elephants from walking straight through me!

One morning I was filling my bottle by the river looking at a log on the far side, wishing I had my glasses on and trying to remember if it had been there the night before. When I set off I the croc-log slipped into the water and swam away. I know they are teeth and scales but it was a beautiful creature to watch slink into the water. This wasn't my only close encounter with the apex predator. On the last day I was weaving between sandbanks when I rounded a corner and came face to face with one basking in the sun. We startled each other,  I shot into deeper water, and so did he. I watched his enormous shadow slide silently under my board before vanishing into the depths.

Each day the river and rainforest gave me another wow moment, fun rapids, or amazing animal encounters. When I was slowing down and looking for somewhere to eat lunch I watched a snake slide down a branch into the water and swim along to the next bit of riverbank. Peacocks flapped and squealed at all hours of the day and night. Monkeys were a constant companion. 

This trip delivered everything I love about expeditions.