An adventure into the unknown

“Beware of the elephants later sir, they are dangerous at night,” my tuk-tuk driver said, casually, as we hurtled down a pothole-ridden dirt road.

Glancing anxiously at the ominous walls of undergrowth flanking me on either side, I imagined a gruesome demise beneath the foot of a rampaging, nocturnal elephant.

Before I could dwell too much, the driver had rounded a corner and pulled to an abrupt halt at the edge of a forbidding looking forest.

Earlier that morning, back at my hostel, two Australian girls had mentioned a hidden climb off the tourist trail called Pidurangala; the best views in Sri Lanka waiting at the summit.

I spoke the name aloud as I stood before my adventure, letting the syllables hang in the cloying Sri Lankan humidity.

A pre-historic looking man with the complexion of a walnut manned a dilapidated ticket stand at the base. I paid him 100 rupees, before tentatively making for the forest looming ahead.

With only the distant howls of the resident monkeys and the unwavering hum of insects for company, I began my ascent up the slither of track that carved its way through the dense, engulfing shrubbery.

Repeating the words of Dr Seuss as a distraction, I bore deeper into the heart of darkness.

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”


I was soon in my element, scrabbling over boulders and branches, day-dreaming of Victorian explorers and adventurers. I was certain that word would return to England, commending my valour. Perhaps a telegram from the Queen? Still, not a glimpse of another soul.

Arriving at a clearing, I was met by a very red and very angry sounding hornet, approximately the size of a warplane. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling quite so brave. I sprinted for the summit, my vespine nemesis closing in. Finally, the mutant insect relented and I was free to enjoy the remainder of the climb, a quick clamber up some steep, volcanic-looking rocks.

Coming up for air at the zenith of my achievement, I was welcomed by as beautiful a view as promised, with Sri Lanka seeming to spill before me, and me alone.

Swallows flitted aimlessly above as I sat to absorb it all. Rice paddies glistened amongst a sea of green far below, as the burnt orange sun cast its final light on the horizon, where distant mountains sat in stupor.

It was a view that could change a year, but soon darkness began to fall. I dragged myself home, my eyes peeled for elephants every step of the way.