White water adventure

by Lakshmin Fernando

Adventure travel is now the world's fastest growing travel segment. Would you believe it that more and more people find relaxation in swishing down raging rivers in rubber dinghies or in climbing treacherous mountain walls, to satisfy the adrenaline in them.

Some others may wonder what gives with these guys. One school of thought believes it is a reflex action to modern civilization, to advanced technology or perhaps to the chaos that surrounds our daily lives. Then again who knows, adventure travellers may just want to have fun in our country, Sri Lanka. Should white water rafting, the very thought of it bring a gleam in your eyes then Kithulgala awaits you.

The glamour that Kithulgala Resthouse was the location for David Lean's award winning movie Bridge on the River Kwai wanes in the face of the growing popularity of white water rafting, the wild side of tourism and travel with its accompanied mountain biking or trekking.

Get in touch with the World Travel Centre who have dedicated themselves in evolving a programme of a new travel culture for the indigenous community. They have arranged a weekend tour package to Kithulgala, specially designed to suit the office workers and their families.

The tour leaves Colombo in the evenings on Fridays, enabling the office workers to complete their work and will arrive in Kithulgala after a leisurely drive passing Avissawella, the lands of Dehiovita and Yatiyantota.

Enjoy the marked change in vegetation terrain and climate. And if that is not enough for scenic beauty, then there is the added charm of the music from the numerous streams flowing down the mountains.

Whitewater rafting they say is not for the faint hearted. It is an appetizer for the brave and daring and in a rubber 'bobber' the trip takes on an excitement that is hard to explain.

With the river swinging hard and the waterfalls crashing down with force, maintaining balance is an art which strangely you acquire on your first outing with nature you feel almost against you. The thunderous roar of the water falls has an excitement all its own and funnily in the midst of this 'commotion', the thought flashes through your mind as to why you did not visit the place earlier to enjoy the wild side of travel.

A weekend at Kithulgala Resthouse and adventure lovers can engage themselves besides white water rafting in mountain biking or trekking. For others theres bird watching, splashing and relaxing in the river, outdoor camping and many indoor games.

Or if you want to relax in the cool climate away from the busy schedules of the city life - then make your tracks to Kithulgala. It's a discovery of a different type, a discovery that satisfies your adventurous spirit or a discovery for therapeutic dimensions.