53 things we saw/did/ate during our 2-day hike led by the incredible Lakmal: 1. Knuckles 1&2 summits 2. Leeches 3. Leopard poo 4. Green, yellow, pink coconuts 5. Green Vanilla beans 6. Sweet Cinnamon tree 7. Itching mongoose 8. Flower exchange w local child 9. No electricity cabin 10. Cold water showers 11. Cardamom seeds 12. Tamarind 13. Jackfruit 14. Starfruit 15. Breadfruit 16. Rice seedlings 17. Irrigation canal 18. Coffee beans/cherries 19. Cacao beans 20. One of 25 banana varietals 21. Avocado tree 22. Guava 23. Kingfisher 24. Lemongrass 25. Peppercorn (green/red) 26. Tea villages, factories, fields 27. Bamboo (shoots and stalks) 28. Betel nut tree 29. Hibiscus flower 30. Wild raspberry 31. Pomegranate 32. Trumpet flower 33. Bird of paradise flower 34. Chameleon 35. Skin eating fish 36. Koi pond 37. Waterfalls 38. Sugarcane 39. Pineapple tree 40. Clove leaf 41. Doggos 42. Cassava 43. Mango 44. Red and orange papaya 45. Elephant 46. Water buffalo 47. Monkeys 48. Chickens 49. 2-story leaning house built on a truck 50. Village road being poured 51. Curry rice lunch box wrapped in plastic 52. Arrack coconut rum cocktails 53. Ginger biscuits

My partner and I did the one night camping, two day hike in the knuckles mountains with Lakmal from Nature Paradise tours, and it was fantastic! Lakmal is an excellent guide, he has great knowledge of the local animals, flowers, and vegetation, regularly pointing out and giving us fruits and spices to taste and smell! The hike was very rewarding, on the first day we hiked to the top of the knuckles, and the ascent and descent was quite challenging in places. We had great weather and had amazing views from the top. On the second day we hiked to waterfalls, had a lovely swim and then continued down to a village, which was amazing. The food on the hike was excellent, especially the lunch on the second day in the village! We were very lucky and got an upgrade on our accommodation to a posh tent / glamping (as all the standard tents were in use), but we would have been very happy with the standard tents. There are leeches on the trail but Lakmal has leech socks that help protect you. Overall, I highly recommend a trip with Lakmal, he is an amazing guide and the knuckles mountains are such a beautiful and slightly less touristy place to go!!!!

Lakmal is amazing and very knowledgeable, we spent 14 days touring Sri Lanka. He was very polite and showed Sri Lanka we have never seen. I highly recommend, he makes everyone feel very comfortable, equally encourages even though I was not a fan of heights. An amazing guide and an individual.

I did the ‘two days one night hike’ in Knuckles Forest as a solo traveler. Lakmal is a really good guide. He has a good eye for spotting small animals. Also I learned a lot about plants what I really liked and tasted wild growing fruit and spices. Also the meals were really good and in the evening we had good conversation! He even bought glue to fix my shoe sole which got loose and helped me with my fear of leeches :). He did really his best to make it a good experience! The hike itself was really beautiful, but it was hard! I am beginner with some (shorter) hike experience! But I managed and wil do again :). The next day hike was easier. Also took swims in waterfall and natural pool. With free foot spa from the fish haha.

Amazing trip with friendly and knowledgeable guide We had an unforgettable experience on this beautiful trail full of nature We stayed in an ecolodge on top of the mountain Though amenities were basic, everything was taken care of exceptionally by our guide Lakmal with the assistance of the local caretakers of the lodge. They provided us with hot water for bath manually, cooked amazing meals full of variety and fresh ingredients , even gave us free bottle of local Arrack to enjoy! Lakmal is an exceptional hiker himself apart from being a great host. Highly recommend this hiking tour to anyone who wishes to explore the beautiful landscape of the Sri Lankan wild forests

Lakmal was a great guide, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very supportive catering to all different fitness abilities and making sure we were all safe. We had water in the car at all times. He proudly showed us his home country with all its natural beauty and friendly amazing people. The food was good, a bit spicy, but good, amazing fruits!!!! and the lunch at the village in Kandy was out of this world, simple, tasty and serving of the food was organic, I would go back and stay with them. I wish we had more fresh vegetables. We met her female cousin who was also a guide and she was so friendly. Thank her for finding my reading glasses. Overall a fantastic magical experience of enchanted Sri Lanka!!! I would have to go back with more time to discover the other cities.

I did the Seven Falls Tour with Lakmal and highly recommend it. The drive to Knuckles was already a worthwhile experience, but the diversity of the vegetation and the animals on the Tour is stunning. Lakmal is a great guy who genuinely cares about the ecosystem and the community there, it was a pleasure to do the trip with him.

Lakmal took me on an overnight trip through knuckles. He shared his knowledge and experience as he pointed out wildlife and all of the local vegetation and a waterfall of course! From pepper to cinnamon it was amazing how much they grow in this small area. Our trip was capped off by a great swim and lunch with a local family. If you like hiking this is a tour for you! Cant recommend enough. I also hiked in Horton Plains with Lakmal and recommend it as well.

We had a really good time! It was beautiful. The weather on the first day wasn’t so good, the clouds abstracted the veiw, and the rain made many leaches come out. But with good protection provided to us, we were fine. The guide was great, knew to tell us all about the plants and some animals along the trek. The campsite was really nice as well. And the food that we got was delicious.

Great experience! The views are amazing and the tour is well organized. Lakmal shares a lot of knowledge about the surroundings. I would recommend this tour if you would like to be in nature.

I had a great hike with Lakmal around the tea plantations and rice fields in Knuckles range. Lakmal is a very safe and attentive guide, very knowledgeable about the area (fauna and flora, aryuvedic plants, agricultural practices and local village traditions), and it was great chatting with him along the way. I've learnt a lot with him, all while looking at beautiful landscapes ! Along the way I got to taste some fresh cardamon, clove, citronella, coffee bean, cinnamon, and various delicous fruits. We stopped to have a home made lunch in a local village , and it was some of the best food I had in Sri Lanka. It was a great experience, I would completely recommend it to anyone wishing to discover the beauty of Sri Lankan mountain area. Thank you Lakmal and I hope to do another hike with you someday !

Organised my trip at the last minute when no others would. My guide Wasantha was a really knowledgeable and real joy to spend hours with trekking and talking.

Amazing tour! I can only recommend!! The tour guide is very nice, gives you pleanty knowledge on spices, culture, and shows plenty plants along the trek. I got to try pepper, wild strawberries and have many pictures of beautiful flowers. The views are simply incredible, with great variety of what you can see. The highlight of course was swimming in the waterfall! So far, best experience i had in Sri Lanka!!

Amazing tour! 2 days surrounded by nature, jungle and beautiful landscapes, sleeping in a nice camp, delicious food and the best guide. Thanks Lakmal for everything! I enjoyed a lot :)

Best palace to experience nature near kandy ancient city. Camping 🏕️ in a forest and natural waterfalls hearing birds voice and it's feel actually paradise. Thank you Nature paradise tours.