kanneliya Forest Reserve
kanneliya Forest Reserve
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4.0
18 reviews
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1LifeStand
Colombo, Sri Lanka5,299 contributions
Sept 2012 • Friends
Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya or KDN is a forest complex one hours drive away from Galle City. It is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Although little known it is the forest with the most biodiversity in Sri Lanka. It suffered neglect and felling for many years and is now protected and used for many a research projects. It is one of the floristically richest areas in South Asia.
For an entrance fee you are afforded a guide who will take you though the forest safely. The Lakdasun website will give many a trails and attractions within KDN. http://www.lakdasun.org/
For an entrance fee you are afforded a guide who will take you though the forest safely. The Lakdasun website will give many a trails and attractions within KDN. http://www.lakdasun.org/
Written 7 November 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prasanna M
Colombo, Sri Lanka25 contributions
Oct 2015
Kanneliya is a tropical low land rain forest of Galle district in Sri Lanka.Very nice bio diversity . severla waterways ,falls river. Different kind of birds species.
Written 11 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
460kismet
Ludenscheid, Germany161 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
Genuine biodiversity area in southern province. But infrastructure must to be developed in that area. specially road area and restaurants. Any way nice forest reserve in Galle area. Walking there with guide is make aware us about everything there. Saman who was my guide did his job well. Also I had a bath at the water fall in there. Fresh water coming from top of the mountain.
Written 23 April 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gayan P
Colombo, Sri Lanka1,074 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
Don’t get caught in the Kanneliya Forest Reserve trap. If you are lucky you might escape with just a day wasted on a day tour from the Hotel. If you are really unlucky you might waste 3 days/2 nights staying either in the extremely rundown Forest Department Bungalow which is like a poor orphanage in all aspects, or book online and get stuck in one of the crappy little guest houses in the area fooled by the web photos.
The reserve is a overrated new forest and it is very ordinary. All the large trees except for 1 or2 have been chopped down in the 1970s and what we see now are the trees that grew thereafter. Unless you are obsessed with Botany there is nothing of interest. It does not have any exceptional scenery, birds or animals. The 2 waterfalls reached through blood sucking leech infester long treks are very ordinary. Better waterfalls can be seen on the tea estates in the central part of the country, from the comfort of your vehicle. There is only one bathing spot and that is an artificially created shallow pool. It’s almost always swarming with hordes of local tourists.
You are not allowed to stroll on the reserve at your own pace. Entry fee is Rs 28 for a local (and many times more for a foreigner) but in addition you have to pay the mandatory fee of Rs 600 to 800/ for this ‘Guide’ who tags along with you & controls your trek. Although we had paid extra for that, our guide dissuaded us from going to the 2nd waterfall saying that it would take another 3 hours and that there was very little water these days. Both turned out to be a lies and on comparing notes with other groups we discovered that these freelancing locals Guides have got into this business through local politicians.
The so called Bungalow is right near the entrance and there is absolutely no privacy with hundreds of local tourists streaming by. The rooms, dining areas and the kitchen are extremely dirty. It’s actually not a bungalow at all. It’s a series of dormitories connected together and at any time there will be lots of strangers staying there and sharing the common areas with you.
Therefore you are not allowed to bring in any alcohol or play any musical instruments. Because of the requirement to have a guide with you, it is not possible to even wander out of the building after dusk to see nocturnal animals or to take a dip in the stream when it is free of the crowds that throng the bathing spot during the day.
This same reserve is also listed under "Kanneliya Rain Forest Reserve" but it is one and the same, and a place that can be avoided.
The reserve is a overrated new forest and it is very ordinary. All the large trees except for 1 or2 have been chopped down in the 1970s and what we see now are the trees that grew thereafter. Unless you are obsessed with Botany there is nothing of interest. It does not have any exceptional scenery, birds or animals. The 2 waterfalls reached through blood sucking leech infester long treks are very ordinary. Better waterfalls can be seen on the tea estates in the central part of the country, from the comfort of your vehicle. There is only one bathing spot and that is an artificially created shallow pool. It’s almost always swarming with hordes of local tourists.
You are not allowed to stroll on the reserve at your own pace. Entry fee is Rs 28 for a local (and many times more for a foreigner) but in addition you have to pay the mandatory fee of Rs 600 to 800/ for this ‘Guide’ who tags along with you & controls your trek. Although we had paid extra for that, our guide dissuaded us from going to the 2nd waterfall saying that it would take another 3 hours and that there was very little water these days. Both turned out to be a lies and on comparing notes with other groups we discovered that these freelancing locals Guides have got into this business through local politicians.
The so called Bungalow is right near the entrance and there is absolutely no privacy with hundreds of local tourists streaming by. The rooms, dining areas and the kitchen are extremely dirty. It’s actually not a bungalow at all. It’s a series of dormitories connected together and at any time there will be lots of strangers staying there and sharing the common areas with you.
Therefore you are not allowed to bring in any alcohol or play any musical instruments. Because of the requirement to have a guide with you, it is not possible to even wander out of the building after dusk to see nocturnal animals or to take a dip in the stream when it is free of the crowds that throng the bathing spot during the day.
This same reserve is also listed under "Kanneliya Rain Forest Reserve" but it is one and the same, and a place that can be avoided.
Written 5 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eddie
Weligama, Sri Lanka22 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
Kanneliya rainforest located in Galle, Sri Lanka, rated as a Man and Biosphere Reserve because of its biological diversity. You can easily reach there after 1.5hr drive from Galle.
Written 30 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marion E
Hellevoetsluis, The Netherlands305 contributions
Nov 2015
Had a great hike, including waterfall and cave.
But be aware if the bleaches.
Guide was good. Wear shorts than you can see the bleaches. Guide removed them for us, all the time. Is you wear trousers you won't be able to see them.
Not a lot of animals but birds and beautiful waterfalls... We loved it.
But be aware if the bleaches.
Guide was good. Wear shorts than you can see the bleaches. Guide removed them for us, all the time. Is you wear trousers you won't be able to see them.
Not a lot of animals but birds and beautiful waterfalls... We loved it.
Written 6 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wieger B
Amsterdam, The Netherlands2 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
Really nice "under the radar" place to go.
Sinharaja is nicer but this is easy to get to, cheaper and less leaches, so if you have half a day to spare, go!
forest is only 15 years old, it has been logged so almost all the big trees are gone unfortunately. The new forest is very diverse and acces is easy so it has it's advantages.
Not expensive, we payed 655Rs per person, and the guide fees are fixed and based on the route you want to walk 800 RS for the shortest (4 hrs) and something like 1600RS for the full day. very affordable and we had a really friendly guide who did his very best to speak english and find animals that you would not find yourself
Sinharaja is nicer but this is easy to get to, cheaper and less leaches, so if you have half a day to spare, go!
forest is only 15 years old, it has been logged so almost all the big trees are gone unfortunately. The new forest is very diverse and acces is easy so it has it's advantages.
Not expensive, we payed 655Rs per person, and the guide fees are fixed and based on the route you want to walk 800 RS for the shortest (4 hrs) and something like 1600RS for the full day. very affordable and we had a really friendly guide who did his very best to speak english and find animals that you would not find yourself
Written 24 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yashen
Colombo, Sri Lanka69 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
Interesting visit to the Rain Forest. Very good bio diversity. Be aware of leaches. Interesting places to see inside the forest including few waterfalls. The mountain hike is about 6 hours and you should start it early morning. The reserve is very popular among the locals. A lot of local groups visit the forest during weekends. Avoid visiting during weekends and especially during long holidays. The rain forest is approx. 1 1/2 hour drive from the Galle Town.
Written 3 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yuli4ka98
Chernivtsi, Ukraine6 contributions
June 2014 • Couples
real jungles!! there are a lot of exotic plants and animals, but the humidity is very high (100%) so it's difficult to walk and also there are leaches, who try to stick to your body as soon as they can, so beware) i was wearing shorts and saw them when they tried to bite me, but my husband was wearing trousers and he couldn't feel when the leech got under them bit him
Written 19 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rodriroyal
Kandy, Sri Lanka3 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
If you really love nature, it is an ideal location for a holiday. Lots of greenery and crystal clear water of Kanneliya Oya are there to pull you like a magnet.
Written 30 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How Can I Contact Kanneliya Forest Reserve to know some information?
Written 11 February 2018
Hi,
Am visiting Mirissa shortly. Can anyone give me up to date information about this Forest Reserve.
Thanks, Bob & Sandra
Written 15 March 2015
madhuka j
Colombo, Sri Lanka
pls tell me good spot to get lunch near the forest for 100 presons. a teacher visakha vidyalaya
Written 1 February 2015
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