ThePaddler 22
Riding the tears of Budd
Sri La an expedition with a difference In 2011 a group of six kayakers from the UK completed a successful expedition to explore the white water in Sri Lanka. There had been a couple of previous trips to the island before, but this one was the first to be held in August, during the heart of the monsoon.
A year on Niamh Stack gives us a recap of the expedition and takes a look back as some of the thoughts and descriptions written while on the Pearl of the Indian Ocean...
The expedition saw the team searching out rivers in the Southern Central mountain range. Some rivers, such as the world-class Kokmole Oya, had seen previous descents. However, there is still so much to discover on the island and the expedition claimed numerous first descents. There was another major aim to the expedition though – to leave a lasting legacy in Sri Lanka. This was achieved with the help of Borderlands, a rafting and outdoor education company. I was one of the six kayakers from the UK who decided to plan an expedition to Sri Lanka, chosen for its mountains, climate and lack of kayak exploration so far. The news of a fledgling outdoor community that we felt we may be able to help was the final attraction, so we got hold of Borderlands. Over a Skype conversation with Wade (the Borderlands director), in the plush base camp longhouse surrounded by chilled out tunes, a happy crowd and beautiful jungle, we became very excited to start this partnership. As kayakers planning to explore the country with very little prior information, it was of great help to have someone on the ground to help us with initial planning. This continued with airport pickup from a smiling Mahesh (driver, raft guide, chief scout, friend and all round top guy) to a meeting with the Educational Secretary of UNESCO, the current General Secretary of the National Association of Canoe and Kayak Sri Lanka who backed us on our expedition. Wade also arranged for Chanaka, a local with lots of river knowledge to assist with our initial findings. We then headed to Kitugala, Wade's beautiful setup in the jungle for some warm ups on the lovely local runs.