A journey to the forbidden: Ritigala strict nature reserve
Ritigala Strict Nature Reserve is located in the Anuradhapura district of the North central province. It is one of the few high altitude forests, encompassing an area of 1,528.1 hectares and was declared a Strict Natural Reserve in 1941. These areas are mainly declared for the purpose of research and for preservation and protection of large, unspoiled areas of wilderness. Since it is home to species which are rare and possibly extinct from the region, and also because its isolation provides ideal conditions for the evolution of species, the conservation of such ecosystem is considered extremely important. Enough technicality, more about the trip. The hired bus proved very useful to sing in our sweet tones and be loud both the way there and the ride back. We were surprisingly on time and left at 5 in the morning. We took the Dambulla route as we had breakfast planned at Benthota bake house which had fantastic food and great service. It started rain...