Day Hiking in the Knuckles mountains: what you need to know
When we were trying to find a hike in the Knuckles Mountains that included pick-up from Kandy and didn’t require an overnight stay at a campsite, we couldn’t seem to find one obvious answer. This can be a trend when you’re trying to book anything in Sri Lanka…
But eventually we came across the Knuckles Leopard trail Trek from Kandy with Nature Paradise Tours.
Here’s why we chose it:
The route and information was clear.
We were able to chat with them directly on WhatsApp rather than book through a third-party site.
Although it wasn’t a cheap trip at around £50pp, this did include pick up and drop off at our hotel, coffee and cake on the way out, snacks, lunch, and water all day, and covered the cost of our two excellent guides and driver.
The reviews were glowing.
Almost all the other trips we could find were not for one-day hikes in the Knuckles Mountains. We didn’t want to stay and camp overnight as our hotel in Kandy was sorted so we needed to go there and back in a day.
Why we booked a guided tour in the Knuckles Mountains
You can’t just go for a walk in the Knuckles Mountains. For various reasons, you need to book a guide whether that’s privately or through a tour group. We did the latter and were only joined by one other person but the guide did say groups could be as big as 15, so we got lucky. A smaller group feels a bit more like you’re on your own adventure and you don’t get held up waiting for people. And the guides like to keep a pretty quick pace!
We were also lucky that our guide Lakmal was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and just generally a great guy to hike with – despite his speed! He was constantly stopping to show us wildlife and plants that are endemic to Sri Lanka and explain the history and culture of the area where we were hiking.
Can I hike in the Knuckles Mountains in bad weather?
We were lucky that the day of our hike was hot and dry. The website says that you should expect to leave ‘cold, wet, and muddy.’ We left very warm, sweaty, and a bit dusty. But if you go in the wet season the walk could be even harder due to slippery ground and a lot of leeches (but we’ll get to those later).
However, Lakmal did tell us that they will do the hike even when it’s raining. I would imagine this means it takes a bit longer as some of the route up and down is very steep. We found some areas slippery as it was so dry. So it would likely be even worse while wet.
What happens on a guided hike in the Knuckles Mountains?
Our guide picked us up at 7:30am and after a stop for coffee and to pick up lunch, we arrived and began our hike at about 10am. Within minutes we had stopped to speak with a local tea picker who showed us how the 20 kg of leaves they pick each day are carried up the mountain in a bag that’s strapped to their forehead. There’s a lot of tea grown in this area, and Tamil tea pickers were sent in during the colonial period so most of the shrines around the mountain range are Hindu rather than Buddhist.
A few minutes later we stopped to try fresh cardamom that Lakmal picked for us from the plant. We hadn’t even made it into the forest before we’d stopped to try wild blueberries and raspberries, too.
The varied scenery is what really makes this hike. We walked and climbed through streams, cloud forests, bamboo forests, through the clouds themselves, across bridges made from branches, and through endless tea plantations, meadows, and rocky outcrops.
The hike itself is gruelling. There are some very steep uphill areas and a couple of false stops where you think you’ve reached the peak only to see it looming ahead of you. But I can’t stress enough how much the view and the satisfaction of making it to the top makes the harder parts of this hike worth it.
We arrived first at the top of the first ‘knuckle’ and stopped for photos, before continuing another 15 minutes to the top of knuckle two. It was here that we stopped for lunch about 2.5 hours into the walk. It’s also where we saw the only other people on this entire 7-hour hike. One of the great things about Sri Lanka is that despite being a fairly well known destination it doesn’t feel touristy at all (you can find out more about why I think that is here).
Is it hard to hike in the Knuckles Mountain Range?
Usually, when you reach the peak of the mountain the hard work is (mostly) done. On the Leopard Rock trail that is not the case. I think the way back down was probably double the length of the ascent in both time and distance. And it’s not an easy stroll down. Some areas are incredibly steep and you almost have to slide down. But if you’re healthy and active enough to be taking on a 6-7 hour mountain hike then you’ll be able to do it.
One of the best things about the hike down is that you stop at a waterfall with a natural pool that you can swim in. Changing into swimwear and then finishing the hike cold and wet wasn’t for me so I paddled – but it takes nothing to make me cold. Everyone else got straight in and sat under the waterfall for a while to cool down. It’s a beautiful spot and a really memorable part of the experience.
From here it’s about 1 hour to the final destination where the driver meets you to drive back to Kandy. The first half of this is tough again, with some steep and slippery areas. But with about 20 minutes to go the forest opens up into incredible meadow-like scenery and the village where the hike ends is clearly in view. From here the walk is easy and there are some amazing photo opportunities to be had.
Hiking in the Knuckles Mountain Range: a summary
I spent the end of this hike reflecting on the experience and these were the main thoughts I kept coming back to:
The best parts of this hike are some of the best I’ve ever experienced. But the hard parts are also some of the hardest.
There is absolutely no way you could do this hike without a guide. In places the route is totally unclear and could be dangerous to try it alone.
Having a guide also meant we spotted two endemic species of lizard, and were shown leopard tracks, wild boar markings, and stopped on the ‘leopard rock’ that gives the hike its name where leopards come to sleep in the evenings.
Leeches - every review we read said there were a lot of leeches on this walk so we asked our guide for leech socks. He said we probably wouldn’t need them since it was so dry but we decided to wear them anyway and were glad we did. Two people had small leeches attached to their legs and another to his t-shirt. So it’s worth the unflattering look. They were also good leg protection when dragging yourself up boulders.
A one-day hike in the Knuckles Mountains is plenty to get a feel of the area if you don’t want to camp.
It’s very sweaty. A t-shirt with shorts was a good choice as my legs were cool but my top half was covered from the sun that was strong when we were below the clouds.
If you ever use any kind of joint support then bring it for this walk. I really missed the ankle and knee straps that I sometimes need for long-distance runs.
Bring a lot of water and a lot of sun cream.
(Be aware: it’s possible that your hike will be done in the opposite direction in some areas).
Find out more about how we spent two weeks in Sri Lanka here.
Note: I chose and paid for my Knuckles Mountain tour independently. This post is not an advertorial and is a true reflection of my experience with Paradise Nature Tours. However, if you book yours through my Viator link, I might make a little bit of money through affiliation.