Riverston - panoramic view of Knuckles Range
Among the numerous short and easy and comfortable hikes of only half an hour to great viewpoints Sri Lanka has to offer, the partly paved forest road to Riverston can be claimed to be the most rewarding one. The road can be passed by service vehicles of the broadcasting towers, but not by private cars or tourist transportation vehicles. A forest department ranger is at the entrance gate near the car park and also sells the tickets.
view to the valley of Matale, Ethipola mountain left, Hulangala right
Riverston actually forms a ridge with two peaks, each crowned by a modern briadcasting tower. The highest point near the more remote tower reaches 1464 m (4803 ft) above sea level, whereas the first tower closer to the car park, near the very best viewpoint of Riverston, is at an altitude of 1444 m (4738 ft) above sea level, just 178 m (584 feet) higher than the car park at the Pitawala Pass alias Riverston Pass, which is in only 2 km (1.3 miles) walking distance.
Location
The said pass is the highest point of the famous Riverston road. It's famous for one of the most adventurous regular bus lines in Sri Lanka (Matale-Hettipola). The Riverston road is pretty scenic, but very, very bumpy and narrow in parts. Road distance from the pass with the Riverston car park and ticket office to Matale, the district capital, is 28 km (17 miles). From Riverston pass, Kandy is in 52 km (32 miles), Dambulla in 64 km (40 miles, and Sigiriya in 81 km (50 miles) road distance respectively.
Administrationally, Riverston Peak as well as the pass with the car park near the ticket office for the small Riverston hike is in the area of the the village of Pitawala, between Rattota and Laggegale (the latter not to be confused with Lakegala mountain).
Administrationally, Riverston Peak as well as the pass with the car park near the ticket office for the small Riverston hike is in the area of the the village of Pitawala, between Rattota and Laggegale (the latter not to be confused with Lakegala mountain).
Panoramic Views from Riverston
view to Manigala Peak and Valley of Pitawala
|
triangular Tunhisgala, behind it Kehelpathdoruwa left, Alugala right
|
|
From Riverston, you can see almost all significant peaks of Knuckles Range, except from Lakegala and Yahangala in the very east and mountains around Hunnasgiriya in the south. Gombana, the highest mountain of Knuckles Range is in only 8 km (5 miles) distance to the south of Riverston, as the crow glies. The second highest peak, Tunhisgala can be seen from Riverston in an almost perfect triangular shape, like a Sri Lankan "Matterhorn", in the southeastern direction, in 12 km (7.5 miles) distance, as the crow flies. In farer distances to the south and southeast, also the namegiving "five Kuckles" can be seen and further left, the peaks around Meemure Valley.
|
view to Gombana, Five Knuckles Peaks far in the background
|
Ethipola summit behind Matale Valley
|
view to Karaganathenna
|
The neighbouring Knuckle Range foothills in the northern direction is Karaganathenna in 7 km (4 miles) distance, as the crow flies. To the right side and a little bit behind its main peak are the cliffs known as Karaganathenna Mini World's. To the left of the said peak, but much farer away, are the northernmost Knuckles foothills near Naula and Dambulla, which can be seen from the Sigiriya Rock on the opposite side.
Best Time to Visit and Climate
The best daytime to visit Riverston Peak is definitely the early morning, as in the case of most Sri Lankan viewpoints. Compared to other mountains in Knuckles Range, the weather conditions of Riverston are milder and dryer, due to the proximity of the north-central dry zone (Cultural Triangle Area). But Riverston is a windbreak, winds can be surprisingly strong. Otherwise, mist often covers the hilltops in this region for many hours. Highest precipitation is in the intermonsoon periods, mainly in October and November, but also in April and May. Best chances to have clear far distance views are in February and in August and September.
Surroundings of Riverston
Riverston Peak is surrounded by further attractions such as Bamarakiri Falls in the Rattota and Matale direction and Pitawala Pathana Mini World’s End in the Ilukkumburua and Hettipola direction. Around Pitawala village, there are further hiking mountains, such as Manigala, and several more waterfalls, some of which also require longer hikes, such as the wonderful Serra Ella.
