2017 Nov 17
National Take a Hike Day falls on the 17th of November and is an event that originated in the United States. In Sri Lanka, with the great weather, the beautiful landscape, and the numerous places available to explore, here’s why you, too, should get your favourite shoes on, grab a hat and get walking!
1. Hiking – it’s good for you.
No, seriously, it’s good for you. Hiking covers such a broad spectrum of activity levels – you can go at a crawling pace, or you can steamroll through it like you’re about to conquer Everest. Regardless of your speed, an hour long hike will burn calories and get your heart pumping. Being a form of cardio, it will release endorphins in your body – the feel-good hormone that will destress you. So basically, feeling stressed? Take a hike. Feeling sad? Take a hike. Feeling like you need some time to yourself? You should totally listen to this article, and take a hike.
2. It’s better for your wallet
Let’s ask ourselves, what does an hour long walk through Viharamahadevi Park really ask of you? Hiking does not involve a gym membership and a lifetime of guilty promises to go tomorrow, just not today (all, I might add, being total lies). Public parks are free, you probably have a favourite pair of shoes, and Sri Lanka is not lacking in interesting places to walk to at all. From the winding roads of the busy city to the trails in Ella, Sri Lanka has a suitable, convenient hiking opportunity lying in wait for you.
3. Sri Lanka has an abundance of hiking opportunities
Our country prides itself in its beautiful waterfalls, in Sigiriya, the Knuckles mountain range, in lovely beaches and rivers. Most of us have experienced the long walk to World’s End, and the satisfaction we feel at reaching our destination makes the entire journey worth it. There is great beauty in our country; mountains that are just waiting to be explored, rivers to be followed, and nature to be admired. A hike is an opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures this land offers to us. This is not to say you cannot find this experience and enjoyment in the busy city, either. “Urban hiking” is a term coined for when you basically just walk through the city, paying attention to the lesser known sights and locations. Why not take an hour and go explore the streets of Colombo? Who knows what you might find in that afternoon of glorified sight-seeing!
5. There are services in Sri Lanka that offer hiking opportunities
For example, there is the Sri Lanka Trekking Club that offers a range of trekking and hiking opportunities in Ella, Haputale, Bandarawela, Ohiya, and Belihuloya. Their experienced community have been organising such opportunities for 25 years. Sri Lankan Expeditions is a similar organisation, and it extends its hiking services to cover the Sinharaja Forest, and Knuckles Mountain Range. In addition, there are many privately guided tours to various places such as Little Adam’s Peak, Peacock Hill and Kirigalpoththa Mountain offered on the website Viator.com. The Ceylon Adventure Sports organization located in Kithulgala is an opportunity to add white water wafting into the mix, if youère ever feeling like you need a more thrilling adventure!
4. There’s no cold weather to deal with here
It’s really curious as to why National Take a Hike day falls in mid-Autumn. Not very many countries have comfy shorts-and-sunhat weather around this time, when temperatures can drop to below zero. Unlike countries that deal with snow, though, Sri Lanka has the luxury of being hot and sunny all year round. It is the perfect kind of place to be in order to go on hikes whenever suits you best, whether it’s December or June.
All in all, hiking really has no down-side to it for the average Sri Lankan. It is an opportunity to take some time for yourself in a cheap, accessible way, to explore, to reflect, and most importantly, to enjoy. So put on some shoes, grab a bottle of water and a friend, and just go take a hike!
