The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 4

ThePaddler 4

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.