adventure activity – Harrytinkers travelog

adventure activity, Srilanka, things to do

Bentota

Posted on February 12, 2021February 2, 2021 by harrytinkers

Bentota is a beach town in Sri Lanka and if you are beach baby then this is a place which you will love. We chose bentota because all five of us were beach crazy and wanted to wend the last two days of the bachelorette relaxing near the beach and that’s what we did.

We were really lucky to have visited Sri Lanka just after the Bomb blast incident and there were merely any tourists in the place where we stayed. It was scary to think that we were the only tourist in the whole coastline near our resort, but frankly speaking we loved the experience of having the whole beach just for us.

Madu Ganga

Madu Ganga is the second biggest wetland/ Backwaters in Srilanka

The Madu Ganga is a shallow river in the south-west of Sri Lanka, which flows into the sea at Balapitiya. According to the story, there are 64 islands in the Madhu Delta, and most of them are submerged and only 25 islands are reported out of which 15 islands have a larger land mass.

It has a high ecological, biological and aesthetic importance, home to 303 species of plants from 95 families and 248 species of vertebrate. It is the last remaining tracts of unspoiled mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.There are crocodile and other reptiles in the river so you have to be careful.

Some of the islands are inhabited and all are covered with forests and shrubs. One of the larger inhabited islands, ‘Koth Duwa’, has a Buddhist temple that dates back to the days of the oldest kings of Sri Lanka.

The main source of income for the locals of the Madu Ganga (River) region is the cinnamon industry. The fresh cinnamon is brought here to be peeled. This also means that here cinnamon can be purchased at the best quality at reasonable prices. They also explain the process in detail which was very interesting to watch.

Those who are not in the cinnamon industry live from fishing of River safari as occupation. The fishermen sit either on large branches, which are planted in the water and get fish with sticks. Or they bind nets between the branches that are planted in the water to catch fish.

An interesting thing to be visited of the area is the Open-Air Fish Massage. The fish massage is quite popular around the world, especially in East Asian countries. The unique factor about this massage is that the fish are held in their natural environment, the river. A large space is sectioned off by nets tied between poles; restricting the fish from leaving that area. Other than that, they are free to move around. The client simply sits on a pier and dips his or her feet into the water.

The mangroves form a very intricate formation with its dried branches which attracts most of the social media friendly tourists. Some places look spooky because of the branches and also you can have a sudden visit from the reptiles as well.

We also got to witness a place where the backwaters meet the ocean.

If this is your first visit to a mangrove you would love the experience and want to visit more

Turtle Hatchery

Sri Lanka is really famous for its turtle conservation project and we also got an opportunity to visit one. We visited Ahungalla Sea Turtles Conservation Project. It was so mesmerising to see the baby turtles. Some of us were also got to hold them and they are damn heavy.

We also saw some adult turtles who were rescued from the sea being stuck with the material waste we humans throw in the sea. It was really overwhelming to see how polluted and unbearable we humans have made the sea for these innocent creatures.

Stop littering the sea and your surroundings it’s a humble request from us. We are meant to preserve the nature and not ruin it

Bentota is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the nature in Sri Lanka
Harrytinkers

adventure activity, Srilanka, things to do

Millennium elephant park

Posted on January 1, 2021December 24, 2020 by harrytinkers

Sri Lanka is well known for its wildlife , especially for its massive herds of Asian elephants residing in forests and the national parks.

We started by 9 am from Colombo and it takes about 2.5 Hrs. (70.9 km) to reach Kagalle.

Millennium elephant foundation is a charity organization which rescues captive Asian elephants and take care of them.

There are different visiting package fares which you can choose from and it’s a contribution for the elephant welfare. We took the Tour package of 2000 Sri Lankan rupees which included elephant museum, elephant bathing and tour of the park.

This park is fascinating and huge. It offers a very natural habitat to the elephants. The elephant tamers are very kind towards the animals and look after them generously.

I am not very fond of touching animals and this time I got to touch an elephant which was a very different experience. What I noticed is they have very rough skin and have thick har on then which is merely visible because of their skin texture.

Elephants are very human friendly creatures and I find them to be super cute.

Check out our time at elephant foundation below:

The park is very well maintained and its takes about an hours’ time to take a stroll around the park. The park is covered with beautiful flowers and coconut trees.

Its genuinely a refreshing experience and you must definitely take this if you love animals and want to spend some time caressing them.

adventure activity, bali

Nusa penida

Posted on August 29, 2020June 11, 2021 by harrytinkers

How to reach Nusa Penida?

You can get a fast boat from Sanur port which departs mostly in the morning 8 am and returns at 5 pm in the evening. It takes about 90 mins from Sanur port to Nusa Penida. The cost depends on the type of ferry you have chose.

Places we visited in Nusa Penida

Crystal beach

We decided to visit crystal bay first and we rented a scooter from a restaurant near the port itself and it took us 20 mins to reach the beach. The roads are pathetic and you have to be very careful while driving in these roads. Basically, there are no proper roads and there are small boulders on either side of the road, so if suppose you fall down chances are you will get badly hurt.

You have a parking space just near the beach and there are no charges for it.

The beach is famous for snorkelling and if you are planning to stay in Nusa Penida for a day or two please go ahead and enjoy this activity.

The beach is very beautiful and you can find of corals, crabs and other nudibranchs on the beach. The water is very clear and you can see corals very easily.

NOTE: when you are inside the water be very careful because the coral actual hit your feet and can hurt you badly which actually happened with us.

Th beach has been recommended for being among one of the beat sunsets beaches as its west facing.

You may also find some parasol shaded sun beds available by the locals.

Kelingking beach

Every person who visits Nusa Penida definitely has a picture in this place. To tell you the truth this place is just not hyped but its naturally very beautiful and a must visit beach.

It takes about 35 mins from crystal beach to Kelingking beach and roads are super messy as mentioned earlier and make sure you have petrol in your bike because there are no petrol stations in between , you may find some local shops selling petrol in plastic bottles but cannot actually guarantee what they are.

As soon as you reach the beach there is parking space for bikes and its paid. You have to walk a few kms to reach the view point of the beach.

After reaching the view point, we felt like going downhill and witness the actual beach.

I really don’t know why we thought like that but it was the best experience of the day.

We started climbing downhill wearing flip flops. In the beginning there are steps so we thought how difficult it would be to go down. Later after some time the steps vanished and there were barely any steps but only rocks.

These steps are extremely steep, uneven and can get very slippery after rain.

This is a difficult hike and you definitely need decent shoes, sunscreen and plenty of water. There are closely 800 steps to climb down and the height of the cliffs from top to bottom is over 200 meters while the hike is said to be about 400 meters down the narrow cliff ridge.

Halfway we actually thought about climbing back because it was super sunny but something inside us told us to continue and we did it!!!

It took us close to an hour to climb down and the beach was so beautiful it took all our tiredness away. The waves very rough even at 1 pm we couldn’t imagine how it would be in the evening. The beach closes by 3pm because the waves almost covers the entire shore.

It’s worth climbing downhill but only if you have the energy and water to climb uphill.

We noticed some smoke coming from the mountains it was actually water vapours becoming clouds mesmerising view it was.

Its definitely very tough!!

We took more than an hour to climb uphill and we were damn exhausted, tanned and dehydrated. We literally took bath one bottle drinking water each. Had our lunch and left back to the port because our boat was scheduled by 4 pm

Harrytinkers tip

Wear trekking shoes if you are planning to go down hill in Kelingking beach. Flip flops are not at all recommended even though we did it but we would not recommend
Carry enough water and hydrate yourself
Have a first aid kit handy because you can get hurt either by the bad roads, corals in the beach or while trekking.
Have enough petrol in you bike as there are very few petrol stations.
Have proper breakfast and lunch as you would need energy to explore the island
Carry the contact number of your ferry crew because you never know when you might need help.
Carry sunscreen and apply it in every 3 hrs if possible, otherwise you can get terribly tanned.

Try something which challenges you , its the best way to explore yourself
Harrytinkers

adventure activity, bali, things to do

Adventure Activities at Alas Harum Agro park Ubud

Posted on August 26, 2020November 25, 2020 by harrytinkers

When we look at the pictures of travellers visiting Bali what is the first thing which comes to your mind. That’s right!! BALI SWING. Definitely this was something which Maya wanted to do in Bali. So, we Headed to a place where we can visit the rice terrace, taste Luwak Coffee and enjoy Bali swing. There are lots of places which offer you all these activities together and after doing little research we found out this place in Ubud: Alas harum Bali.

Alas harum agro tourism started as a coffee tasting place which evolved into a place which attracts the tourists because of these reasons

Bali Jungle swing

Here one can experience different levels of Bali swing. Single swing with different height and a couple swing decorated beautifully with flowers. The Bali swing takes one to the highest adrenaline rush in between the beautiful rice terrace and tropical jungle.

The first time they push you, that extreme trill you experience is so intoxicating because you feel like flying towards the sky amidst the coconut trees. It’s a must do if you love adventures in nature.

Sky biking

Sky biking is the new addition to the adventure activities in Bali wherein you can drive a bicycle suspended on a high wire which is 30 ft above the ground. Another adrenaline rush activity, looks easy but is challenging. It’s fun and scary too because you are held up in the air and you have maintained the balance of bicycle and your own body when the gravity pulls you down. It feels like you are swaying in the air and have no control on your upper torso because of the safely equipment. Our suggestion is not to be tried by an acrophobic person.

Bali nests

There are about 3-4 varieties of bali nests in the park and you can enjoy the view by sitting on them ,but usually there be lots of people waiting to click pictures so it is advised not to take too much time in one nest.

Rice terrace and Photo booths

Walking in midst the lush green rice terrace is a wonderful and refreshing experience. There are loads of points to take pictures from. The whole setup reminded us of temple run and as if we had entered an ancient temple with moss. WE loved the swaying bridge and glass floor its super surreal.

Luwak Coffee

Coffee tasting is one of the favourite activities in Bali and you are served two coffee: Luwak coffee and normal Balinese coffee and the difference can be instantly felt because of its intense aroma, nutty taste along with a hint of caramel and chocolate. It’s said to have made with coffee seeds extracted from Luwak’s poop.

It’s a beautiful place from the time you enter the place. Natures beauty is totally utilised and maintained. Very friendly staff, swings are worth the price, you can get amazing instagram worthy pics and enjoy coffee on the glass bottom terrace facing the rice terrace.

Harrytinkers tip

It’s not suggested for people who have difficulty in walking because you have to climb loads of stairs and walk a lot.
Acrophobic stay away from sky biking and Bali swing (it might make you little dizzy)
There is no restaurant inside so eat something from outside the park
Luwak coffee is good, taste it!! Have some fun.
Bali swing and sky biking a must try and it feels wonderful after the adventure 😮
the entry is free but you have to pay for the activities you prefer and this is the prices of the activities ( in 2019)

adventure activity, bali, things to do

Trek at mount batur

Posted on August 19, 2020June 11, 2021 by harrytinkers

Mount Batur is an active volcano located at the centre of two concentric Calderas North West of Mount Agung on the island of Bali, Indonesia. It is beside the caldera lake. We had just read in books that an active volcano always has lakes besides them and it is really required to cool down the hot molten lava.

We were staying in Ubud and our cab picked us up at 2:30 Am and it was a terribly cold morning we reached our base camp by 3:30 Am and had small session with our guide and our team mates. We were handed over two small water bottles each and a mini torch.

Close to 4 o clock we started the trek and the weather was very cold and we did not expect it to be so cold. As we started walking suddenly we looked up at the sky and what we saw was so mesmerising ; a sky full of stars , a perfect place for sky gazing .The trek was fun for the first one hour as we were having fun climbing and we finally reached our first pit stop where we took a break

WE were six People in a team four ladies (they were sisters) and both of us. Our guide was very sweet, jovial and motivating along with the super energetic teammates

By 5 am the sky had started changing its colour and we were excited to see the sunrise from the peak. Maya was super dehydrated and tired because of the climb. So, we started drinking water in every 10 minutes which was very helpful.

To watch the sunrise from the highest peak in Bali was a blissful moment. It’s very beautiful and mesmerising sight.

For those who get tired climbing and want to reach the peak, there is motorbike service available. These are racer bikes and these bikers generally drive very fast and little rash too, because the way is very muddy and slippery. And you will reach very fast with this.

It took us almost 2.5 hours to reach the peak. The trail is super dusty and muddy, more than the rocks. We were damn exhausted, thirsty and hungry by that time we reached the top. Our trek plan had breakfast included where we were given sandwich, boiled egg and banana.

On the side of the mountain there was smoke coming from various portions of the mountain, later we realised that it was the smoke of the volcano and we are on top of an active volcano. Those were warm vapours which were getting released from the mountain craters.

Also, we realised that climbing down was more difficult than climbing up. The main inconvenience with whole trek was there was no arrangement of washroom and also as you tend to hydrate yourself so it’s definitely a requirement.

Climbing down also took us the same amount of time as climbing up. As its steep while climbing down, there are more chances of slipping as you lose your control. Also, if you don’t wear trekking shoes you may sprain your ankle as well.

We also saw a place which was destroyed by the volcanic eruption and covered with black lava. Its just in books we had read about lava but this one was real and we were amazed to see it.

The black portion in the left side is the black lava

Climbing down was not that interesting maybe because we had already experienced the beauty of sunrise and we just needed a restroom and some place to relax.

On total we loved the trek and it was amazing to watch the sunrise from the peak and of course climbing on top of an active volcano was a dream come true.

Harrytinkers tip

It’s an intermediate level trek please keep the below points in mind:

Build your stamina by running or jogging three days a week at least a month prior
Carry 2 litres water and stay hydrated, have water at least every half n hour
Pause and climb there is no hurry.
Carry energy bars or something sweet which gives you energy
Carry a jacket which can keep you warm in the morning
Wear comfortable loose clothing
Wear trekking shoes (very important)
Have the good sleep the previous night of your trek.
The most important point is having faith on yourself, if its first trek you can definitely do it

Be excited and have fun
Harrytinkers

adventure activity, bali, things to do

River rafting at Ayung river Ubud

Posted on August 12, 2020June 11, 2021 by harrytinkers

What is river rafting?

Rafting and white-water rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on white-water or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk and the need for teamwork is often a part of the experience.

Our Experience

The first place we visited in Ubud was Ayung river for river rafting. Ayung river is the longest river in Bali. We visited Bali in October and the climate was very pleasant and perfect for river rafting. We had pre booked this activity online (www.govoyagin.com) three months prior so it was very reasonable for us.

The service was too good as they contacted us a week before to check our itinerary and there was a pick up and drop-down service included with the package along with the lunch. We had our lunch before the river rafting and that actually gave us lots of energy later for the activity.

As soon as we reached the destination we were introduced to our guide and two more members who would accompany us for the adventure. After the introduction he gave us the safety jackets and the boat peddle

We went in another cab to the starting point from there we walked through some rice fields and through some forest area and finally reached the river bank. Thereafter the guide instructed us the basic rules and some safety instructions for river rafting.

Fortunately, we got the front row to sit and trust us it was super thrilling and if its your first time and you love adventures and some adrenaline rush, definitely prefer the front row.

As the raft took its pace our hearts stated beating fast for the unforeseen adventure ahead. In the beginning the flow of the water was mild and slow but later as soon as we started approaching the slopes the water was wild and fast.

The best part about rafting is the sense of flying in the air for few seconds in the slopes and with the wild waterflow and the strong and extreme current and turbulence in the water makes it very thrilling.

The gushing river water, the luscious forest surroundings, mighty hills, clear sky and sounds of melodious birds , everything seemed so surreal , a paradise in dream. This experience is a must have from Ubud. AS it was our first adventure together Akhil was really too careful about me and we really had a fun time together.

Half the way through the adventure we stopped in to have so refreshments like tender coconut water and the again started to raft. Our guide was very funny and he knew how to keep his guests enthusiastic.

There was a place where we observed numerous small waterfalls from the mountains on either side. And our raft stopped at one of those waterfalls so that we can grt drenched in the cold waters of Ayung river. This was so refreshing. The water looks very deep but was only till our waist level.

It was a one-hour journey in the middle of a white river and the forest which covers the area and we truly had the best time on our first day to Bali.

FAQs

Do you need to know swimming for river rafting?

NO. Everyone on commercial rafting trips wears a coast guard approved ‘life vest’ which is designed to aid in keeping you afloat in the event that you find yourself in the river. Many non-swimmers go on rafting trips, and they have a great time. Your guides will give you an in depth and engaging safety talk before your trip explaining what you should prepare for and do in the event you fall out of the raft.

Your Guide is trained in white-water rescue and will work with the rest of your team to ensure that you are able to feel comfortable with the white-water conditions on your trip. It is advised to all non-swimming folks to inform their guide before the trip.

What to wear during rafting and what to take along?

Wear your swimwear or clothes which are best suited for water sports
(something which absorbs and dry faster)
Take a set of dry clothes and flip-flops to change into after your rafting adventures.
Take a dry pouch to keep tour phone in case if you want to take pictures
A bottle of water because you will feel very exhausted

SHOULD I TIP MY GUIDE?

Yes, please do. Your guide works hard to ensure that you have a fun, yet safe adventure, and they appreciate being tipped. If you feel your guide has done a good job at keeping you entertained and sharing the wonderful river environment with you, feel free to tip them.

Harrytinkers tip

Carry water bottle with you and stay hydrated
As you have to walk as well as do the rafting ensure you wear comfortable footwear
Wear clothes which is water resistant
Don’t worry if you don’t know swimming just hold the side rope tightly and follow the instructions by the guide
Carry a waterproof camera or a mobile cover to protect you phone if you are shooting