In early February 2021, it was reported that a person who had gone on an excursion to Mini World’s End in Madulsima had gone missing. Unfortunately, the gentleman’s body was later discovered by military
officers after a three-day search, after inspecting nearly 200 feet of the precipice.
Prior to the pandemic, Mini World’s End in Madulsima was known as an extremely popular camping spot for many travel enthusiasts and we too recall fond memories from having visited the site early last year.
The venue is frequented by seasoned and rookie travellers, considering the relative ease with which you can reach the spot. In our experience travelling from Colombo, we took the Badulla 99 route bus. Upon getting off in Badulla, the locals will tell you that there is a bus that can take you directly to Mini World’s End in Pitamaruwa. However, the reality is slightly different, as you may have to take two buses, depending on how impatient you are – as we were extremely impatient, we opted to take a bus to Passara from Badulla town and from there caught another bus to Pitamaruwa.
From then on, the journey is fairly straightforward. If you get down at the 30th Mile Post, it’s around a 1km walk to your destination. The path is direct and you can keep an eye out for the famous ‘summer hut’ where everyone rests for a moment for the ‘full experience’.
Whilst we are revisiting the memory of our trip to Mini World’s End on an unfortunate note, we need to say that we were extremely lucky to have the sun shine down on us throughout our stay during the daytime and when night came, we had to deal with just some light rain which passed by quickly. However, looking back, we realise that due to the mild weather we experienced, we took the trip extremely lightly and did not take great care to look out for the unguarded precipice just next to us. Thinking back, we realise that if the weather conditions were even slightly worse, we would have been presented with an extremely dangerous situation.
Another concern with Madulsima is the lack of easy access to a water stream, which is strange for such a popular camping spot. But, it’s possible that despite its popularity, the place has held on to its natural integrity without being tainted by excessive crowds, largely due to the challenge in gathering water. So one pro tip would be to take as much water as you can possibly carry with you. However, if you are travelling during the dry season and need more water, there is a freshwater stream about 200m from the main road, but making the trip to and fro is not easy, particularly if it’s windy, and it is certainly not at all advisable during sundown.
Night time in Madulsima is also rather tough, regardless of which time of the year you visit. At that elevation, the nights are extremely cold and taking some warm clothes with you is a must. And if you’ve set up your tents at the peak of the famous sign post with the guardrails just next to the unguarded Mini World’s End lookout point, it is best to double check if you’ve secured your tents, or your night will not be pleasant. However, having braved the night time, we can guarantee that catching the sunrise at Mini Worlds’ End and basking in the rays amidst the slightly damp atmosphere courtesy of the night’s rain is something that cannot be described; it is otherworldly.
The unfortunate incident that took place in Madulsima is extremely saddening and it is likely that the incident could either deter future campers or, hopefully, it may encourage them to take greater care when visiting the location. However, there are always many types of campers, and while accidents can happen, there will always be those who take things far too lightly. We are hopeful that you would heed our warning to put safety first. Regardless of whether you feel that your unique experience may appear of low risk, there is no harm in being cautious.
officers after a three-day search, after inspecting nearly 200 feet of the precipice.
Prior to the pandemic, Mini World’s End in Madulsima was known as an extremely popular camping spot for many travel enthusiasts and we too recall fond memories from having visited the site early last year.
The venue is frequented by seasoned and rookie travellers, considering the relative ease with which you can reach the spot. In our experience travelling from Colombo, we took the Badulla 99 route bus. Upon getting off in Badulla, the locals will tell you that there is a bus that can take you directly to Mini World’s End in Pitamaruwa. However, the reality is slightly different, as you may have to take two buses, depending on how impatient you are – as we were extremely impatient, we opted to take a bus to Passara from Badulla town and from there caught another bus to Pitamaruwa.
From then on, the journey is fairly straightforward. If you get down at the 30th Mile Post, it’s around a 1km walk to your destination. The path is direct and you can keep an eye out for the famous ‘summer hut’ where everyone rests for a moment for the ‘full experience’.
Whilst we are revisiting the memory of our trip to Mini World’s End on an unfortunate note, we need to say that we were extremely lucky to have the sun shine down on us throughout our stay during the daytime and when night came, we had to deal with just some light rain which passed by quickly. However, looking back, we realise that due to the mild weather we experienced, we took the trip extremely lightly and did not take great care to look out for the unguarded precipice just next to us. Thinking back, we realise that if the weather conditions were even slightly worse, we would have been presented with an extremely dangerous situation.
Another concern with Madulsima is the lack of easy access to a water stream, which is strange for such a popular camping spot. But, it’s possible that despite its popularity, the place has held on to its natural integrity without being tainted by excessive crowds, largely due to the challenge in gathering water. So one pro tip would be to take as much water as you can possibly carry with you. However, if you are travelling during the dry season and need more water, there is a freshwater stream about 200m from the main road, but making the trip to and fro is not easy, particularly if it’s windy, and it is certainly not at all advisable during sundown.
Night time in Madulsima is also rather tough, regardless of which time of the year you visit. At that elevation, the nights are extremely cold and taking some warm clothes with you is a must. And if you’ve set up your tents at the peak of the famous sign post with the guardrails just next to the unguarded Mini World’s End lookout point, it is best to double check if you’ve secured your tents, or your night will not be pleasant. However, having braved the night time, we can guarantee that catching the sunrise at Mini Worlds’ End and basking in the rays amidst the slightly damp atmosphere courtesy of the night’s rain is something that cannot be described; it is otherworldly.
The unfortunate incident that took place in Madulsima is extremely saddening and it is likely that the incident could either deter future campers or, hopefully, it may encourage them to take greater care when visiting the location. However, there are always many types of campers, and while accidents can happen, there will always be those who take things far too lightly. We are hopeful that you would heed our warning to put safety first. Regardless of whether you feel that your unique experience may appear of low risk, there is no harm in being cautious.