Horton Plains National Park

Horton Plains National Park is situated in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, covered in lush montane grassland and cloud forest. Sambar deer and leopards roam these highlands, though the latter are considerably rarer than the former. Now if this doesn’t make you want to pack a bag and head into one of the most beautiful spots in Sri Lanka then we don’t know what will.

To tempt you even further, Horton Plains is also home to the famous World’s End viewpoint, a place with a sheer drop that stretches almost up to a kilometre, more than one careless selfie taker has plunged to their death from here, so be cautious. The popular Ohiya Gap is just 6 kilometres away, from there, on clear days you can see all the way through to the South coast.

This national park is also home to many species which are endemic to the region, and very rich in biodiversity. And Important Bird Area (IBA) of Sri Lanka, there are plenty of birds who are not only endemic to Sri Lanka but to Horton Plains itself. The Horton Plains also form the headwaters of three important Sri Lankan rivers; Mahaweli, Kelani and Walawe. Baker’s falls, another main attraction of the park, is a huge crowd-draw because it is one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful waterfalls.

Horton Plains is a hiker’s paradise, the peaks of Kirigalpoththa and Thotupola Kanda are adjacent to the park. Both offer some of Sri Lanka’s nicest hiking routes. The Horton Plains National Park has an elevation that ranges from 1200-2300 metres and can get misty and chilly, epitomizing the character of the Sri Lankan hill country.

Horton Plains is known as ‘maha eliya thenna’ or ‘great open plain’ to Sri Lankans. The plains are said to be an important site of a pre-historic battle between the Rama and Ravana, the latter who had a flying machine which landed on the adjacent Thotupola rock. Rama is said to have brought an army of humanoid monkeys lead by Hanuman, who set fire to the plain in an ensuing battle.

Horton plains can be easily reached from ‘Little England’ or Nuwareliya. Itself a very popular holiday destination in the central hills. You can also drive here from Kandy, and it is also popular to come here from the South and then take the train down to Kandy and Colombo. The train journey from Colombo to Horton Plains and back is one of the most beautiful in the world. Though you might want to book seats for your return passage if you’ve been hiking, the train ride back to Colombo is as long as it is beautiful! Stopping off at Kandy could definitely be an option though.

Places to stay include Ceylon Tea Bungalow (11 miles away), Tea plant (10 miles away), The Clovelly Bungalow (11 miles away), Tea Trails Bungalow, Amaya Langdale (9.5 miles away).