Horton Plains National Park

Horton Plains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, is a montane grassland and cloud forest ecosystem at elevations between 2,100 and 2,300 metres. The park protects the headwaters of three of Sri Lanka’s major rivers — the Mahaweli, the Kelani, and the Walawe — and is one of the island’s most critical watershed catchment areas. Temperatures average 16°C and regularly fall below 10°C at night, creating conditions entirely unlike the tropical lowlands below.

World’s End — a near-vertical escarpment dropping approximately 870 metres to the plains below — is the park’s signature attraction. Views on clear mornings extend across the Uva lowlands and on very clear days to the southern coast. Baker’s Falls, a 20-metre waterfall on the Belihul Oya River, lies along the main circular trail. The endemic sambar deer (Cervus unicolor unicolor) and purple-faced langur are commonly seen on the grassland, alongside a rich endemic bird community including the Sri Lanka whistling thrush, dull-blue flycatcher, and yellow-eared bulbul. The park opens at 6 a.m.; early arrival is essential as mist typically closes in by mid-morning.

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• Nature Tours

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• Nuwara Eliya

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