Horton Plains is the highest-altitude National Park in Sri Lanka that lies at an elevation above 2,200 m. It is a super biodiversity hotspot in the country with many species living here are endemic to the region. Thus, Horton Plains is among the most important protected nature reserves in the central highlands. Due to its ecological importance, Horton Plains National Park together with Adam’s Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and Knuckles Mountain Range was designated as World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.
Horton Plains National Park encompasses a unique ecosystem containing montane grassland and cloud forests that are limited only to higher altitudes. This park covers a land area of 3,160 hectares. Most importantly, Horton Plains contains the highest extensive area of cloud forests still existing in Sri Lanka. These forests are home to an extraordinary range of endemic flora and fauna.
Due to high elevation, fog and clouds deposit a considerable amount of moisture on the land. Thus, Horton Plains contains thousands of natural springs that will feed major rivers of the country. This ultra-pure water flowing on the ground nourishes flora and fauna unconditionally. Above all, it is the headwaters of three major Sri Lankan rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe.
History of the Park
The original Sinhalese name of the area was Maha Eliya Thenna, which means “great open plain”. During the British period, the plains were renamed after Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, the British governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837. Horton Plains was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and was elevated to a national park in 1988.
Access to the Park
Horton Plains locates 8 km from Ohiya and 32 km from Nuwara Eliya. The park is accessed by the Nuwara Eliya-Ambewela-Pattipola and Haputale-Boralanda roads, using the railway stations at Ohiya and Ambewela. There are two entrances to the park from Ohiya and Pattipola. It takes nearly 3 hours to complete the 9 km long main circular route while enjoying the splendid sceneries in Horton Plains.
There are several popular tourist destinations inside Horton Plains National Park. Here we are going to show you the most amazing things you will see in this biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka.
1. World’s End
Horton Plains is a popular tourist destination, while the World’s End is the key attraction. World’s end is one of the top breathtaking hiking trails in Sri Lanka where you can enjoy the best sceneries of the hill country. The World’s End is a sheer precipice with around 1000 m drop. It is situated at the southern boundary of the park.
The vast plateau of Horton Plains comes to a sudden end at the World’s End. From the cliff, you can have a panoramic distant view of lower-lying plains running until the southern coast of Sri Lanka on a clear day.
The weather is unpredictable in this area and views can cover with mist and fog at any moment. Hence, visiting World’s End in the morning is the best option. Try to visit there as early as possible to capture stunning photographs while enjoying the best weather conditions.
2. Little World’s End
Call as Little or Lesser World’s End, this is a viewpoint at Horton Plains with a smaller cliff than the main World’s end. This cliff is around 270 m and is located not far from the main World’s End cliff. Although the cliff is small, it is a magnificent vantage point with outstanding scenic beauty. This viewpoint is suitable for capturing panoramic photographs.
3. Baker’s Falls
The Baker’s Fall is a lovely attraction you will find during this journey. This fall is located on the circular road around 4 km away from the entrance. Baker’s Falls is among the most beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka. It is about 20 m high cascading waterfall, consisting of many little streams rushing down a rock face.
Baker’s Fall has named after a well-known British explorer Sir Samuel Baker. It is formed by Belihul Oya, a tributary of the Walawe River. The scenery around Baker’s Falls will definitely take your breath away. The greenery is very pretty in this area, splashed with the brightness of red Rhododendron flowers. The surrounding area is filled with Fern bushes.
Usually, Baker’s Fall is a quite safe place where many people try to capture some beautiful shots. Still, you need to beware that the rocks in the area become completely slippery in the rainy season.
4. Rhododendron
The plains’ vegetation is grasslands interspersed with montane forests and includes many endemic plants. One of the most prominent endemics in Horton Plains is Rhododendron arboreum zeylanicum. It can only be seen in montane environments where elevation above sea level is greater than 1500 m.
Definitely, Rhododendron flowers add beauty to the plains. These red color flowers are quite big and about the size of the palm of a hand. The flowers are the official flower of the Central province of Sri Lanka.
Rhododendron trees are highly adapted to cold and windy climates, due to growing in an extremely cold environment. Their leaves are rough and the surface of the stem is thick. Flower buds are covered with hairs and fruits produce hundreds of tiny seeds to increase the chance of getting germinated. You’ll find most of the trees are stunted and slanted, as an adaptation to the high windy climate.
5. Binara Flowers
Binara (Exacum sp.) is one of the rarest endemic plants in Sri Lanka. This blue flower is definitely a sight to behold in the jungles. Thus, it considers the most exotic flowering plant in the Sri Lankan wilderness. Out of the eight species of Exacum found in Sri Lanka, five are endangered species. Although they are extremely rare plants, the Blue Binara is fairly common to be sighted in the moist areas of the Horton Plains National Park.
The beautiful Binara is a bright blue, five-petaled flower on a slender herbaceous plant. This plant grows to about 1 m in height, around an altitude of 2000m. The flower bears a four-sided stem and its color varies from shades of dark blue to hues of purple. These flowers are used in Sri Lankan Ayurvedic medicine. The flowering season is from January to June and again from September to December.
6. Mountain Leopards
The Mountain leopards are a mystery. Everybody knows they live in Horton Plains, but they are totally elusive. Thus, they are nicknamed “Ghosts in Horton Plains”. It’s an extremely rare chance to witness them during the daytime. Although more than 25 leopards roam in the area, one should be very lucky to get a leopard sighting in the Horton Plains.
Definitely, Leopards in Horton Plains are much more shy and reclusive. This behavior makes leopard sightings quite rare. The landscape limits human interaction, thus they often try to avoid humans. The climate is also foggy and misty, which makes spotting leopards more difficult in thick grassland.
The mountain leopards are rather different from the leopards in Yala. Though all the leopards found in Sri Lanka are all of the subspecies Panthera Pardus Kotiya, the difference in landscape causes their different physical appearance. Mountain leopards have thick fur coats to protect them from the harsh cold in the hill country.
Moreover, their body appears larger and fattier in shape than the slender-bodied leopards in Yala National Park. This is because mountain leopards have plenty of food available in the hills than in other areas. Due to less competition, they have high accessibility to their prey, which makes them much bigger than leopards in the lowlands.
7. Sambar Deer
The major amazing wildlife you’ll spot during your trip to Horton Plains is large herds of Sri Lankan sambar deer (Rusa unicolor unicolor). They are a sub-species found only in Sri Lanka. The largest herd of sambar deer in Sri Lanka is living in Horton Plains National Park. Thus, they can be readily observed in the daytime at the park.
The male sambars have large antlers on their head. They are about 40 inches long and divided into three branches. Proud Sambar males with majestic antlers are a magnificent sight to see in the Horton Plains.
The sambar deer prefer to rest under shaded forest cover in the hotter hours of the day. They are active during twilight hours and quite easily spotted during the early morning and late afternoon. Certainly, you’ll see them grazing by the roadside in the park.
8. Endemic Fauna
Horton Plains National Park is also an Important Bird Area with many species not only endemic to Sri Lanka but also restricted to the area. All six highland endemic birds are found here, including the dull-blue flycatcher, Sri Lanka white-eye, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, and Sri Lanka bush warbler. The beautiful Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl, the national bird of the country also lives here.
Horton Plains is home to several endemic fauna species. One of them is this Rhino-horned lizard (Ceratophora stoddartii). They are found widespread in montane forests of central highlands. Especially, they have been recorded around Baker’s Falls in Horton Plains National Park.
Camping in Horton Plains
You can go camping in three designated campsites inside the park named as one, two and three. All these campsites need prior booking from the wildlife department head office in Colombo. Since this is a strictly protected wildlife reserve, there are several rules and regulations to follow.
You aren’t allowed to make a Bone fire at night time and you have to carry gas or kerosene for cooking. Also, the use of alcohol and cigarettes is prohibited. Remember that campsite is chilling cold at night, but this is the nature as the best in Horton Plains.
Best time to visit the Park
The best time to visit Horton Plains is from November to February. However, these are the coolest months, sometimes with heavy ground frost at night. On the other hand, these months have bright sunshine in the daytime. There are frequent rains during the rest of the year brought both by the Northeast and Southwest monsoons as well as inter-monsoons.
Unless you get there early, the view from World’s End is often obscured by mist. Dawn is the ideal time to see the panoramic views as the mountains are free of mist at that time. On a clear day morning, the Indian Ocean is visible like a fabulous silver crescent.
Important tips for you
Horton Plains is the only National Park in Sri Lanka where visitors are allowed to walk on their own. Hence, remember to follow the park rules and walk only on designated tracks.
Please do remember that this is a very delicate ecosystem. Please don’t leave any trash or take away plants.
The use of Polyethylene inside the park is strictly prohibited. Thus, all the food and snacks should bring in paper bags. Otherwise, park officials will remove polyethylene wrappings from your backpack.
The complete circular trail in Horton Plains is around 9.5 km. So, the round trip takes a leisurely three hours. You should be ready with comfy shoes and a dress to walk this distance. The suggestion is to do this walk via the right of the entrance. Most people tend to go left and fewer people walk to the right.
To sum up, visiting Horton Plains National Park is one of the best things you can do in Sri Lanka. Certainly, it will be a unique experience with mesmerizing views of the beautiful Sri Lankan Hill Country. Surely, you’ll enjoy a lot the unique ecosystem in Horton Plains National Park. Remember to keep only your footprints and take only the memories. Let’s protect this world heritage for future generations.
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Unsplash, Facebook, and Twitter. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
