Sri Lanka is a perfect hiking & trekking destination with many wonderful trails suitable for both beginner and advanced hikers. Beyond all of its beautiful sights and stunning beaches, there are many breathtaking hiking trails are waiting to be explored. These breathing mountains covered in lush green jungles deep inside the central highlands fascinate the visitors. Hike these awesome hiking trails in the country to enjoy an incredible tour of Sri Lanka.
Are you an experienced hiker looking for an adventurous hike or just want to enjoy the sceneries along a fairly easy hike? Anyway, let us help you to know all the details about the most popular and fairly easy hiking trails in the country. We have summarized the best 10 breathtaking hiking trails and treks you need to check out before planning your Sri Lanka trip. There isn’t any doubt these hiking routes will give you lots of fun and plenty of opportunities to discover the ultimate beauty of Sri Lanka.
1. Adam’s Peak
Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak is one of Sri Lanka’s most famous hiking trails among both local and foreign visitors. It is revered as a holy mountain by all Sri Lankans including Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. Thousands of religious devotees make the ascent to pay homage to this sacred mountain each year.
Buddhists in Sri Lanka believe that the Foot Print of Lord Buddha exists on the summit and they deeply respect this popular pilgrimage site. The pilgrimage season officially runs from Full moon poya day in December to Full moon poya day in May. Hiking trails close in other months due to the monsoon rainy season.
Height and hiking time
This is the fifth tallest mountain in Sri Lanka, ascending to the height of 2,243 m. The total distance to the summit is around 7 km and it may take between 3 – 7 hours to complete the trail. Hiking Adam’s peak is a challenge for inexperienced hikers, therefore it is suitable only for physically strong experienced hikers. Care should be taken while accompanying children and adults who aren’t used to strenuous, longer hiking trails.
Best time of hiking
The best option is hiking in the nighttime; the goal is to reach the summit in the morning to enjoy the great spectacle of sunrise. It is certainly worth hiking to the summit of Adam’s peak at night and your efforts will be rewarded with magnificent views of sunrise, probably the most splendid in the world.
2. Ella Rock
Ella Rock is one of the best hiking trails with dynamic and panoramic views of green valleys and misty mountains in the central highlands. This is one of the most popular hiking trails in the tourist paradise Ella town. The giant cliff face of Ella Rock is rising intimidating above the Ella village and the tough journey to the top is completely worth with breathtaking scenery.
Height and hiking time
The height of Ella Rock is 1041 m and Ella is located around 1000 m in altitude, total altitude of Ella Rock is around 2000 m. The length of the trail is 8 km, and it takes approximately 4 hours to complete the journey, 2 hours for ascending, and 2 hours for descending.
You’ll enjoy splendid sceneries of tea plantations and lush green mountains while climbing up. The view from the top of Ella Rock Peak is incredible, offering panoramic views of the Ella Gap and Little Adam’s Peak. It is a place well worth the visit for the best hiking experience along the winding roads overlooking the green valley below.
3. Little Adam’s Peak
Little Adam’s Peak is a highly popular hiking trail in Sri Lanka, a must-visit attraction during your visit to Ella. It refers to ‘little’ because of the similar conical shape to its big brother holy Adam’s peak. The height of Little Adam’s Peak is 1141 m, much lower than 2243 m high its big brother.
Height and hiking time
It is a fairly easy hike than Adam’s peak or Ella rock, suitable to many tourists who find it is difficult to climb much higher altitudes. It can climb along the stairs and it takes only 1-2 hours to complete the trail. The beginning of the path goes through beautiful lush green tea estates and the view from the top is amazing. It is the perfect place for a spectacular view of magnificent Ella rock with lush green mountains covered in tea plantations and cloud forests.
Both Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock give magnificent sceneries around Ella and its surroundings. These trails are absolutely Insta-worthy, epic photogenic spots in Sri Lanka, to capture the best images of Sri Lankan hill country.
4. World’s End
The World’s End is located in Horton Plains National Park at an altitude of 2100 m above sea level. It is one of the widely popular hiking trails in Sri Lanka. As well, it is a key tourist attraction in Nuwara Eliya. The vast plateau of Horton Plains comes to a sudden end at the World’s End, with a sheer cliff of about 1000 m. From the cliff at World’s End, you can have a panoramic distant view of lower-lying plains running until the southern coast of Sri Lanka on a clear day.
Height and hiking time
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. World’s End, Little World’s End, and Bakers Falls are the famous and most visited places on the circular trail.
Little World’s End is a viewpoint at Horton Plains with a smaller cliff than the main World’s End. Although the cliff is small, it is a magnificent vantage point with outstanding scenic beauty, suitable for capturing panoramic photographs. The Bakers Fall is a lovely attraction you will find during this journey, located on a circular road 4 km away from the entrance.
The World’s End is a must-visit trail in Sri Lanka to enjoy the best sceneries of the hill country. The weather is unpredictable in this area and views cover with mist and fog at any moment. Visiting World’s End in the morning is the best option, as early as possible to capture stunning photographs with panoramic views while enjoying the best weather conditions.
5. Mini World’s End
The Mini World’s End is a charming hiking destination with a spectacular observation point located in Matale within the Knuckles Mountain Range. The secretive windy road runs 30 km away from Matale town while offering some of the best views of the surrounding countryside.
Mini World’s End call as the “Pitawala Pathana” in Sinhalese. It is an escarpment with a sheer drop of several hundred meters, which gives magnificent and panoramic views of the surrounding misty landscapes.
It needs to clarify that the Mini World’s End and the Little World’s End are two distinct places, located hundreds of kilometers apart. Little World’s End is a quite famous panoramic viewpoint inside the Horton Plains national park, while Mini World’s End is located in the Knuckles mountain range at Matale. The Mini World’s End at Matale is easier to reach from Kandy and it’s about 60 km from Kandy town. It refers to as ‘mini’ because the cliff is not as high as the big world’s end at Horton Plains.
Height and hiking time
The trail to Mini World’s End starts from the Knuckles conservation center at Deanston. The path towards the drop is an off-the-beaten path of 1 km along with the beautiful forests and trees. The elevation at the trailhead is 1134 m and the elevation gain is only 58 m, showing that this is a fairly easy hike. You will have to climb some rocky steps until you arrive at the edge of the cliff to enjoy the beautiful scenery around. The Mini World’s End gives spectacular panoramic views, probably more splendid than World’s End at Horton Plains.
Visiting the Mini World’s End is definitely worth a hike and you can enjoy Sri Lanka’s best trekking areas with amazing views. If you like waterfall hunting, you’ll meet several of Sri Lanka’s spectacular hidden waterfalls in this area. The best thing is this hiking trail isn’t physically challenging and it doesn’t need any strenuous effort. This wonderful hiking trail is the best one to enjoy a peaceful and quiet environment not crowded by many visitors.
6. Riverston Peak
Riverston Peak is also the best hiking trail in the Knuckles mountain range. It runs a section known as the Mini World’s End and then leads to Riverston Peak. Although this area is comparatively unknown amongst tourists, it offers up the natural beauty of Sri Lanka; fresh, green, and unspoiled nature. If you are looking for an isolated, peaceful trek with impressive views, the hike in Riverston is ideal for you.
Height and hiking time
The trek is about two and a half kilometers one way and takes an hour or two at most. Although the total hike is only 5 km, the constant incline means you need to sweat in the tropic conditions. The Riverston Peak features a sheer 300 m drop to stunning misty views of the nearby Knuckles Mountain Range and Thelgamuwa River. Riverston Trek also offers a chance to see two graceful waterfalls, Sera Ella and Bambarakiri Ella.
The peak, with its peaceful and beautiful surroundings, offers a great opportunity for nature lovers and photographers to capture the best shots. The journey to Riverston will give you the chance to see the two most beautiful waterfalls in the country, Sera Ella and Bambarakiri Ella.
7. Single Tree Hill
Single Tree Hill is one of the most panoramic vantage points of Nuwara Eliya which gives an extraordinary view of the surroundings, where you could absorb the beauty of central highlands in Sri Lanka. It can be considered as one of the off-the-beaten-track trails in Nuwara Eliya, but the views from the top are unparalleled to any hiking trail in Sri Lanka.
Height and hiking time
Single Tree Hill is the 9th tallest mountain in the country and stands at 2100 m from sea level. It rises 250 m above Nuwara Eliya city. The trail is around 5 km and it takes around 2 hours of leisurely hike to reach the summit. Swarnagiri Temple locates in the middle of the path and the summit gives a panoramic view of the Hakgala, Pidurutalagala, Gregory Lake, Sri Pada, and Hatton areas.
Singletree Hill is the best place to see an amazing vista of the Nuwara Eliya town and the surrounding depending on the weather of the day. It offers fantastic aerial views of beautiful Nuwara Eliya city and its surroundings.
8. Haputale Tea Trails
A visit to Sri Lanka is not complete without visiting a gorgeous tea trail in the hill country. Haputale is one of the most beautiful areas in the country with spectacular landscapes and panoramic views. The mountainous terrain with endless tea states in Haputale is renowned for leisurely hiking and trekking tours.
The most popular trail in Haputale is visiting Lipton’s seat, the magnificent viewpoint situated at the edge of the Dambethenna tea estate. Yes.! What you have guessed is correct. The world-famous tea brand “Lipton” produces here and this seat is where Sir Thomas Lipton used to survey the tea estates during his leisure time.
Height and hiking time
The trail starts from the Dambethenna tea factory and it is around 6 km long, the trek will take around 5 hours to complete. The highest point is located 1970 m above sea level. The winding roads leading to Lipton’s seat afford stunning views out over the valleys below. It is an ideal viewpoint for nature-loving photographers and travelers to capture breathtaking sceneries of endless green tea estates in the Haputale area.
Visiting Lipton’s seat offers the best views on a clear day. The best option is to visit there in the morning hours, as it takes only a few minutes to cover the view with mist. Visiting early in the morning allows for snapping images of nature at its best. Since Haputale is one of the coolest areas of the country and the weather is prone to become cold and misty, it is better to take some warm clothing with you. Don’t forget to taste a freshly made cup of Lipton tea at the Dambethenna tea factory during your trip to Lipton’s seat.
9. Hanthana Mountain range
The Hanthana mountain range in Kandy is a popular hiking trail among younger generations in Sri Lanka. It is a part of the annual hiking session of university students, one of the most famous and fairly easy hiking destinations. The peaks offer spectacular views of Kandy city, the Knuckles range, and all the hills in the surrounding region. It is an ideal trail to be closer to nature while enjoying the scenery around the Kandy area.
500-acre plantation of pine trees belonging to the Department of Wildlife Conservation and several reserved forest areas are some of the sights which you’ll see on a trip to these hills. Hanthana was a protected forest during the era of the Kandyan Kingdom, too.
Height and hiking time
There are seven individual peaks in the Hanthana mountain range and the maximum peak height is 1240 m. If you are going to hike the Hanthana trail, it should start before 9.00 a.m. and descend the hills before 3.00 p.m. The reason is that darkness can fall quickly and the weather changes suddenly without much warning to become misty and foggy.
Hanthana mountain range is the place to enjoy the picturesque views of the beautiful Kandy city. Katusu Konda Peak in Hanthana considers as one of the most dangerous, extreme hikes in Sri Lanka. However, climbing this peak allows you to immerse in the lovely nature of the magnificent Hanthana mountain range.
10. Devil’s Staircase
The Devil’s Staircase is a road that drops down 1100 m in less than 12 km. It is located beyond Udaweriya Estate about 8 km away from the Ohiya station. This is one of the most difficult hiking trails in Sri Lanka. The trail begins from Horton Plains Road in Ohiya and passes through tea estates to the region of Kalupahana. This trail is tough and challenging, it is suitable only for physically strong and experienced hikers.
Height and hiking time
This 15 km long trail with sharp zigzag twists is extremely steep and harsh, but quite thrilling to travel. it may need 7-8 hours to complete the journey. It is possible to camp there at night to enjoy the best camping experience in Sri Lankan countryside.
You’ll see the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka, the 26 m tall Bambarakanda Waterfalls, and Lanka Ella Falls during the hike. As well, you’ll meet the famous ‘V cut’, the narrow pass which pierces through a rock on the way. The landscapes in this region offer splendid sceneries with green meadows, valleys, and lush green forest-covered mountains.
Since this is one of the toughest trails in the country, it suits only the most experienced hikers. Preferably hiking with the support of a local guide is the best. Although hiking Devil’s Staircase is challenging, it is a completely worthy trail. There are many amazing viewpoints to capture the most spectacular sceneries of the hill country.
Here we have bought the details about the most breathtaking hiking trails in Sri Lanka, located around 2000 m altitude in misty green lush landscapes. Hill Country of Sri Lanka is a wonderful place where you can go to the end of the world, or follow the footsteps of Adam’s peak to enjoy the best view of the sunrise in the world. We hope this guide will help you to select the best hiking trails in the country to visit during your Sri Lanka tour.
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images by Wikimedia Commons, and Pixabay. Copyrights reserved by original authors.
