Horton Plains World’s End Walk

Horton Plains National Park is a high, rolling plateau at over 2,000 metres in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its open grasslands and stunted cloud forest feel quite unlike anywhere else on the island, and it is a source of several major rivers.

An early drive from Nuwara Eliya brings you to the park gate as it opens. The circular trail of about nine kilometres crosses grassland and patches of forest to Mini World’s End, then on to World’s End itself, where the escarpment falls away sharply, by around 870 metres, towards the tea country and lowlands. The loop returns past Baker’s Falls, which tumbles over a rock shelf framed by rhododendron and tree ferns. Sambar deer graze near the paths, and the park is home to several endemic birds.

Mist usually rolls in by mid-morning, so an early start gives you the strongest chance of a clear view.

Good to know

• Aim to start walking soon after the gate opens; views are often clouded over from mid to late morning. January to April is usually the driest period.
• Mornings are cold, sometimes near freezing; bring warm layers, a rain jacket and sturdy shoes.
• Polythene and plastic are restricted, and bags may be checked at the entrance. Stay on the marked trail, especially near the cliff edge.
• The walk takes around three hours and is moderate, with uneven, rocky sections.

This walk can be added to any private itinerary in the hill country, with your early departure arranged around where you stay.