Location: Nuwara Eliya District, Central Province Date of visit: 20th December 2010
Today I was off to an early start, leaving my hotel at 7 am and heading to one of the country’s most scenic hiking trail and camp site — Horton Plains National Park. Called “Maha-Eliya” or “The Great Open Plains” in Sinhalese, Horton Plains was recently (July 2010) included in UNESCO’s list of natural World Heritage sites with the inscription “The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka”. The plateau is situated at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 meters in shadows of Sri Lanka’s 2nd (Kirigalpotta, 2395 m) and 3rd (Totapola, 2395 m) highest mountains and is the country’s most extensive area of cloud forest, covering 3,160 hectares. It is also home to some beautiful flora, fauna and wildlife.
Getting There With My Companions
Although Horton Plains is accessible by a bus route, I don’t recommend it as the road is quite desolate and the return schedule is not reliable in the afternoons. Your best bet is a tuk-tuk from Nuwara Eliya. During by inbound journey from Kandy yesterday, I made a new friend, Raju, who operates his tuk-tuk out of the Nuwara Eliya central bus-stand. Raju agreed to take me to Horton Plains and back with a stop to see the New Zealand Dairy Farm for LKR 2,500. Although 32 km from Nuwara Eliya, the trip to Horton Plains was expected to take us about 2 hrs.
We were joined on our trip by Raju’s little girl, Shamla (aged 7) and her cousin Sahara (aged 8). Although only 32 km to Horton Plains the trip took us about 2 hrs but the two little girls had us well entertained with their stories. A travel companion is strongly recommend since you are allowed to explore the park without a guide, and the 9 km (3 -4 hour) hike can also be a little lonesome on your own. Although not required, a guide can be hired for about LKR 1,000.
Entrance Fees & Time to Visit
You are required to purchase a permit to enter the park — locals are charged LKR 60 per adult and foreigners charged USD 20 per adult. Tuk-tuks and cars are charged an entrance fee of LKR 300, with larger vehicles charged more.
Most guide books like the Lonely Planet advise getting there at 7 am since the mist starts to settle in around 10. However, you are not completely out of luck if you get there a little later. On most days if the mist does settle over World’s End, it tends to roll through and clears up every ten or fifteen minutes. We started our hike around 9 am but were fortunate as it was a nice clear day.
The evenings and early mornings can be quite cool and it is advised to wear long trousers and a light sweater, though the plains warm up quickly with the hot sun so be sure to take a cap as well.
Leave Only Your Footprints
As a protected nature conservation area, you are not allowed to leave behind anything harmful to the natural ecosystem such as non-biodegradable plastics, cellophane bags and other such disposables. On entry, you are searched and any items of the sort are confiscated. So if taking a snack to munch along the way, I recommend throwing away the plastic packaging and putting it in a non-disposable plastic container or wrapping with paper.
History: Hunting Grounds for British Colonists
Horton Plains is named after Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, the British governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837, who travelled to the area in 1836. Later Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817 – 1911), the famed British explore and Botanist, advised the British Crown “to leave all Montane Forests (under its rule) above 5000 ft. undisturbed”. An administrative order was therefore issued in 1873 to prevented clearing and felling of forests in the region.
However the forests of Horton Plains continued to serve as hunting grounds for the British Colonists who chased sambar, elk, deer, leopards and elephants for game. Sadly over hunted, the Elephant has now been extinct from the region and its numbers have even dwindled across the country. The Farr Inn that today serves as an Information Center and Museum used to once be a hunting lodge, a hotel of sorts for the hunters. Its artifacts on display today, include game trophy’s such as an elephant skull.
Flora
Horton Plains is a botanical treasure trove and home to many endemic species of plants such as Bamboos and tree ferns. The most prominent canopy tree is the umbrella-shaped and gnarled Keena (Callophylum) with white flowers contrasting with striking scarlet rhododendrons (Rhododendron zelanicum). Other common flowering plants are Aristea Ekloni and Excum Macranthum, both having tiny blue flowers. It also contains an extraordinary shrub called Nillu (Strobilanthes) that flowers only once every five to ten years. However as there are populations of varying ages, you will always find one in bloom during the season. The aroma of a flowering purple-leafed Nillu attracts a variety wildlife to the area.
Wildlife & Birds
Sadly excessive hunting during the 19th century has left most of the larger animals extinct. However, the Park is still home to a small population of leopards and you might see one or two if you are lucky. Also listen for a wheezy grunt to spot the shaggy bear monkey(purple-faced langur). A few are commonly seen on the Ohiya road along the hiking trail and occasionally in the woods near World’s End. Another popular resident is the sambar deer, but the most common is the elk that is often spotted grazing as you enter the park, heading toward the parking area. They are quite used to the visitors and often approach vehicles, asking for treats through the windows.
The park is also very popular with birdwatchers. Endemic species include the yellow-eared bulbul, the fantailed warbler, the ashy-headed babbler, the Sri Lankan white-eye, the Sri Lankan blackbird, the Sri Lankan white-eyed arrenga, the dusky-blue flycatcher and the Sri Lankan blue magpie. Birds of prey include the mountain hawk eagle.
The World’s End
The main attraction at Horton Plains is the World End, a cliff with a 700 m vertical drop located about 4 km along the hiking trail. Looking from above reveals some breathtaking views of tea country below and much of the southern island. It is also sometimes called “lovers leap” and according to legend was where two lovers Monica and Brito jumped to their death when their families objected to them being together. Since then several other couples have committed suicide at the cliff and death still haunts it today. A few weeks prior to my visit another girl had fallen off. At the time the case was still under investigation as a potential suicide that she might have been by her accompanying boyfriend.
A smaller alternative is the Little World’s End about 1 km away, also offer some stunning views of the Knuckles mountain range.
Baker’s Fall
A 2 km hike from World’s End takes you to Baker’s Falls named in honor of Sir Samuel Baker, the British hunter and explorer who introduced European agricultural farms to Nuwara Eliya. This 22 m tall, cascading waterfall is on a tributary to the Belihul Oya Lake. Getting to falls is a short slippery descend off the hiking trail, but well worth its spectacular views.
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