Horton Plains National Park

Horton Plains National Park

Horton plains have an interesting history behind it with the discovery of early stone tools dating back to the Balangoda Culture (According to Archaeological sequences the earliest evidence of Balangoda Man at caves and other site dates back to 38,000 BP).

Horton Plains National Park is a popular tourist destination and is situated 32 kilometers (20 mi) from Nuwaraeliya city. Horton Plains National Park In Sinhalese the plains are known as “Maha Eliya Thenna” (මහ එළිය තැන්න). The original name of the area was "Maha Eliya Thenna" (මහ එළිය තැන්න "great open plain"). But during the British Ceylon period, the plains were renamed as "Horton plains" after “Sir Robert Wilmot- Horton’s” (1831 -1837). Horton Plains is located on the southern plateau of the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Horton Plains National Park is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that was designated in 1988. It is located at an elevation of 2,100M – 2,300M and encompasses Montane grassland & Cloud forest. Horton Plains, its surroundings, forests, and the adjoining Peak Wilderness constitute Sri Lanka’s most important catchment area of almost all major rivers. It is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region.

Horton Plains was designated as a wildlife Sanctuary on 5 December 1969, and because of its biodiversity value, it was elevated to a National park on 18 March 1988. The land area covered by Horton Plains is 3,160 hectares & it contains the most extensive area of cloud forest still existing in Sri Lanka. In July 2010, “The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka” which incorporates Horton Plains National Park, Peak Wilderness Sanctuary & Knuckles Mountain Range was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The sheer precipice of world’s End, Baker’s Falls, Thotupola Mountain (2,357M) & Kirigalpoththa mountain hike (2,389M) has been the main tourist attractions places of the park. The peaks of Kirigalpoththa mountain and Thotupola Mountain, the second and the third highest peaks of Sri Lanka. The mean annual rainfall is more than 2,000 millimeters. The mean annual temperature is 13°C ( 55°F ) but the temperature varies considerably during the course of a day, reaching as high as 27°C (81°F) during the day time, and dipping as low as 5°C (41°F) at night.

The Horton plains plateau comes to a sudden end at World’s End a stunning escarpment that plunges 1050m. The walk begins at the entrance and it has 4 km to reach Word’s End, but the trail then loops back to Baker’s Falls (2km) and continue back to the entrance (another 3.5km). The 9.5km round trip takes a leisurely 3hrs & 30min. Unless you get there early, the view from world’s end is often obscured by mist, particularly during the rainy season from April to September. All you can expect to see from World’s End after around 9 am is a swirling white wall. The early morning (between 6 am and 10 am) is the best time to visit before the clouds roll in. Try to avoid doing this walk on weekends and Sri Lankan public holidays, when it can get crowded.

To Kirigalpoththa Mountain hike, have 6km distance to trek & it's taken almost 3 hours to the summit from the starting point. The Thotopola Mountain hike takes approximately 1 hour to reach the peak and trail length is around 1.3km. If you plan to do those hikes you should wear thick clothes that will protect your skin from brambles and such and tall skidproof boots to avoid slipping in the mud.

Close to 750 species of plants have been observed here; this includes dwarf bamboo species (some endemic to Sri Lanka), Myrtaceae and Lauraceae species, and many varieties of ferns, lichens, and orchids amongst others. The fauna of the region includes 24 species of mammals, 87 species of birds, 09 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians, and 02 species of fish. Of the mammals, the most commonly seen are the Sambar deer with a population close to 2000. Others include Toque macaques, Purple-faced langur, Kelaart’s long-clawed shrews, Sri Lankan Leopard, Wild boa; Strip necked mongoose, Spotted chevrotain, Giant squirrels, Fishing cat and one of the world’s most endangered primates, the Red slender loris.

The Thotupola Mountain has Ravana Related stories also. Some people believe Thotupola mountain is used as an Aerodrome (airport) for Ravana’s Flying Machine (Dandu Monara).