national park Horton Plains (Horton Plains national park) - it nature reserve in a mountainous region with an area of about 32 square kilometers. It is located at an altitude of 2100 - 2300 meters, where the highest peaks are located. This place is a must visit if you decide to travel to Sri Lanka.
Horton Plains National Park has a full variety of ecosystems: Mountain peaks, meadows, forests, lakes and waterfalls. Such conditions ensure the existence of rare animal species. It is worth considering that in most cases, after lunch, everything is covered with thick fog, so it is better to start the trip in the morning.
How to Get to Horton Plains National Park
Airplane. Colombo Airport - "Bandaranaike" is the nearest airport to the park. It is located about 15 km from the city of Colombo, so you can take a taxi there or take a bus that goes to the city center every 25 minutes.
A train. From Colombo Fort Central Station (Colombo Fort railway station) take the train to Ohia (Ohiya). A ticket for the 2nd class is about 3 USD, for the 3rd class - less than 2 USD. The journey will take 3-5 hours. To find out more, you can use the official website railway Sri Lanka. Then by local transport - tuk-tuk - you will reach the entrance to the national park (about 10 km), the road will cost you about 10-20 USD.
Automobile. By car from Colombo you can get on the Ginigathena road (Ginigathhena Road) it is about 188 kilometers. Weather in Sri Lanka can be quite unforeseen, so it is worth considering that the road can take from 4 to 6 hours.
Horton Plains National Park: Life Hacks
Since the purpose of the trip is the Horton Plains Park itself, it is worth preparing for a walk along it. First of all, you need to wake up very early in order to have time to enjoy the beauties in full before everything is covered in thick fog. Therefore, when calculating travel time, it is better to wake up at about 4:30 in the morning. It is best to have time to see everything before 9-10 hours. Clothing must be appropriate - comfortable shoes and closed legs, a hat. It is worth taking enough water and food with you. Entrance to the park will cost you 20-40 USD. In the park, you will be surprised by the beauty of the local nature, endless fields and dense wet forests, mirror lakes, gushing waterfalls and mountain slopes Ceylon Island. You also have the opportunity to meet local animals such as deer.
If you are in this park, you should definitely go to the end of the world. This is no joke - End of the World (Great World's End Drop) is a rocky cliff, which is located 2140 meters above sea level. It rises above the lake and the lands that are below at a distance of 900 meters. World's End is located on the southern edge of Horton Plains Park. You need to go to it along the hiking trail for almost 9 kilometers, but it's worth it. At World's End you will have a truly mesmerizing view, this is one of the most beautiful places in all of Sri Lanka. But, first of all, you need to remember about safety: do not get too close to the cliff, it is better to move a little further away and enjoy the same beautiful view.
About 200 meters from World's End, the road turns to another local attraction - Baker Falls (Baker's Falls). This is one of the most beautiful and most popular waterfalls in Sri Lanka. The height of the waterfall is not small - about 20 meters. The descent to the waterfall is quite steep, so you should be very careful, and in bad weather it is better to leave this idea until better times. There are also special places around the waterfall, from where the best views and photo angles.
Horton National Park is a protected area and is located on the southern plateau. The park is 32 km away. from Nuwara Eliya, km. from and 8 km. from Ohiya village. In Sinhalese, Horton Plain is known as Maha Eliya Plains. Plateau national park covered with mountain pastures, forests and clouds. This plateau is located at an altitude of 2,100-2,300 meters above sea level. The territory of the national park is rich in biodiversity and many species of animals that are endemic to this region. This region was designated a national park in 1988 and is popular place rest of tourists. Horton National Park is home to three major rivers in Sri Lanka: the Mahaweli river, the Kelani river, and the Walawe river. The vegetation of the plains alternates with mountain forests and meadows and includes many endemic woody plants. Typical mammals of the area are herds of Ceylon sambar deer (Sri Lankan sambar deer) and the park is an important bird area with many endemic species. Forest death is one of the main threats in the park and some research suggests that it is caused by natural phenomena.
The Horton Plain is probably one of the most ecologically clean places in the world and most a nice place in the highlands of Sri Lanka. It should be noted that smoking is strictly prohibited in Horton Plains. Some of the attractions of Horton Park are: World's End slope, and Baker's Falls.
WATERFALL BAKER (Baker's Falls)
Baker Falls is an famous waterfall in Sri Lanka. It is located in the Horton Plains National Park on a tributary of the Belihul Oya River. The height of the Baker Falls is 20 meters. The falls were named after Sir Samuel Baker who was a famous explorer who discovered the falls in 1845. Around the waterfall you can see a lot of ferns and rhododendrons. The descent and ascent to the waterfall is very steep, and during the rainy season the path can be slippery. The waterfall has created places for the best angles for photos and for viewing.
Baker Falls is especially beautiful in autumn. At this time of the year, coming to the waterfall you can see different landscapes. At the top of the waterfall, you will see how the water falling from the waterfall spreads into a long pool. It is very beautiful and exciting. In general, autumn has become for many waterfalls in Sri Lanka, the most best time, as it shows the waterfalls from a completely different side, which means it is more colorful.
ATTENTION! The waterfall has 12 traps, so don't miss the no-swimming warning signs. Many people died here.
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SLOPE END OF THE WORLD (World's End Slope)
End of the World this slope, abruptly ending vertically at first at 328 m, and then at 1312 m, is one of the main attractions of the large Horton Plains National Park. It is not so easy to get here, and this place is not for those who seek a quiet and relaxing holiday on the beach. But if you really want to see something exceptional and are ready to walk for this, then you will definitely be recommended to visit this place. The slope is located on the edge of a large plateau, on which transport does not go, and you will have to get there on foot through the territory of the national park. This pleasant but somewhat tiring journey brings the hiker to a huge slope that drops vertically. Below you are like two walls: one is a little more than three hundred meters high, and the second is a cliff, which is located below, above a kilometer. Right under your feet, the earth just ends, and it's hard to tell if you are standing on the edge of the earth, or vice versa, looking at it from the edge of the sky. After all, in front of you is the earth, only far below, and directly only air. If the weather is good, then among the mountains you can see a little blue of the Indian Ocean.
The most beautiful place here is at the moment of dawn. It is not easy to get here early in the morning, but the sensations that tourists experience at this moment simply cannot be expressed in words. Humid forests in the early morning begin to evaporate moisture, and a huge amount of clouds, low and heavy, rises for about a kilometer and a half. So they find themselves under the very feet of a person, and it seems that there is no earth below at all, what is further is only the sky. For this view in the early morning, its current name was given to the slope, as it creates the feeling that you really are on the edge of the earth. Then the clouds part and reveal a magnificent view, one of the best on the island.
True, if you come here, it is better to be careful, because you may even feel dizzy from the sight of the cliff. But it is almost impossible to fall from here, the sites are equipped for the safety of tourists. There are two of them here, a large and a small platform.
Sri Lanka is not only a warm sea and endless beaches, but also a vast mountainous area in the center of the island with its ancient history, culture and beautiful landscapes. We could not visit it. But we did not have time to return every day for an overnight stay back to Hikkaduwa, and even this would not be economically profitable. Therefore, we decided to conduct a kind of excursion marathon. Trip format: new day - new town- new attractions. Principle: we carry everything with us.
Articles about this trip to the mountains of Sri Lanka are united under the general title "Excursion Marathon" and divided into travel days. All events happened to us in reality and are presented in chronological order. Five unforgettable days...
Horton National Park. On the trail of the leopard...
12/14/2015 ($1~140 rupees). A 40-minute drive from Nuwara Eliya is a high plateau, which is a national nature reserve. The height is about 2200 meters above sea level. Here tourists make independent walk through the jungle without a guide. Observe various animals in their natural habitat, including predators.
We start moving at five in the morning. Our driver is in a hurry, presses on the gas: the standard program of the trip includes meeting the Sun on the top of the plateau.
We are not alone in wanting to see the first rays of the sun and wild animals. There are many cars. The road is winding and narrow. Fortunately, we make it. Today the sun rose under our supervision.
Quickly brightens and we drive up to the box office.
Not far from the entrance, the driver shows us a big handsome deer resting not far from the road.
Entrance ticket to Horton National Park costs ~2500 rupees (~$17) per person. Everyone's belongings are checked for plastic bags, and plastic bottles are asked not to leave in the park and to be quiet. Having passed the control and briefing, we cheerfully rush along the well-trodden path.
"And the road is not easy, let's say without hiding..."
Ahead of ten kilometers of communication with flora and fauna. At first, we walk with caution, looking around. After all, here, behind every bush, a leopard can hide ... We turn our heads, look around and look for herds of deer and wild boars. It's not boring to go, we periodically make fun of each other and confidently move forward to the first halt.
The path, after three kilometers, takes us to sheer cliff about three hundred meters high. We admire the landscapes, relax, refresh ourselves, take pictures against the background of the mountains. We demonstrate to ourselves and others brave courage, we sit on a cliff with our legs dangling!
A few years ago, one lucky guy from Holland, just like everyone else, was spinning on the edge, lost his balance and flew into the abyss. Luckily, he caught hold of some bush, found a foothold, and waited, calling for help, for more than two hours.
This place is called - end of the world 1.
After half a kilometer we make a new halt: end of the world 2. The abyss is even deeper, "by eye" about 500 meters. We do everything the same as at the first halt. But we stay longer.
White clouds are clearly visible below. They entered our gorge in the distance, and flew up to us, creeping along the bottom. And having caught up with our cliff, they vertically rushed up and flew next to us. I didn't want to leave.
The next section of the path was passed imperceptibly. Immediately merrily crossed the stream.
We were no longer afraid of the leopard and did not expect a meeting with him.
In the thickets, a toilet for visitors to the park of the original design was found. He stood on the edge of the forest in a very picturesque place.
So that visitors to the toilet could fully enjoy the beauties around and not waste time, caring builders prudently made the wall opposite the front door only half. It is very convenient to track down a leopard.
We moved on, in some places the road was paved with almost yellow brick. I imagined myself as the Tin Woodman - a companion of Ellie and her unusual friends. I was not afraid of water and boldly went down to the lower observation deck forest waterfall. It was discovered in the middle of the 19th century by the English explorer Sir Samuel Baker. Since then, this waterway bears his name - Baker's Falls. The height of the water fall is more than 20 meters. Wonderful waterfall.
Breathing in ozone and refreshed by the spray of falling water, we set off.
The remaining section was no more difficult than before, but I began to slowly fall behind. And I just wanted to get to the minibus. Already ten kilometers off-road galloped! But on this site, my big-eyed companions finally found signs of life in Horton National Park.
We witnessed a successful iguana hunt for a worm! And we also saw a gray mouse near the road. Well, not bad, five hours of continuous searching!
Leaving the park and approaching the mikrik, a surprise awaited us! A young deer came out to the parking lot. In Sinhalese, his name was Simba. He was not afraid of people, rather the opposite. Simba loved to be photographed.
Instead of the usual three hours on this route, we walked more than five. Our driver was starting to get worried.
Seeing the driver, I told him how I met the leopard nose to nose and how huge it was! The owner of the bead wanted to see the pictures taken. I explained that there was no time for jokes, they ate their legs. He was shocked because he himself had never seen a leopard here, but then I confessed and told him about the iguana and the mouse. We laughed merrily.
On the way back, already in the light of day, we saw that the landscape along the road was enlivened by huge wind generators,
carefully built by a Chinese energy company. We arrived quickly and parted as friends.
Here are the coordinates of the driver: Sehabdeen Mohamed Shafith. Link to his facebook. tel. +94775004241 You can also chat with him in the popular whatssap messenger. Can become your guide to all corners of the mountainous region of Sri Lanka. He is a good guy, so he received from us not 4, but 5 thousand rupees for this trip.
After a quick bite to eat in a purely English pub, we hurried to the bus. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Today we still need to get to the foot of Adam's Peak and settle down for the night.
Adam's Peak from Nuwara Eliya
How to get from Nuwara Eliya to Adam's Peak? There is no direct bus from Nuwara Eliya to Adam's Peak. We had to first get to Hatton, and from it to the settlement. Maskeliya, and from Maskeliya jump onto a passing bus to Delhouse.
We were worried that something might go wrong. Did some tourists advise that it is better to spend the night in Hatton? Hire a car and drive to Adam's Peak in advance.
We decided on the contrary, first to get to the village of Delhouse, directly located at the foot of the desired mountain, rent a house there and have a little rest before climbing.
We boarded the next bus and set off. The fare from Nawara Eliya to Hatton was 120 rupees per person. We got there in 1.5-2 hours. Having made a change in Hatton for a bus to the village of Maskeliya, we went deep into mountain range. On the way, the rain caught up with us.
At first, everything went on as usual. We have already got used to the mountain serpentine and thought that we would not be surprised by this. But when we got deep enough into the mountains, we had to fill in the gaps in driving in the mountains.
With the rise to the height of the road became narrower, and turns more often. With an oncoming car, it was possible to pass only by slowing down hard and clinging to the side of the road. On the one hand, there is a cliff without a fence, on the other - a rock, and you will squeeze slightly. A closed turn followed a closed turn.
The driver tirelessly turned the steering wheel and always gave an audible horn before the next closed turn, warning the driver of oncoming traffic about his approach. Completely stopped and ate around with the same buses. Sometimes I had to back out when driving. The direct section of the track was often no more than two bus bodies. At the same time, he dropped off and picked up passengers, adhered to the schedule, accelerated and slowed down, as he always listened to loud music. If you have a weak vestibular apparatus, then before traveling to Nuwara Eliya and to Adam's Peak, you should stock up and drink a pill for motion sickness and nausea.
Twilight has come. We got to the small village of Maskeliya for 40 rupees per person and 1.5 hours of time, where we were fortunately waiting for a passing bus to Delhouse. We were not alone. Several more tourists boarded the next bus.
The rain didn't let up. Having paid a fare of 35 rupees, an hour later the conductor told us where to get off. Just opposite a number of small hotels.
We chose the first one that came and settled in a family four-bed room for 3,500 rupees. It was 9 pm. They set the alarm clock, plugged in the chargers and fell asleep to the sound of rain. Get up soon...
Remember, the truth is in the numbers! Good luck!
Excursions on the Plateau Horton
Sri Lanka - Plateau Horton- the highest national park in the world Sri Lanka. The most high point plateau Horton located at an altitude of 2134 m above sea level, and the entire territory of 3162 hectares - between 1800 and 2300 m above sea level in Sri Lanka.
This unique ecosystem was discovered and described by English explorers in the 19th century and named after one of the governors of Sri Lanka, Sir Robert Horton. Another British name is associated with this place: Baker's Falls is named after Sir Samuel Baker, who studied and popularized this place.
Bottom part plateau horton, in places swampy and indented by streams, gradually passes into small forest areas and further into grassy wastelands, called “patans” in Sri Lanka. This small area of land contains 75% of the species diversity of the forest flora and 25% of the meadow and field flora of Sri Lanka. Among them are many endemics - plants found only here!
The “Prehistoric” forest got its name because of the tree-like ferns (Cyathea crinita, Cyathea walkerae) preserved on this land since the preglacial times. Many species of fungi, lichens, mosses, club mosses, and ferns form the forest floor and an epiphytic community that covers the trunks and branches of trees. Their abundance is complemented by many more highly organized plants, such as peperomia, violets and orchids. Among trees and shrubs there are wild ancestors of coffee, cinnamon, vanilla orchid, primitive magnolias and many other species.
Deer, roe deer, wild boars graze on the grassy wastelands, and leopards, jackals, monkeys, and a giant squirrel live in the forests. A huge variety of birds, including migratory ones, can be seen or heard in the national park.
Plateau Horton is the watershed of the most significant rivers Sri Lanka: Mahaweli, Kelani, Walawe. Few places in the world can compare to Plateau Horton for the purity of the entire ecosystem. Since 1969, the territory has been declared a national park of Sri Lanka. World Foundation wildlife supervises the conduct of scientific - research work on this reservation.
The main attraction of the park is " End Sveta"- a slope that abruptly breaks vertically down. Two observation platforms are equipped on the slope: "Small World's End» small the end of the world at an altitude of more than 300 m from the bottom of the abyss and "Big World's End" big the end Sveta at an altitude of more than 1300 m. The view from here is one of the most wonderful on Sri-Lanka. If the air is transparent, then you can see a stunningly beautiful gorge, with a river and a village in the distance. But if you are on observation deck early in the morning, when the sun just rises above the horizon, thick clouds will rise from the bottom of the gorge before your eyes and completely hide the panorama you just saw. It is at this moment that it will seem that you are standing at the End of the World!
Smoking in the park is strictly prohibited! It is impossible to bring products, polyethylene or plastic packaging.
This corner of the world is so unique that it is worth spending time, money and effort to see it!
Sri Lanka with a backpack, 2016. Part 05: Horton Plains National Park: mountains and forest February 23rd, 2016
In this part, I will tell you how I climbed the second and third peaks of Sri Lanka, after getting lost in the rainforest.
Horton Plains (X O rton Plains or Plateau X O rton) is the highest plateau in Sri Lanka. The national park of the same name is famous for its diversity of flora: gently sloping hills, endless fields with wild flowers, streams and waterfalls, patches of tropical forest inhabited by rare animals and birds, including the leopard. Here are such natural attractions as World's End (End of the World), mountains Kirigalpoththa (Kirigalp O tta) and Totupola Kanda (Totup O la k a nah).
A little more about the last two. The highest point in Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala (Pidurutalalag a la, 2524m) is located near Nuv a ra- E lii. At its top, the main television broadcaster of the country is installed, which is guarded by the military, so it would hardly be possible to climb the peak, and not on the way.
Kirigalpoththa is a little lower - 2392m, but it is located on the territory of the national park. There is also the third peak - Totupola Kanda - 2361m.
Before the trip, I met Amran, a Sri Lankan guide. He helped me get to the national park and go inside as part of his group. The fact is that alone tourists are not allowed into the mountains. One reason is that a leopard usually doesn't attack two.
01) We drove to the park in a pickup truck with an awning
02) Sluggish horned deer roam the territory
In Sri Lanka, nature conservation is very reverent. The slogan of numerous national parks islands in a free translation: "Kill only time, take only photos, destroy only garbage, leave only traces." Great wording!
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The ticket cost 2058 rupees, plus a service charge of 1097 rupees, for a total of 3160 rupees (1663 rubles). For local 10 times cheaper, this is a common occurrence. But Horton Plains is worth the money, believe me!
After buying a ticket, you need to go to registration, where plastic bags will be taken from you, the bottles will be counted and the labels will be torn off.
Mobile communication in the park is almost non-existent.
Kirigalpoththa
After checking in, I separated from Amran's group and started climbing.
There is a full moon tonight - the Buddhists have a holiday (Dur at tou P O ya, the first full moon of the year is the celebration of the Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka), so the park is full of people, but most of them will go to the more popular End of the World. I set off early at 7:30, so for the entire ascent I met only one group of three people who were already descending from the top.
04) Rhododendron
The length of the track is 6-7 kilometers, with a slight rise of 250m, in 6 hours you can walk there and back. True, the path took me longer, because I turned the wrong way and kept wondering how the path became overgrown. When I realized that there was no path, there was a dense tropical forest around me. While I was getting out of these wilds, I was soaked with dew and lost my map. But in the end, I found the right path and continued on my way. And to you, reader, this advice: on the way to Kirigalpoththa, wherever there is doubt, keep to the right, and follow the path only if you are sure that it is a path.
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Horton Plain is called a giant sponge because the plateau absorbs a huge amount of rainwater, which then feeds many of the country's rivers. Because of this, the soil is swampy in many places. A step past the trail and the sneakers are already full of muddy goo that stinks until the shoes are completely washed.
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From the mountain there is a beautiful view of the surroundings.
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It is better to make any ascents early in the morning, while there are few people and clouds.
08) This is the very End of the World - by 10 o'clock in the morning the valley, for the sake of which people go to this cliff, is already filled with clouds
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The top itself is covered with forest, but it does not interfere with the view. There, a deer ran away from me, and a frog jumped by the collar.
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There are a lot of wild bees before the last ascent - no need to make noise and make sudden movements.
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The path to Kirigalpoththa is similar to the one in Altai, only the vegetation is different: either a mossy forest, or a giant fern, or dry grass. There are no leeches.
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By 12:20 I went downstairs, had a bite of a triangular pie for 40 rupees (21 rubles) and a coconut pancake for 70 rupees (37 rubles). There was a heavy but short rain, which I waited under a canopy while talking with a Sinhalese planter. I learned from him that Sri Lankans take offense when Europeans confuse or compare them with Indians. Indians, according to him, are less neat, for this they are not loved anywhere.
Totupola Kanda
Don't be offended, leopard, you had a chance to feast on self-confident bastard when I got lost on the way to Kirigalpoththa.
Well, don't worry, I'll give you a second chance - ahead of Totupola Kanda. Due to bad weather and low popularity, there is just now no one there.
15) "Don't go, don't" - the little deer tells me
16) “Why are you listening to him? He hasn't even grown horns yet!" - an older deer cheers
The beginning of the ascent is a couple of hundred meters from the entrance gate from the side of Pattipola. I went there half the way on foot, and half I was given a ride.
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The track is short and easy: just a couple of kilometers with a climb of less than 200m. You can run there and back in an hour. The path is obvious, all the time uphill, the forest is fabulous.
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At the top, a sad sight awaits you - an antenna in the bushes.
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But before the last ascent there is a platform from which a beautiful view opens. It, however, also could not be fully appreciated because of the thick clouds.
When I leave the park, I Once again encountered local hospitality. When the guard found out that I was going to Pattipola, he stopped a minivan leaving the territory and put me there. Joyful young Tamils from Trincomalee rode in the saloon, drumming and singing "Hotel California".
On my return, I ate a couple of coconuts and chewed a couple of bananas, chungacha-ah-anga-ah!
21) Girl playing with a wheel
22) local shop 
Let's sum up the day. Today I climbed the second (Kirigalpoththa) and third (Totupola Kanda) peaks of Sri Lanka.
