Horton Plains National Park Sri Lanka Travel Tourism

HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK IN SRI LANKA IS STUNNING END OF THE WORLD VIEWS AT A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

Horton Plains National Park is located stunning beauty protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. The park is covered with a beautiful and lush layer of mountain grassland and cloud forest. By the way, on July 30th, 2010, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park situated high land At an altitude of between 2,100-2,300 meters. Also, it is rich in biodiversity, with many endemic species to the region. And this vast land including a variety of woody plants, Sri Lankan sambar deer, and a variety of birds. By the way, according to the wildlife department of Sri Lanka, the national park is serving as an Important Bird inhabitance area with multiple species that are only found in the Horton Plains.

View-of-horton-Plain

Horton Plains National Park Geography

The park is a top-rated tourist destination, and its location is extremely convenient for those touring Sri Lanka. It is only about 8 kilometers from Ohiya, 6 kilometers from the world-famous Ohiya Gap/Dondra Watch, and 32 kilometers from Nuwara Eliya, all of which are famous sights in Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, this beauty pice of land also serves as the heartland for three major Sri Lankan rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe. Between the foliage, wildlife, rivers, and stunning high elevation scenery, Horton Plains National Park is a beautiful sight and a must for those visiting Sri Lanka.

Horton Plains National Park What to Do

One of, if not the primary, attractions to Horton Plains is just the sheer natural beauty. The park sits on the southern plateau of the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in between the peaks of Kirigalpoththa (2,389 meters) and Thotupola Kanda (2,357 meters), which are the second and third highest peaks on the island, respectively. It is situated near the top of these peaks.

Beautiful World’s End

The park boasts stunning, top of the world views, perhaps none better than the beautiful World’s End. The World’s End is possibly the primary attraction to the park. It is a sheer cutting cliff with a drop of about 1,200 meters. On bright days, visitors can see to the Indian Ocean, some 81 kilometers away, from World’s End.

Horton Plain National park

More Nature Attractions

If you are a bit fussy, but still want a fantastic view, check out the smaller, Small World’ s End, only about a kilometer away. This cliff is only about 300 meters but still boasts beautiful views of the valleys and the island below. Also, a few beautiful waterfalls are within the park. Baker’sFalls is a top-rated attraction for visitors to the area. The waterfall lies on a tributary of the Belihul Oya and rises to a height of 20 meters. The waterfall is a beautiful, tiered waterfall lined with rhododendron and fern bushes. The park is also home to Slab Rock Falls, which is a slightly smaller, but still beautiful fall.

Wildlife Horton-Plains

Horton Plains National Park Walking Tracks

Walking Tracks

If you love hiking, there are few more stunning hiking tracks than the one offered in Horton Plains National Park. The trek begins at the Horton Plains visitor center and continues for 9 kilometers looping through the park before returning where it is started. This hike is the best way to see everything the park has to offer. It will take visitors past the WWorld’s End and Baker’sFalls as well as through all the different types of vegetation the park has to offer. The first part of the walk is through bare patina grassland. The grassland leads into a dense expanse of the cloud forest.

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Wildlife in Horton Plains

The hike is also an excellent opportunity to see some of the endemic wildlife in Horton Plains. Visitors are likely to see herds of sambar deer, Also,

A strip-necked mongoose.

Giant long-tailed squirrel.

Wild boar.

Bear monkey, which is unique to the region.

Toque monkey.

fishing cats.

Otters.

On top of that hikers can expect to see a variety of birds, including the Sri Lanka bush warbler, dull-bull, flycatcher, Sri Lanka whistling thrust, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, Sri Lanka bush warbler, scaly thrust, Sri Lanka jungle-fowl, pied thrush, Kasmir flycatcher, Indian Pitta, blackbird, mountain hawk-eagle, black eagle, Jerdon’sbaza, pied bush chat, hill swallow, and hill munia.

Slender Loris Is Natu to the Park

Horton Plans is home to the Horton Plains slender loris, which is only found in the park. By the way, it was first discovered in 1937. Somehow, while these are very rare, there are still some in the park. And maybe, Well, if you are lucky, you might see one while hiking the trail. If you get to the trail early, you are likely to find it pretty empty; however, later in the day, the path can get a little bit busy as it is a top-rated attraction.

Horton Plains National Park Where to Stay

The park itself does not offer any hotels or resorts and is only open from 6 am-6 pm each day. However, there are accommodation options in nearby Ohiya.

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Horton Plains National Park direction and How to Get the park entrance

The national park is serviced by road. on the other hand, if you are approaching the park from Nuwara Eliya, there is an entrance point at Pattipola. Also, If you are approaching from Haputale, you will find an entrance point at Ohiya. By the way, the visitor’s center is three kilometers driving from either entrance.