Horton Plains

I have hiked in the Himalayas, trekked in Patagonia, and walked the rim of the Grand Canyon — but nothing in my entire outdoor travelling life has produced a moment of such pure and overwhelming natural awe as standing at the edge of World's End in Horton Plains on a crystal clear early morning. We arrived at the park gates at 6am on a perfectly clear January morning and set off into the most extraordinarily beautiful highland landscape I have ever walked through — ancient gnarled cloud forest dripping with moss, open grasslands rolling to the horizon, crystalline streams tumbling over rocky beds, and a silence so complete and so profound that it felt almost sacred. When we finally reached the edge of World's End and the land simply dropped away 870 metres beneath our feet to the sunlit plains stretching to the distant sea I felt something shift inside me that I am still struggling to put adequately into words. Horton Plains is a place of rare and genuine natural majesty.

Charlotte R.

United Kingdom

As an enthusiastic hiker and nature photographer I had high expectations for Horton Plains and it exceeded every single one of them in the most spectacular fashion. The circular trail is simply one of the most beautiful walks I have experienced anywhere in Asia — the constantly changing landscape moving from dense cloud forest to open moorland to dramatic cliff edges creates a visual journey of extraordinary variety and interest that keeps you completely captivated for every step of the 9 kilometres. The mist that clung to the forest in the early morning gave everything a wonderfully ethereal and mysterious quality that made every photograph feel like a painting. Baker's Falls was stunning — the most perfectly composed natural waterfall I have ever seen. And World's End on a clear morning is simply indescribable in its scale and dramatic beauty. I woke up at 4.30am to be there early and it was the best decision I made during my entire two weeks in Sri Lanka.

Pierre D.

France

I was not sure what to expect from Horton Plains as it was a last minute addition to our Sri Lanka itinerary suggested by our wonderful guide and it turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly extraordinary experiences of the entire trip. The landscape up on the plateau feels completely removed from the tropical Sri Lanka of beaches and palm trees — it is cool, wild, windswept, and hauntingly beautiful in a way that reminded me more of the Scottish Highlands than anything I had imagined finding in South Asia. The sambar deer grazing on the misty grasslands, the endemic birds calling from the cloud forest, and the utterly dramatic moment of reaching World's End and looking straight down 870 metres to the world below created a sequence of experiences of rare and lasting power. Go early, dress warmly, and prepare to be completely and wonderfully astonished.

Emma K.

Australia