The Horton
Plains are located on Sri Lanka 's highest plateau, between altitudes
of 2,000 and 2, 300m. The landscape typically consists of undulating
lands covered in a tropical cloud of forests or verdant montane savannah
grasslands, locally known as patannahs. Visiting Horton Plains
or 'Mahaeliya' as it is traditionally named is quite popular amongst
locals, who mostly come to admire the views from the park's thrilling
escarpments such as World's End at weekends . For
this reason we recommend that you try to organise your visit during a
weekday as this ensures that you will experience the Plain's isolated
serenity.
Visitors to the park can
follow a 10km loop that incorporates all of the spectacular features,
enabling them to enjoy them while adhering to the strict rules for
environment protection and nature conservation. The best time to visit
is early in the morning as this is when the air is likely to be clearest
so that you can enjoy the best of the views. In the afternoons, clouds
tend to descend and the area becomes submerged in mist. This is equally
enthralling though and provides evidence for the evolution of this
forest type. Allowing a half-day should give you plenty of time to enjoy
it all at a leisurely pace.
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| The Plains are actually named after Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, a rather selfish and bloody-minded Brit (no surprise there then) who was singularly responsible for the slaying of all of the elephants in the area between 1831 to 1837. Although there is little hope of elephants ever returning, you can at least walk around in comparative safety admiring the many other interesting creatures around and about. Of these perhaps the most worthy of a mention are the Samber Deer, a common sight at dusk and in the early hours of the morning. | |
| In order to get the most out of your visit we recommend that an expert naturalist provided by Eco-team take you around. These guides are good company and extremely knowledgeable; having their input can add a lot more interest to the trip. | |
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