Horton Plains National Park, Central Province, Sri Lanka

4rz1232015 5:00 PM Jan 16, 2023

Foreigners skip. Pretty but a rip off
My friend and I visited in January 2023. Overall, I would recommend choosing antoher of the many attractions in the hill country over Horton Plains. Why go: it's a pretty and clean walk through a high-altitute plateau to a wide outlook down to the plains. We saw some deer in the open fields and interesting descriptions of the cloud forest. The walk is comparable in enjoyment to many temperate walks elsewhere. Easy to hire a return car trip from Nuwara Eliya (10,000 LKR). You can easily do the circular walk in 2-3hrw. Take sturdy shoes and a warm top layer. Start early: be at the park centre for 6:30am to get the best chance of the views before the clouds come in. If money is no question, then you will enjoy the park. Why skip: regretfully the park management seem to have taken to an extortion racket. A single person ticket for a foreigner will cost you around USD40 with the ticket price and the 'service charge', and even more if you actually want to pay in dollars (the clerk at the entrance will happily exchange to rupees for a hefty fee). That's probably about 40 times the price for locals. That is absurdly expensive for Sri Lankan standards and it's very expensive for what you get by Western standards, as it is just an unguided walk through the nature.

4Smrutishree 5:00 PM May 1, 2022

Not so plain for a walk, walk and walk experience!!
Get ready for a walk, walk and walk for approximately 9.4 kms !! (Pheww) Undoubtedly this hike will give you a beautiful experience of walking in sweat, clouds, mist, rain and breeze ! One can experience all of them in the total hike ! To consider for people who are not so adventurous and who prefer less walking. The plains may mislead you about the difficulty level ! There are levels of walking and they are easy, difficult and more difficult!! And there are definitely the same the way they are listed. In the rains the rocks, the waking passage can be slippery making your hike really challenging. Till you reach bakers fall you will get an insight of your journey anyways !! One should be with very good quality hiking shoes with good grip which will be helpful while waking. Rain Coats, cap and some food stuffs are very important along with you. Remember to carry them in a paper bag as no plastics are allowed inside. They will remove the plastic covering of the water bottle too ( a good initiative though) Do try to start your journey maximum by 7:30 am to see a clear view near the world end ( if you fortunate). Else the clouds will cover you well and give another experience for photography only ? You will enjoy the named places called and mini worlds end and worlds end. They are the places where you can have a breathtaking views if there are no clouds. Be very careful of the steep elevation of the worlds end while doing some photography. This may take a minimum of 3 to 4 hours depending on the walking speed and time. Apart from this: undoubtedly this will give an amazing feeling once you finally see the finish gate ? # leaving your foot prints behind ? # mythological: In the story, Hanuman set fire to Horton plains and that fire lasted for a long time. The original name, Maha Eliya Thenna carries the meaning, 'The hugely lighten ground'. Even now the upper layer of soil can be seem in a blackish grey colour. There had been some soil tests done by local universities, and it revealed that upper layer contains a high amount of Calcium Carbonate and Potash.