Horton Plains National Park sits on a plateau in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. A steep road curves around the mountains until you reach the park entrance.
It’s a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners and was packed with families when we arrived on what was a Sri Lankan public holiday. The entry fee for foreigners was US$15 each plus an US$8 ‘Service Charge’, plus we had to pay a vehicle fee and an entry fee for our driver. Twelve percent tax is then added which took us to a total of around US$50. We were finding this fairly common throughout Sri Lanka – quite hefty entrance fees for all attractions. Nevertheless the National Park promised captivating vistas and wildlife sightings so we ventured on.
Once inside the gates you drive a bit further until you come upon a parking lot near some toilets and a small shop where you can stock up on water and nibbles. We first headed to the museum which is a fairly dingy affair with faded displays and bad taxidermy.
The main activity for tourists is a nine kilometre hike.
At this height the temperature wasn’t so stifling and we were promised an ‘easy’ hike with plenty to see, so off we set. The trail is well worn and mostly easy to follow however there were a few rocky, steep and muddy sections. We saw plenty of Sri Lankan grannies during the way though and it didn’t seem to stop them! 
The first look out on the trail is Mini World’s End. The plateau stops suddenly and allows lovely green vistas of the valley below.
Another few kilometres along is the main attraction – World’s End. People rave about the views and Jamie had cleared the memory card ready for some stunning scenery shots. When we arrived we were greeted by… mist.
Lots of mist.
We waited around for a bit but that mist was not going anywhere fast so we trudged on.
The path wound up through tree roots until we reached a steep set of concrete stairs. We followed these to reach Baker’s Falls.
The hike ended up being longer than we expected – nearly 4 hours by the time we’d looped back to the starting point. Apart from some birds and lots of squirrels, we didn’t see any of the promised wildlife. What was surprisingly rewarding though was the many different landscapes we traversed in a relatively short time. Dry red dusty plains, lush green forest, muddy puddles, grassy savannahs, crystal-clear freshwater pools and loud flowing waterfalls.
On the way out we found this sambar deer resting in a shady bush near the car park. It was definitely the highlight!
We had a driver but it is also possible to take the train some of the way and then transfer to a taxi or jeep. Actually even three-wheelers managed to make it up the steep road.
jamoandjen 