Horton Plains National Park





Horton Plains is Sri Lanka’s only national park declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.



Up in Sri Lanka’s cool central highlands, Horton Plains is a strikingly beautiful highland plateau made up of cloud forest and lush montane grassland. It’s an excellent place to go hiking, thanks to both the epic scenery and the large variety of wildlife-spotting opportunities. You’re likely to see lots of grazing sambar deer, who live in large herds on the plains.


Tourists from all over the world head for this national park, a highland-like structure with plains on one side and spectacular mountains and deep jungles on the other. Horton Plains are home to animals such as Mountain Leopards, Giant Squirrels, Wild Boars, Rusty-spotted Cats, Purple-faced Langurs, Rhino-horned Lizards and the rarely seen Black-lipped Green Lizard. Birdwatchers will also be rewarded, as Hawk-eagles, Fan-tailed Warblers, Ceylon white-eyed Arrenga and more can be seen here.


Take a walk deep into this national park to discover World’s End, which is a towering cliff top offering a sweeping view of Sri Lanka towards the coast and also past the shoreline. You will discover numerous lakes, waterfalls, rocky hills, as well as the spectacular view of the ocean from this heritage site in Sri Lanka.


Go back

History





The original name of the area was Maha Eliya Thenna (The Great Open Plain). But in the British period the plains were renamed after Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, the British governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837, who travelled to the area to meet the Ratemahatmaya of Sabaragamuwa in 1836.


In 1834, Lt William Fisher of the 78th Regiment and Lt. Albert Watson of the 58th Regiment discovered the Horton Plateau. The local population who resided in the lowlands ascended the mountains to mine gems, extract iron ore, construct an irrigational canal and fell trees for timber.


A waterfall formed by Belihul Oya, a tributary of the Walawe River is named after Sir Samuel Baker, a hunter and explorer who attempted to establish a European agricultural settlement at Nuwara Eliya.


This region was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.



Biodiversity of Horton Plains





Horton Plains is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 meters (6,900–7,500 ft) is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region is a very popular tourist destination and is situated 32 kilometers from Nuwara Eliya.


The Horton Plains are the headwaters of three major Sri Lankan rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe. Stone tools dating back to Balangoda culture have been found here. The plains' vegetation is grasslands interspersed with montane forest, and includes many endemic woody plants. This grassy plains and forest are home to Leopards, Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Monkeys and a rich array of Birds with many species not only endemic to Sri Lanka but restricted only to Horton Plains.



Sri Lankan Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor unicolor)



Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)



Stripe-necked Mongoose (Herpestes vitticollis)



Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus melanurus)



Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus)



Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)



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