Horton Plains Hike: Eveything You Need to Know

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Sri Lanka offers plenty of hiking trails where you can experience its beautiful waterfalls and serene mountains. We did a day hike in Nuwara Eliya - Horton Plains hike.


Horton Plains National Park, February 10, 2025

How to Reach

First you need to reach Nuwara Eliya. From there you have to go to park entrance via private vehicles. You can reach Nuwara Eliya from Colombo or Kandy via train, as the train route is popular and very scenic. We took the Dunhinda Odyssey Express train from Kandy. (Checkout our Sri Lanka Train Booking guide) Drop off at Nanu Oya station in Nuwara Eliya.

From the station we took a taxi. The taxi driver was a jolly fellow who asked us about our itinerary. Then he offered to connect a driver with us. The road to Horton Plains national park is hilly with hairpin bends, which requires powerful cars. Your hotel can help book one for you. The hotels also prepare you to carry on breakfast, so that you can leave early and catch your breakfast inside the park. Do not carry any plastic item with you, as your belongings will be checked at the entrance.

On the hike day, people start at 5 am from Nuwara Eliya city center to reach Horton Plains. The circuit is 9 kms and takes 3 to 4 hours to complete. But the reason people start early is - to catch the clear sky which stays for a short window in the morning.

The entrance fee was LKR 17,850 for 2 SAARC nationality adults with a big taxi (SAARC individual fee - USD 20, but including service charge etc. total fee came for us LKR 17,850).

Tips: Try to be at the World’s End before 10 am (when clouds form in that area everyday), to have great visibility. Choose the right hand side trail where Baker’s Fall comes first.


Terrain and Gears

The trail is quiet, it has the African savannah vibe. You see the savannah like landscape, the beautiful Sambar deer grazing. The terrain is easy to follow with gentle slopes. But the slopes are sandy at places, so it can get tricky to hike with running shoes. If you have trekking boots, make  use of them. If you are just wearing regular sneakers, that’s okay, just try not to slip on smooth slopes.

Wear layers. It’s proper cold in the morning. Later after hiking, you may want to be on a light tee-shirt. The main attractions are Baker’s Fall, World’ End, Little World’s End. You don't need to follow any map - the trail is well paved by the footprints of the hikers.

The trail is not crowded, and the offbeat vibe is everywhere.


Checkout our Sri Lanka Travel Guide blog for planning your Sri Lanka trip!


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