Horton Plains is a high, windswept plateau in the middle of Sri Lanka, and nothing in the tropical lowlands prepares you for it. At more than two thousand metres, it is a land of rolling grassland, scattered patches of twisted cloud forest, tumbling streams and cool mist, and the air feels more like Scotland than the tropics. The plains are a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of the Central Highlands, and are home to species found nowhere else, including a number of endemic birds, orchids and the rhododendron that flowers in red along the paths. Sambar deer, the largest deer on the island, graze on the open grass, and leopards live in the forest, though they are rarely seen.
The great attraction is World's End, a sheer cliff where the plateau ends abruptly in a drop of nearly nine hundred metres to the plains below. On a clear morning, the view stretches to the southern coast, and on a very clear day you can see the sea. By ten o'clock, though, mist usually rises from the valley and fills the view with white, so it is essential to start early, ideally at dawn. A circular walking trail of about nine kilometres links World's End, a smaller drop called Mini World's End and Baker's Falls, a graceful waterfall in the forest. The trail is well marked and takes three or four hours at an easy pace.
The road to Horton Plains is part of a long climb through the hill country from Nuwara Eliya, past tea estates and small farms, and the highest section on the plateau is cool and often wet. The roads are narrow and winding, with a patchy surface and sharp bends. Fog and rain can come in quickly. Rules for vehicles in the park change, and entry is controlled with a ticket, so ask locally about what is allowed for motorcycles, and be ready to leave the bike at the gate and walk. The park is closed to cars and bikes beyond the entrance area in some seasons.
Nuwara Eliya, about nineteen kilometres away by straight line and further by road, is the main source, and Haputale, about sixteen kilometres in the other direction, has stations and shops. Bring food and water, since only basic refreshments are available at the gate. A rain jacket and warm layers are essential, because the temperature can fall close to freezing at night.
The silence of the plateau, broken only by the wind and the cry of birds, is one of its great charms. Stay on the trails, as the plants are fragile.