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Horton Plains National Park, Central highlands, Sri Lanka
Trekking & bird watching
The importance of conservation of the park
Perched on the southern edge of the Central highlands, midway between
Nuwara Eliya &
Haputale is Horton Plains Nation Park (7200 ft). The Park (10,000
ha), named after British governor Sir Robert Horton is a world apart
from rest of the tropical island. This is the island's highest & most
isolated plain, a result of millions of years of erosion. The importance
of conservation of the park lies in, among others, in its role as the
catchment area of the major rivers of the island.
The early morning drive
The high altitude plains are beautiful, silent, strange & excellent for
trekking & bird watching. A light sweater & stout shoes for the morning;
a hat & sunscreen for mid day. The weather can change very quickly on
the plains. One minute it can be sunny & clear, the next chilly & misty.
Pastries & sandwiches. canteens of water, a flask of tea or a flask of
coffee. We will be leaving as early as 5.30 am from
Nuwara Eliya. The
drive from here on via beautiful Diyatalawa (of military cantonment
since the days of the British) to Horton Plains is particularly
beautiful. Mountains, mist, tall trees, green vegetation, flowers &
fruits all hugging you all along. The crisp & cool air would be wrapping
you around. The pain in the A of waking up, getting up & getting ready
early in the morning is all gone now. You start to feel assured that all
that trouble is nothing compared the ride, hike & the park. This is hill
country of Sri Lanka. Just before we reach the park we drive passing a
stunning dawn view of Adam's Peak. The peak is prettiest during the
pilgrimage season from December to May while the mountain is illuminated
with lights). By 7 am we are at the entrance to the park.
Trekking in the morning
Now on it's the trekking. A 9.5 km circular track (round trip entrance
to the park /the World's End/ Baker's Falls/Entrance to the park) around
the plains. The crystal-clear pools still run with trout, a legacy from
colonial times. Shallow streams run over pebbled beds.
Scottish moorlands
The breathtaking landscapes of this high, misty, silent, strange
plateau, some 20 km (12miles) south of Nuwara Eliya & up to 2400m (7870
ft) above combines bleak, windswept, high altitude mountain grasslands
similar to Scottish moorlands of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering heights" with
areas of miniature "elfin" forest-dwarf forms of tree & shrubs adapted
to the cool climate & skimpy soil of plains. A blend of temperate
montane forest & wet patina grassland. For the first half of a
kilometer, the path leads through rolling open land dotted with gorse &
rhododendron bushes before entering a stretch of wonderful cloud forest:
a tangle of stunted grey-barked trees & shrubs are draped in lichen &
bog moss (sphagnum). This is a Tolkienesque imaging.
Montane forest
The prominent canopy tree of the montane forest, the umbrella-shaped,
garnled Keena (Callophylum) with its white flowers contrasting with the
striking scarlet rhododendrons (Rhododendron zelanicum) leads you on.
Among other flowering plants are Aristea ekloni which has tiny blue
flowers & Exacum macranthum, which are similar. Bamboos, tree ferns &
many endemic species of plants make the park a biological treasure
trove. Vegetation includes a type of tufty grass called Crosypogen. The
forest also contains an extraordinary shrub called Nillu (Strobilanthes)
that flowers once every five to 10 years. But as there are many
populations of varying ages, there are always some in bloom during the
season. The sight & smells of a large purple-leafed Nillu flowering &
fruiting attract an amazing diversity of animals to the area, from birds
to bears.
Bird watching
This is one of the best places in the island for bird watching. Montane
endemics include Sri Lanka white eye, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, Ceylon hill
munia & dull-blue flycatcher. Others are Indian blue robin, grey-headed
canary flycatcher, pied bush chat, black bulbul, bar-winged
flycatcher-shrike & Indian scimitar babbler & Sri Lanka junglefowl. And
birds of prey include the mountain hawk eagle.
The deer
This is home to Sambar deer which keep to the edge of wooded areas. The
shaggy bear-monkey (or purple-faced langur) & giant squirrel. Here large
herd of Elk, silhouetted against the clouds of the lowlands, move among
scarlet rhododendrons. This is also home to the rhino-horned lizard, a
rare relic species. Some lizards with outlandishly fluorescent green
scales is also seen.
The cliff plunges almost vertically for 700m, creating an astonishing
escarpment, revealing breathtaking views across much of the southern
area of the island. The whole panoramic view is right in front of your
naked eyes. If you dare to peep at the base of the cliff, you will be
lying down on your tummy, on the cliff close to the edge & inch towards
the very edge while your lover hold your feet with both hands. Then
again, that is only if you trust your lover with your life, eh! (Not let
her hear, for heavens sake). If that is not the case, there is no option
except your Mummy. Take it with a pinch of salt & we will be right at
your service, at your feet. Holding your feet in vice like grip, trust
me. Relax. This is where Monica & her lover leapt to death (their
families were at loggerheads, or to be precise, swords drawn at each
other's... they used to shake spears... that rings a bell???) triggering a
chain reaction of no less than ten star-crossed couples. The top ten
couples of lovers of Sri Lanka also remind us of Crown Prince Saliya
(137 BC.) (son of King Dutugamunu, hero of 2550 years of history of Sri
Lanka), who deserted the right to crown to be in his own oasis with his
Aiyshwarya like lover, Asokamala. You will see the beautiful rock statue
of the couple at Isurumuniya.
Marvellous views
Along the marvellous views of craggy peaks, which forms the southern
boundary of the hill country, are Sri Lanka's second & third highest,
Mount Kirigalpota (2395m) & Mount Totapolkanda (2359m), which stand at
the edge of the park. The large lake in the near distance is man-made
rainwater reservoir. In the farthest distance, we can see the southern
coast. It's exhilarating to view through such a range with your naked
eyes. As the crow flies, or rather as the bullet completes its range -
direct distance from where we stand to the southern coast is about 75km.
Still it is 8 a.m. Our early departure at 5 a.m. from Nuwara Eliya
(Little England, set against beautiful backdrops of Mountains, Valleys,
Waterfalls and Tea Plantations) is justified. By 10 am there would be
mist shrouding the slopes below & there would be white wall of mist, we
wouldn't see a ball, even the short range. A track down to a valley &
2km walk leads us to a small-forested escarpment. A climb & then a
slippery descent take us to the picturesque Baker's Falls. The water
herein is deliciously cool & refreshing. From Baker's Falls it is an
easy 3 km walk back along the river, passing an attractive Governor's
Pool. We will be paying the entrance fees on our way out since the
ticket office wasn't open when we entered at 6 am.
Recommended to UNESCO.
Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) was recommended for the tentative
listing of World Heritage Sites (WHS) to United Nations Educational,
Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by the Ministry of
Environment and Natural Resources of Sri Lanka on 20th March 2006.
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