national park · Nuwara Eliya · 105km from Colombo

High plateau of grassland and cloud forest at 2,100 to 2,300 m, declared a national park in 1988 and listed by UNESCO in 2010 as part of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. A 9 km loop leads to World's End, where the escarpment drops about 870 m, and returns past Baker's Falls. Sambar deer graze near the trail and endemic birds are easy to spot.

Best time to visit

At opening, around dawn. The view from World's End usually clouds over by mid-morning. January to April is driest.

Typical visit duration

3 to 4 hours for the loop, plus about an hour each way by road from Nuwara Eliya

Tips

Leave Nuwara Eliya by 5am. Bags are checked for plastic wrappers at the gate, so pack food in boxes. It can be near freezing at dawn from December to February, so bring warm layers. Stay on the marked trail. Foreigners pay a separate ticket; bring your passport and rupees.