By Anna Saillet
Driving for roughly two hours through the beautiful countryside, amongst the hills and mountains, on a bumpy road winding back and forth in order to make the steep incline possible for vehicles to tackle it, it’s difficult not to stare in wonder at the incredulous surroundings. Everything is lush and green, the sky is blue, and the hills are covered with a mixture of tea estates and small holdings, with many tiny houses dotted amongst the greenery, leaving me wondering how the residents of these places manage to reach them in their precarious, yet idyllic, positions. We passed several groups of Macaque moneys marching along the road, armed with bananas; minuscule babies were gripping on to their mothers stomachs peeking their tiny heads out from between their mothers front legs, and after a brief stop to quickly check us out they all scampered hurriedly on their merry way.
The final steep climb up to Horton Plains National Park, situated halfway between Nuwara Eliya and Haputale, was almost too much for the 4x4 van we were traveling in, and for a brief moment I thought we may all be pushing the van up the rest of the hill, but my doubts were unnecessary as the trusty van crawled painfully to the summit of the climb. The views were spectacular, looking down over the rolling hills, with Worlds End to our right, and views to the villages below. A sandy coloured road zigzags back and forth up the hillside opposite where we stood, almost looking like a child had drawn it onto the landscape with no idea of where it would lead to, perhaps to an imaginary land just over the brow of the hill out of our sight.
Pulling into the National Park entrance was like being in the moorland areas of England, with the hardy tufts of long grass, and the big wide open fields leading up to the cliffs at edge of the hill country in the distance. The climate is often quite wet and chilly here, however we were lucky to have chosen a beautiful day, didn’t feel a single spot of rain all day and were kept warm by the suns rays. At an elevation of more than 2000 metres, this area is like no other in Sri Lanka, and the unique climate makes the National Park home to many endemic species of flora; the covering of mint coloured old mans beard over the umbrella shaped keena trees, and the surrounding misty air invokes a mysterious feel to the place.
The walk to Worlds End is roughly 4km along a rocky path which is well maintained, if a little uneven, but makes it a nice straightforward hike enabling you to take in the beauty of the surrounding nature. There are leopards present in the Park, but you will have to look extremely carefully and be immensely lucky to spot one as they are few and far between; a small and quiet group is obviously far more likely to catch a glimpse of one of these beautiful creatures, although don’t count on it! The views from Worlds End are said to be spectacular, but we were unfortunately just too late to witness them, as the misty clouds came in just as we were arriving to the lookout point, giving us a beautiful view of nothing but a pure white cloud which had enveloped us! We climbed up to the higher viewpoint in the hope that we may come out above the clouds, but to no avail as once again we were greeted with a wall of white cloud. It is best to arrive at Worlds End as early as possible so as to get the best chance of observing the view since the clouds usually settle in around mid morning, even on a clear day, but if you’re a keen walker then it’s a pleasurable walk regardless of the views, and thanks to the relatively flat terrain it is not too exhausting and is therefore accessible for people of all ages. On a clear day it is possible to observe colossal views enabling you to see as far south as the coast, as well as spectacular sights of the rocky peaks lining the edge of the escarpment.
From Worlds End, a short walk on along the circuit track you reach Lovers Slip, where many star crossed lovers have been known to jump to their perilous death together, to the trees and boulders far below. Peering hesitantly over the ledge I found it in comprehendible how anyone could leap to their death from here, and readily retreated back onto what felt much more like solid ground, away from the edge. After several more kilometres of walking along a somewhat squelchy path through rolling green fields with a river running through them, we reached the beautiful Bakers Falls, but not without having to negotiate one or two rather black boggy areas using tiny tufts of grass and some wobbly little logs as stepping stones. Needless to say we all arrived at the falls with rather black coloured feet, but what more perfect place could you find to wash them off in, than a stunning natural waterfall.
It was well worth the slippery scramble down to the Falls; on reaching the bottom you have an exquisite sight of the crystal clear water cascading over the grey rocks into a pool below, and then flowing on past a medley of rocks of different shapes and sizes, causing many more miniature waterfalls, until the flow finally surges over the last rocks for the finale waterfall, not quite as large as the initial falls but with twice as much force as the fissure for the water to pass through is much narrower. There is something so peaceful about a beautiful waterfall, and its cool spray touching your face. There are rocks which enable you to pass across the river right to the other side for those who aren’t too afraid of getting wet toes! It is a perfect spot for a rest in your walking and a great spot for a picnic, but ensure that no litter is left behind to attract the hungry local crows. The climb back up to the main path is a little more taxing, but it’s not too far.
From Bakers Falls it is an approximately 2km walk back to the car park area, and makes for a beautiful stroll through the countryside, with a high chance of observing some of the wild sambar deer on your way back too. A really beautiful day out, but always take your waterproofs just in case as at least some rain is almost unavoidable!
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