How to Trek to Horton Plains via Ohiya- Scaling a Forest in the Clouds

A cloud-misted mountain plateau straight out of an epic fantasy realm; home to rare and mysterious endemic species to be encountered amid lush forests, wildflower meadows, musical streams, and stunning heights, immersing in this UNESCO-listed Cloud Forest is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Here’s how to experience the most immersive and authentic off-the-beaten-path trekking tour and reach this otherworldly mountainscape through rustic tea-steeped hill country enclaves.

img via wikipedia commons

Start at Kandy 
From the imperial glamour of the Hill Capital, with it’s distinctive blend of Colonial edifices and traditional motifs encased in the subtle lushness of still, green heights or Nuwara Eliya, dubbed as ‘Little England’ with its photogenic cottages, old-world gardens growing a beautiful melange of flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and its spectacular tea terraces throwing addictive aromas into the temperate air, Sri Lanka’s highland townships float in a magical, evocative atmosphere that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The places to visit in Kandy will leave you spoilt for choice, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, with its ancient tree-lined avenues and wildly gorgeous floricultural masterpieces, to picturesque cultural relics and retro-chic hideouts embraced by the hush of nature, and you can craft a customized stay with Kandy Escapes.

Chug to Ella
Earn yourself the distinction of taking one of the world’s most beautiful train rides; a vintage roller-coaster that will ascend through the velvety verdancy of richly-tinted plantations, plush forests, bamboo-crested hills, and fathomless lakes of tea. Make sure you book a second or third-class carriage so that you can lean out into the windswept panoramas and capture decadent views. Ella is a haven of picture-perfect peaks, crystalline rock infinity pools at dizzying cliff edges, dreamy spice gardens, and exhilarating activities, from ziplining and mountain biking to rock climbing and waterfall chasing. After savouring this serene escape, it’s time to board another rustic train to Ohiya.

Ohiya Hill Station 
While many have heard of ‘Adam’s Peak’ and its smaller counterpart, fewer have heard of the ‘Devil’s Staircase’; a jeep track racing down the lush, emerald foothills of the spectacularly picturesque Ohiya Gap, a deep valley that clefts between rugged mountains that reaches all the way the Horton Plains, with glimpses of the sea like a faraway mirage. The next stage of your journey heralds you to this pretty rural station of the Uva Province, and like Ella, don’t let its misty tranquility deceive you; there are ample adventures afoot! Whether it’s a walking or cycling expedition across undulating green vistas, watching for the mystical lights of ships from the Ohiya Gap at nightfall, or climbing up to Sri Lanka’s most breathtaking waterfalls. However, now is the moment to turn towards the Horton Plains plateau.

Hit the Trails 
If you’re an eco-conscious experiential traveller keen to immerse in the rich heritage of nature-kissed culture in these untouched highlands, you won’t be disappointed! Comprising winding railway tunnels, Insta-worthy picnic sites, intimate rural homestays, delicious traditional food, blissful cups of Ceylon tea, theatrical folktales, and cinematic scenes of majestic, blue-misted mountainscapes and dusky jewel-green valleys of light and shadow, your trek from Ohiya to will fill your heart in more ways than one.

Stop at World’s End 
And finally, the epic quest to explore this national park has begun, a stunning tapestry of sparkling headwaters, waterfalls like filigreed lace against rugged mountain faces, towering forest arches, and carpets of grassland strewn with delicate flowers. This is the kind of place where you’ll desperately wish your eyes could capture pictures that no camera can do justice to, be it a hummingbird hovering over an unfurling blossom, a spotted fishing cat lapping clear spring water, a rare Red Slender Loris peeking at you through the lush foliage, or a knee-weakening glimpse of a leopard blinking from a high branch. End your fulfilling hike at the dizzying drop of 4000 feet fittingly dubbed ‘World’s End’, from which you can witness the breathtaking spectacle of unobstructed beauty until your eyes find the sea.