Horton Plains

          

    HORTON PLAINS

                      

                    Horton plains is situated in the highlands of the Central Province, 32 km from Nuwara Eliya.  This is the highest plateau in the country. It is at a  height of about 2300 meters. This was Discovered by Sir Robert Horton. The park which is 3160 hectares  was declared a national park in 1988 due to its biodiversity and geographical importance.  It is popular tourist destination consisting of several tourist hot sports such as World`s End, Bakers Falls and the peaks of Kirigalpoththa and Totupola Kanda.  

                 

              The average temperature of Horton Plains is 15 C - 22 C with frequently occurring mists and clods. Horton Plains is fed from both the north-east and south-west monsoons as well as intermonosoonal rains. It gets about 5000mm rainfall annually. Horton Plains is the most important area of the country. Three major rivers of the country start from this area, namely: Kelani, Walawe , and  the Mahaweli. Due to the high altitude the high altitude the area is old.                                                     

                                    
                                                                 

                  The park consists of forest and grasslands with a rich biodiversity. It is  home to a wide variety of endemic fauna and flora. Among the  24 species of mammals, The bird diversity is also high with 87 species of birds including migratory birds. nine species of reptiles and eight spices of amphibians are found in the park and since the Sri Lankan elephant was last seen here in the 1940s, the largest , most commonly seen mammal at present is the sambar deer. Leopards, wile boars, mongooses and giant squirrels are a few among the many species that can be spotted here. Horton Plains forms an important Bird Area (IBA) together with Ohiya, Pattipola and Ambewela, and contains 21 endemic bird species ith four endimic Horton Plains alone ( Sri Lankan blue magpie, Sri Lankan white - eye, Sri Lankan wood pigeon and dull- blue flycatcher ).

     

                            The park is also famous for beautiful flowers. Nelli , Bovitiya , Binara , Dwarf bamboo  and  some Orchid species are endemic. However, most endemic species are extinct due to poaching and carelessness of visitors.                          

                                                          

                            Horton plains also feature many interesting attractions such as the 'Baker`s Falls', ' Chimmini Pool ' and the famous 'World`s End' is a sheer drop of 3700 feet that offers a fabulous view all the way out to the distant southern coastline. We must take necessary steps to protect this treasure fore the future generations.