Knuckles Mountain Range
A UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve east of Kandy, offering cloud forest, montane grassland, waterfalls and ridge trails of exceptional biodiversity. Multi-day treks through the range and isolated village settlements make it one of the most rewarding walking destinations on the island.
Kitulgala
A river town in the wet-zone foothills and Sri Lanka’s premier white water rafting destination, with Grade 3-4 rapids through a forested gorge on the clear Kelani Ganga. Also the original filming location of David Lean’s 1957 Bridge on the River Kwai and one of the island’s finest birding destinations.
Horton Plains
A UNESCO-listed high-altitude plateau at 2,100 metres, with a circular trail through cloud forest to World’s End – a sheer 900-metre escarpment with views across the southern lowlands. Best walked before seven in the morning, when the plateau belongs to the mist, the sambar deer and the silence.
Ella
A small highland village at the edge of the hill country where the mountains drop suddenly toward the southern plains, creating the dramatic Ella Gap view extending a hundred kilometres on a clear day. Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak are iconic anchors of a village best appreciated slowly over several mornings.
Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka’s most elevated town at 1,800 metres, surrounded by continuous tea estate and carrying a distinctly colonial hill-station character unlike anywhere else on the island. The air is cool, afternoons are frequently misty and the town’s old post office, racecourse and highland market are pleasantly off-kilter.