Knuckles Mountain Range
A UNESCO World Heritage biodiversity zone of cloud forests, waterfalls, remote villages, and ridgeline trails, the Knuckles is Sri Lanka’s wildest highland landscape. Multi-day treks pass through farming communities where traditional mountain agriculture continues largely unchanged, and the concentration of endemic species rivals Sinharaja.
Nuwara Eliya
Built by the British as a hill station at 1,868 metres, Nuwara Eliya has Tudor architecture, rose gardens, and a temperature that makes fireplaces sensible even in April. The surrounding tea estates produce some of the world’s finest high-grown Ceylon teas and a factory visit, from leaf to cup, is one of the island’s most […]
Horton Plains
Sri Lanka’s highest plateau national park leads to World’s End, a sheer escarpment dropping 870 metres to the lowland jungle, one of the island’s most dramatic natural landmarks. Arrive before 9am, before the cloud closes in, and the view is unforgettable.
Haputale
Haputale sits on a ridge so narrow that highland landscape falls away dramatically on both sides, and the walk to Lipton’s Seat rewards with views extending to three coastlines on a clear morning. Quieter and more local than Ella, it suits travellers who want the highlands without the crowds.
Ella
A small hill town above a valley of such intense green it seems lit from within, Ella’s pace is exactly slow enough to make a day feel restorative rather than merely spent. The Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam’s Peak, and the quality of simply being there make it the island’s most loved highland stop.