The Hanthana Mountain Range is not far from the famous Kandy City. The Mountain Range is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy town. It is a great addition to your list of “Things to do in Kandy“
This less-visited isolated Mountain range has fantastic moderate walking paths through Tea plantations. There are seven individual peaks and the highest is called Ura- Kanda. The peaks offer spectacular views of the Knuckles Mountain Range and The Kandy City. On a good clear day, you get to see the distance of over 50 miles. In the Mornings and late afternoons, you could spot a lot of birds including endemic species. You could easily fit in a visit to the iconic Tea Museum on the way to the Hanthana Mountain range.
The Ella gap can be seen at its best from the Little Adam’s peak which is 1141 meters above Sea level. But you can get decent views of the Ella Gap from the main road leading to the South East too. Technically, the Ella gap is a space between two long mountains that reveals an amazing view, all the way to the Southern coast of the island. You see a series of Mountains, Some reservoirs and the forests blended together stretching past 60 miles. Ella Gap is a unique creation of the Nature that should not be missed. Driving along the Road running parallel to Ella Gap is a great experience as you get to see different views and drops. You get to see the vibrant Rawana- Ella Waterfall by the side of the Road which is at its best soon after the Monsoons.
One of the advantages of visiting a small country is that, you can get to different places of the Country within a short space of time. From the Coast of Srilanka you can get to the Hill station called Nuwara- Eliya within four Hours. The Temperature would drop from nearly 30 Degrees to 15, which is probably a nice summer day for you. The Hill country offers stunning, breath taking scenery covered by thousands of Acers of Tea which looks like a green carpet on the Hills. You will get to see the Tea pickers moving around in their bright and colorful cloths with the sack of tea leaves on their backs. Some Guide books describe Nuwara- Eliya as a misplaced English Village because of the Gregory’s Lake with Trout, The 18 hole Golf course, the race course and the old Colonial Buildings that showcases the ancient Glory of the Colonial era. One place that you cannot miss is the Hill Club which is an amazing Hotel locked in time. You can visit a Tea factory to experience the Journey from Leaf to Cup and have a Cup of Ceylon Tea; you could do various excursions from Nuwara- Eliya such as visiting the Horton Plains National Park, Climbing the Single Tree Mountain, Climbing Kirigalpottha .the second tallest Mountain, and Thotupola Kanda the third tallest Mountain in SriLanka. The Haggala Botanical Garden is a great place, if you are in to Trees and Plants. You can easily spend a whole day here in peace and quiet. Ella is one of the best places to visit in the Hill country. It is very popular among the younger generation as it offers cheap accommodation and food. There are some good hikes here and the most popular are Little Adam`s peak and the Ella rock. The nine Arches Bridge that was built by the British is also a Highlight in Ella.
The North of Srilanka was in isolation for over three decades due to the Civil War. Though the War ended over Ten years ago the North and East is not visited by many Tourists. The Golden, Wide, sandy Beaches are yet to be explored. After the War ended, some very good Hotels were built in the North and the East with a lot of expectations which had not been full filled due to the lack of Tourists. Trincomali, Nilaweli and Uppuveli , Pasikudah are probably the best beaches for Swimming and Pigeon Island being the best place for Snorkeling. Arugambay is very well known among Surfers as one of the best places in Asia. Going on a Whale and Dolphin watching trip in Kalpitiya, Visiting the Isolated Delft Island and visiting the Nagadeepa Temple are the most popular activities in the North.
The North of Sri Lanka is very much like South India with a lot of Hindu Temples and shrines. Some of these Temples are massive Towers with colorful sculpture and paintings.
Most tourists do not visit the North and a East due to long travel time. But if you carefully design an itinerary, you can break up Journey by including The largest National Park in Srilanka, named Wilpatthu. You could visit the first ancient Capital of Srilanka which was flourishing, about thousand years ago. Anurathepura, the ancient City is an amazing Unesco World Heritage Site.
Bambarakanda Falls – The tallest Waterfall in Sri Lanka
This site is very much under rated and not visited by most Tourists. The height of the fall is 790 feet, the tallest in Srilanka and 299th in the World. This is definitely a hidden Gem in the Country in isolation. You could go for a swim in the basin [Natural Pool] at the base of the fall which would be a unique experience in the middle of nowhere.
The horse tailed single looped drop is a Photographer`s Paradise. You could hike to the top of the fall to see the streams that feed the falls merging and see the Eastern Plains of the Country.
Horton plains were declared as a national park in 1988 and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2010. The plateau above 6000 Feet above sea level has so much Bio- diversity and is home for many endemic species of Birds to Sri Lanka and the most popular being the SriLankan white eye.
The Horned lizard, or black-lipped lizard, the Purple faced Monkey and the Sambur Deer are often spotted here.
The undulating foot path through the cloud forests and River beds take you to the World`s End which is the Highlight of the Park. On a clear day you get to see the Distance of 100 Miles and drop of 3000 feet.
The Baker’s Waterfall named after the British explorer Sir Samuel Baker, is not tall, but is beautiful with stunning views at different angles. The waterfall is surrounded by a thick forest, tree ferns and montane shrubs.
The best time to visit the Park is from January to March as there is very little rain around. Its best to be at the World`s End early around between 8 and 9 before the Mist settle in for the day.
