Discover the prime spots for hiking in Sri Lanka be it’s hilly woodlands or mountain valleys

Tissamaharama

Tissamaharama - named after the man-made reservoir Tissa Wewa, is one of the most pleasant towns in the southern coast. It is home to much remarkable bird life and provides the scenic backdrop to the town. Tissa was the sanctuary in the deep south, where Sinhalese patriots fled to rally support against the marauding Dravidian invaders from Southern India. Known by the name of Mahagama (great town), it was one of the principal settlements of the southern province of Ruhuna. Mahagama was founded in the third century BC by a brother of the King Devanam Piya Tissa of Anuradhapura, & later rose to prominence under King Kavantissa, father of the hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu of Ruhuna.

Modern Tissa is a bustling city with the main street lined with banks, shops & little cafes and kiosks. Refreshing breeze from the large reservoir sweeps the town. The town in turn is bounded by a beautiful expanse of paddy fields. In the midst of paddy fields stands most impressive of Tissa’s dagobas (stupas). The combination of cluster of dagobas & two beautiful tanks lend Tissa a certain distinction and a sense of history making it in sharp contrast with the other towns of southern coast.

Horton Plains

Horton Plains National Park "Maha-Eliya" in Sinhala, is a national park in the highlands of Sri Lanka. It lies at a height of more than 2,000 m in the central highlands, and its altitude means that it has a much cooler and more windy climate than the lowlands of Sri Lanka, with a mean annual temperature of 16 °C rather than the 26 °C of the coasts. The area was named in 1834 after Lady Anne Horton, wife of Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, then-governor of Ceylon.

The sheer precipice of World's End and Baker's Falls are among the tourist attractions of the park.

Sinharaja

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests eco-region, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility, and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988. The reserve's name translates as Kingdom of the Lion.

Minneriya National Park

Do a safari of the Minneriya National Park by jeep. The extent of the Minneriya National Park is about 8,889 hectares. Dry zone plant and animal species are common and elephants are in plenty. Unlike in other national parks, elephants could be spotted at a very close range. About 160 species of birds, 09 amphibians, 25 reptile species, 26 fish species and more than 78 butterfly species have been found in this area. There are also rare bamboo trees in this park which are not found in other parks.

Haputalle

Located between Belihul Oya and Welimada is Haputale, a small town perched steeply on both sides of a sharp ridge at the southern edge of Sri Lanka’s flamboyant scenic hill country. 122 kilometers from the capital of Colombo Haputale could be reached by train in 9 to hours whilst a public bus or hired transport will yake an hour less to reach this panoramic small town. Haputale is renowned, like so many other hill towns on the island, for its spectacular views. While you travel make sure to turn off the air conditioner and grab a window seating to feast your eyes on magnificent waterfalls , looming mountain ranges and the misty breeze that will gently blow on to your face as you experience the temperature decreasing as you near you destination. One of the most disconcerting is obtained from the main street, which seems to disappear into thin air, although in reality it just makes a right turn . On a clear day you can see from this ridge all the way to the south coast, and at night the Hambantota lighthouse situated at the Southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka could also be sited.

The Diyaluma Falls is a 220 meter high waterfall on the Punagala Oya located very close to the A4 road between Koslanda and Wellawaya. The Punagala Oya rises from the Mahakande pass and flows into Kuda Oya, a tributary of the Kirindi Ganga, which flows into the sea near Tissamaharama. The Diyaluma Falls, the second highest in Sri Lanka, is the last of a series of waterfalls on this river.

Ella

Ella is blessed with some of the most beautiful views, you could find in Sri Lanka. Only 8 km from Bandarawela, this small town is used as a base for plenty of trekking expeditions to the surrounding countryside. A taste of the breathtaking scenery of Ella could be had, if you just walk into the Garden of the Grand Ella Motel (Formerly Ella Rest House), where you seem to be standing at the edge of the world, and everything around you seems to disappear at your feet. Another fine view is from the Ambient Hotel, where the wide doorway, opens out to the mountains, creating a dramatic cinematic like experience, on entry. Some of the places you could see in Ella are the Ella Gap, Ravana Ella Falls, Little Adam's Peak and Bambaragala Peak among the other many varied pleasant walks with stunning scenery.

Adam’s Peak

Adam's Peak is a 2,243 meters (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well-known for the Sri Pada "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit, in Buddhist tradition held to be the footprint of Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Muslim tradition that of Adam.

Knuckles Range

The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, north-east of the city of Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resembles the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District. Whilst this name was assigned by early British surveyors, the Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning mist-laden mountain range (Cooray, 1984). The entire area is characterized by its striking landscapes often robed in thick layers of cloud but in addition to its aesthetic value the range is of great scientific interest. It is a climatic microcosm of the rest of Sri Lanka.