World’s End Sri Lanka 🌩️ Hotels & Hikes on Horton Plains
We’ve all seen those travel articles that wax lyrical about ‘hidden gems’ and ‘stunning landscapes’, painting a picture so perfect it practically glimmers with glitter. Sri Lanka is, without a doubt, a beautiful country. It’s got the beaches, the hills, the history. We get it.
But nobody ever talks about the grim reality of trying to get to these places, do they? The travel, the sweat, the damp, smelly rooms. That’s the real story, isn’t it? The one we’re actually here to tell. So, while other reports are busy pretending everything is a fairy tale, we’re here to give you the unvarnished truth about our little escapade to the heart of Sri Lanka’s hill country, specifically the World’s End plateau.
The first leg of our trip through the island’s central highlands had concluded, and we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a train journey to a place called Haputale. After a few days of playing tourist in and around the old capital of Kandy, we’d decided to trade the city’s ancient allure for what we hoped would be the cool, crisp air of the mountains. Our plan, if we could even call it that, involved a train ride.
We’d been told it was scenic. We’d also been told it was a ‘must-do’. We’re not so sure about that anymore.
Highlights
- A Kandy to Haputale Train Marathon
- The Sri Lak View Holiday Inn
- Haputale: A Frontier Town Awakens
- Hiking to World’s End
- View from the Edge
- Monkey Business at Jungle Beach
- Where to Stay & Eat in Galle
- Tangalle’s Beaches
- What You Need on the Train
- A Complete Sri Lanka Itinerary
Our Kandy to Haputale Train Marathon
So we rocked up to the station, full of optimism and a bag of those weird, sweet Sri Lankan buns. They were stale, of course.
As we approached the second-class carriage we’d optimistically eyed, we were greeted with a sight that made our hearts sink faster than a lead balloon. It was packed. I mean, sardine-tin-on-a-hot-day packed. Not a single seat was to be found. The carriage was a veritable festival of humanity, with people clinging to every available surface.
What did we do? We did what any self-respecting, budget-conscious traveler would do: we joined the throng.
Sri Lanka – Boarding the Train to Haputale
We spent the next five hours in the gangway, squatting awkwardly with our knees practically touching our chin, trying to avoid being trampled every time someone shuffled past. We shared the space with a man who had a basket of live chickens and another who was trying to eat a full meal with a spoon and fork, with varying degrees of success.
Was it uncomfortable? Undeniably. But after our numerous travels in India, we’d developed a thick skin for this kind of thing.
It could have been worse. At least the views, when we could crane our necks to see them, were, in fairness, quite pretty. We saw lush, green mountains and tea plantations rolling out for miles, a hypnotic sight that almost made us forget the cramping pain in our thighs. Almost.
The Sri Lak View Holiday Inn: A Study in Irony
We arrived in Haputale in the late afternoon, our legs wobbly and our spirits slightly deflated.
We hadn’t booked a place to stay—a strategic error, we now realise. The moment we stepped off the train, we were swarmed by a small army of guesthouse touts, all shouting over each other and thrusting laminated flyers into our faces. We tried to ignore them, adopting our usual ‘we know what we’re doing’ facade, which fools precisely nobody.
However, one chap mentioned the ‘Sri Lak View Holiday Inn,’ and my ears pricked up. We’d seen it mentioned in our Lonely Planet guide as a decent option.
A minute later, we were being bundled into a van and driven up a steep, winding hill to the hotel.
We were shown a couple of rooms in a separate annex, one for 1500 rupees and another for 3000 rupees. The pricier one, we were told with a flourish, came with a balcony and a ‘view.’ Since it was already pitch black outside, and we’d be leaving before sunrise, we couldn’t quite see the point in paying extra for a view we’d never see.
The cheaper room, on the other hand, was a damp, dark, and slightly squalid box. The bathroom smelt like a forgotten science experiment. We didn’t dare undress completely to sleep. We simply lay on top of the sheets, shivering a little despite the humid air, feeling like we were on a particularly bad camping trip.
But here’s where the irony kicks in. The main building was a different story entirely. Dinner was surprisingly good and the Wi-Fi worked like a treat. The staff were organised and genuinely helpful, even offering to arrange our trip to World’s End for the next morning.
It was a bizarre contrast—a damp, miserable bedroom and a perfectly decent communal area. We’d have to put it down as ‘bearable for one night’ and nothing more.
Should you ever find yourself in Haputale, and you’re feeling adventurous, you might consider the Leisure Mount View Holiday Inn. We heard it comes highly recommended, and by the sound of it, it couldn’t have been worse than where we were.
Sri Lanka’s Haputale – Hindu Main Kovil
Haputale: A Frontier Town Awakens
Our night’s sleep was punctuated by the rather jarring call to prayers at 5:15 am.
Haputale is predominantly a Muslim (Tamil) town, so we weren’t expecting a silent dawn. The town has a definite frontier-town feel to it, a place that feels like it’s teetering on the edge of the world.
It’s not a place with many tourist attractions, but that’s not to say it’s without its charm. It has many similarities to the Cameron Highlands in central Malaysia.
The town is also home to several intricate Hindu temples.
Haputale also has several Hindu temples
We spent a brief amount of time wandering around, finding some good bargains in the local Tamil shops. We even stumbled upon a bakery near the bus station that sold the most delicious, hot samosas.
Seriously, we’re talking life-changing samosas here (get them while they’re still hot!).
We also noticed that, at 1,431 metres (4,695 ft) above sea level, the air was considerably cooler, and the town itself was often shrouded in mist, giving it a mysterious, almost ethereal quality.
World’s End Sri Lanka – View from Haputale
Hiking to World’s End
The main event, the reason for this whole adventure, was the hike to the World’s End plateau at Horton Plains.
Our hotel hosts, despite our ‘squid-in-a-damp-box’ experience, were excellent at arranging our trip. This involved a 4:30 am wake-up call, a packed breakfast that looked like it was made with all the love of a school canteen, and a 1.5 hour car journey in the pitch dark, illuminated only by the van’s headlights.
It was February, and it was cold and wet enough that we were glad we’d packed our jumpers.
Now, we hear you asking, “4:30 am? Are you mad?” We had the same thought, believe me.
But we were told, in no uncertain terms, that this ludicrously early start was non-negotiable. The reason? The mist. We were told that around 9 am, a thick, white curtain of mist rolls in, completely obscuring the view from the World’s End plateau (especially during the rainy season from April to September).
So, unless we wanted to stand on a clifftop and stare at a wall of white nothingness, we had to get there before the sun had even properly woken up.
World’s End
It’s also important to finish the hike before the sun becomes a malevolent, sweaty orb in the sky.
We arrived at the park entrance gate at a rather ungodly 6:30 am and shelled out a princely $30 each for the privilege. We then drove a further 15 minutes to the start of the trail.
The hike itself is a 9.5-kilometer loop. The trail leads for 4 km to the World’s End plateau, then loops back to Baker’s Falls for 2 km, and then back to the entrance, another 3.5 km. The whole round trip takes around three hours, give or take.
As we made our way through the damp, chilly air, our flashlights carving out a path in the pre-dawn gloom, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the handful of other mad souls who had also decided to undertake this early morning pilgrimage. The path was a mixture of well-trodden earth, roots, and rocks.
It was a proper hike, our poor joints creaking with every step.
Haputale Panorama (click to view)
View from the Edge
We got there, finally. The World’s End plateau. The cliff drops a staggering 870 metres into the abyss below. We arrived just as the sun was beginning to properly announce its presence.
And the view? It was nothing short of spectacular. We could see for miles, a sweeping panorama of misty mountains and verdant valleys. We could even see all the way to the coast. It was one of those moments that makes you feel incredibly small and insignificant.
We also noticed that some people were getting a bit too close to the edge, all for the sake of a perfect selfie. We watched, horrified, as one person teetered on a rock. Seriously, a dramatic view is not worth falling to your death. We took our photos from a safe distance, making a mental note to appreciate the view and not become a statistic.
By the time we started our return journey, the mist had already begun to creep in. The clouds, like a slow-moving, ethereal army, were rolling in to obscure the view.
We were glad we’d listened to the advice and started so early. It was a well-earned view, one that made the miserable train journey and the damp hotel room seem like distant, almost comical memories. So we felt a sense of achievement but, more importantly, a powerful need for a hot breakfast and a shower.
The hike to Horton Plains is absolutely worth the effort, but we can’t stress enough the importance of preparation. We needed proper waterproof gear, walking boots, a flashlight, and a masochistic sense of humour.
After our chilly time in the highlands, we were genuinely looking forward to making our way down to the warm embrace of the south coast around Tangalle.
The plan for the next seven days? To just go with the flow, a phrase which, for us, has become a byword for ‘we haven’t a clue what we’re doing next.’
And isn’t that half the fun anyway?
If you enjoyed World’s End Sri Lanka, check out our Sri Lanka Travel Plan. You may also like:
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