Horton Plains National Park
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| "Maha Eliya" National Park (Horton Plains National Park) |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Location | Central province, Sri Lanka |
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| Nearest city | Nuwara Eliya |
| Coordinates | 6°48′00″N 80°48′00″E / 6.8°N 80.8°ECoordinates: 6°48′00″N 80°48′00″E / 6.8°N 80.8°E |
| Area | 31.598 km² |
| Established | 1969 |
| Visitors | 150,000 (in ) |
| Governing body | Department of Wildlife Conservation |
Horton Plains National Park (හෝටන් තැන්න), "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.[1][2]
In the winter months it is cold at night, and there can even be frosts, although it rapidly warms up as the tropical sun climbs higher in the sky.
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[edit] Access ways
The park can be accessed by from Nuwara Eliya through Ohiya, a small town with a railway station. A road starting at the Ohiya station leads up to the park. It continues across the park and then descends to the town of Pattipola, where there is another railway station.
Hikers can reach the park by a trail starting from the small town of Belihul Oya. This trail climbs all the way to World's End, one of the park's most popular attractions.[3]
The park covers 31.60 km², and is a mixture of highland forest and wet grassland.
This is a key wildlife area. Species found here include Leopard, Sambar (Sri Lankan Sambar Deer) and the endemic Purple-faced Langur. All six highland endemic birds are found here, including Dull-blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka White-eye, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, and Sri Lanka Bush Warbler. Yellow-eared Bulbul and Black-throated Munia are widespread throughout the highlands.
The park also has a well-visited tourist attraction at World's End, a sheer precipice with a 1,050 m (3,445 ft) drop. The return walk passes the scenic Baker's Falls. Early morning visits are essential, both to see the wildlife, and to view World's End before mists close in during the latter part of the morning.
[edit] Late Quaternary environmental history of the Horton Plains
A 6 m long core was retrieved from a mire at about 2,200 m a.s.l. in the Horton Plains National Park, central Sri Lanka. The material collected consists of a mixture of organic matter and clastic particles, which have been subject to bio-, litho-, and chronostratigraphic analyses. The pollen spectra suggest semi-arid conditions and a relatively species-poor plant community from >24,000 until 18,500 cal yr BP associated with a weaker South West Monsoon (SWM). During the late Pleistocene, the climate was fluctuating between relatively dry and humid conditions as the result of changes in the monsoonal regime. The onset of the monsoon caused a semi-humid climate resulting in an expansion of the Upper Montane Rain Forest (UMRF). The strengthening of the SWM was interrupted by two relatively dry climatic events, each lasting about 2,000 years. The early Holocene was characterised by a per-humid event followed by a hyper-humid event, both influenced by a further strengthening of the SWM due to the orbitally induced maximum increment of summer insolation. The middle Holocene was marked by a trend towards semi-arid climatic conditions. During the late Holocene, the SWM rains strengthened again (Premathilakea and Risberg, 2002).[4]
In October 2007 conservationists named 25 primates set to become extinct in the near future. One of them was the Slender loris, native to the National Park, which has been seen just four times since 1937.[5]
[edit] Gallery
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 Bakers Falls |
 World's End |
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 Sri Lankan Sambar Deer |
 Sambhur at "Maha Eliya" National park, Sri Lanka |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Gyan C. A. Fernando (2001). "Colombo to Badulla on the Udarata Menike Express". Great Railway Journeys of the World. http://www.crazylanka.com/trainjourneys2.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- ^ Weerasuriya, p. 3.
- ^ http://www.lakdasun.com/trails.htm
- ^ http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/expand?pub=infobike://els/02773791/2003/00000022/00000014/art00128&unc=
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2007/oct/25/endangeredspecies?picture=331073900
[edit] External links
- Anu Weerasuriya (May 1991). "Journey to the End of the World: Sri Lanka's Horton Plains". InfoLanka.com. http://www.infolanka.com/discover/horton/. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- Lakdasun (January 2009). "Horton Plains (Maha-Eliya) - Heaven on Earth, 2100m Above Sea Level". Lakdasun.com. http://www.lakdasun.com/attractions/attraction-07-horton-plains-national-park.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-07.
- Colorfulpages (December, 2008). "Horton Plains - මහ එළිය". http://www.colorfulpages.com/hortonplains.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-10.
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