NUWARA ELIYA – The “ Little England” of Sri Lanka, is set against beautiful backdrops of Mountains, Valleys, Waterfalls and Tea Plantations. It is supposed to be one of the coolest places in the Island, but it is just like an English spring day, although the temperature does drop at night. All around Nuwara Eliya you will see evidence of the British influence, houses like country cottages or Queen Ann style mansions. The Victoria Park, in the middle of the town, is lovely place for a stroll or a picnic and is also good for Birding as you get some rare birds in this park. Seasons may be absent elsewhere in Sri Lanka, but here you can read them by the flowers, which bloom in the spring March to May and fall August and September . These are the “seasons” when low-country folk flock to Nuwara Eliya to escape the sea level heat and humidity. HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK – 20 miles 32Km from Nuwara Eliya via Ambewela and Pattipola, is the Horton Plains only 3160 hectares in extent. Known to Sri Lankans as Mahaeliya, it became Horton Plains after Sir Robert Horton, British Governor from 1831-1837. Horton Plains became a Nature Reserve in 1969 and upgraded as National Park in 1988 due to its unique watershed and bio-diversity values. Its flora has high level of endemism. The hills are covered with diverse wet low evergreen forest with even large trees grown flattened to the ground on the higher windswept slopes. Horton Plains harbours 52 species of resident birds and 11 species of migrant birds. More than 2, 000 to 3, 000 Sambhur, Bear Monkey, Leopard, Barking Deer, Giant Squirrel, Fishing Cat, Wild Boar and Hares roam in the forests and grasslands but only seldom they could be seen other than the Sambhur in the evening and morning. This is the only National Park where visitors could walk their own in the designated tracks. WORLD’S END – is at Horton Plains. Horton Plains is the Sri Lanka’s highest plateau at an elevation of 7, 200 ft. the central mountains and is known as the “Cloud Forest”. This incredible view at the spite aptly named “Worlds End” is the finest in all Sri Lanka. The terrific escarpment drops vertically for about 1, 000ft and falls away almost as steeply for another 4, 000ft. In the morning a crescent of silver of the Indian Ocean rims the horizon some 50 miles to the south.