How To Trek To World’s End AND Survive

How To Get There

The train ride to Nuwara Eliya – the closest town to Horton Plains – from Colombo Fort station is roughly a 6 hour journey through misty mountains and acres of wild forest and cultivated land. Buy your train tickets to Nanu Oya – the train station closest to Nuwara Eliya at the ticket counters. The 05:55 hrs train from Colombo is the best train to Nanu Oya, on either second class or third class compartments. Second class tickets are priced at LKR 370 while third class is priced at LKR 240. If you want to reserve your seat, pre-book a second class ticket, but keep in mind that third class operates on a first come first serve basis.

Where To Stay

The 05:55 hrs train should arrive at Nanu Oya close to noon, which leaves plenty of time to gather your belongings, grab a tuk from the station and head into town to find your accommodation and check-in. Fortunately, the quiet town of Nuwara Eliya has a ton of budget friendly accommodation options for you to choose from. Book ahead though. Trek to World’s End the next morning, where you should aim to be at the entrance by 06:00 hrs.

How To Get To Horton Plains

Simply get online and do a simple search on transport options to the protected park. A vehicle for the day should ideally cost you between LKR 4,500-5,000, which you can split with other travellers.

#YohoTip Make friends during your train ride, you might find someone who’s looking to share costs to Horton Plains.

Entrance to Horton Plains is a bit tricky and you should expect to pay a lot, especially if you’re not a local or resident in Sri Lanka. Ensure you pay for yourself, anybody else with you, the van and the driver – a 12% service tax and VAT is added to the total. Foreign rates amount to LKR 4,000 for entrance while local tickets come priced at LKR 60.

Worlds End

Inside this expansive protected park, you’ll find Bakers Fall, Little Worlds End, and the famous World’s End in Sri Lanka. The entire trail is approximately 9 km, ensure you pack water but remove the plastic labels from the bottle beforehand. Once you reach World’s End, remember not to stand too close to the edge when taking or posing for photographs. It’s a mighty long drop to the bottom! Rest well during the trek and try to make it back out of the park before noon, as a blanket of mist usually starts rolling in around 10:00 hrs.