Horton Plains National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s most singular and otherworldly experiences, a high-altitude plateau at over 2,100 metres above sea level, draped in cloud forest and open montane grassland, creating an atmosphere unlike anywhere else on the island. The signature trek of approximately 9 kilometres loops through the park to World’s End, a sheer escarpment that drops 870 metres in a near-vertical cliff to the lowland plains far below – before continuing through forest to Baker’s Falls, a graceful, photogenic waterfall that provides a moment of lush beauty and cool refreshment midway through the walk. The landscape is populated by sambar deer, purple-faced langurs and an exceptional array of highland birds and on clear mornings, the views from World’s End extend all the way to the southern coast, a panorama of scale and drama.