Horton Plains Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
national park in Sri Lanka
About Horton Plains
The original name of the area was Maha Eliya Thenna (මහ එළිය තැන්න - "great open plain"). The British 'discovered' the plateau in 1834 and renamed the area after Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, the British governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837, who travelled to the area to meet the Ratemahatmaya of Sabaragamuwa in 1836. Stone tools dating back to the Balangoda culture (who existed from around 30,000 to around 10,000 BCE) have been found here. The local population who resided in the lowlands ascended the mountains to mine gems, extract iron ore, construct an irrigation canal and fell trees for timber. A 6-metre (20 ft) pollen core extracted from a mire revealed that in the late quaternary period the area had a semi-arid climate and a species-restricted plant community. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker ad
Horton Plains Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: