To the end of the world in Sri Lanka

Pristine Horton Plains

Sri Lanka, also known as Ceylon, is a country located in the South of India, about 30 km from India. This place is known as the land of Buddhism because it was once an ancient Buddhist cultural center. However, what impressed me most about Sri Lanka is not the ancient ruins but the extremely well-preserved green and wild nature in this country.

Horton Plains National Park is a lush and pristine grassland located between the two highest mountains in the region, Kirigalpotta and Totapola. This is the only national park in Sri Lanka that allows you to freely explore according to the signpost system. In addition to the rich natural scenery with waterfalls and blue lakes, there are more than 750 species of plants and some rare animals that need to be preserved. Horton Plains is also known as the cloud forest because it is often covered in mist and clouds.

I started my journey from Nuwara Eliya town at 5am, when it was still dark and chilly. The road was quite winding, with many hairpin bends, passing through many villages that were still sleeping. We arrived at the park gate in time when the red sun was on the horizon, each ray of early morning light gradually gilding the mountain peaks. Standing quietly, watching the sunrise in the vast, open space, from when the sun was still hidden behind the clouds until it proudly shone across the space. Although it was only a few short minutes, we all felt it was worth the effort to overcome ourselves to get out of the warm blanket to come here early in the morning.

To walk around Horton Plains Park, you will need about 4-6 hours for a 10km journey, starting from going to World's End, then to Baker Falls and returning to the park gate. Here, the staff will instruct you not to leave trash, plastic bottles, candy wrappers... or anything on the road, if you violate, you will be severely fined. The awareness of wildlife conservation of the Sri Lankan people is very good, from the smallest children to adults and the elderly. Therefore, you will see that the tourist attractions in Sri Lanka are very clean, without a single piece of trash.

I began my exploration of the park with an irresistible excitement, skipping along the small path, surrounded by a grassland full of green grass and trees. The golden sunlight shone everywhere, the sky couldn't be bluer, the cool wind blew on my face. On the grass blades, the leaves were still soaked with the night dew that had not yet evaporated. In the midst of the vast, open nature, humans were so small. I walked slowly, stopping at this bush, stopping at that bridge, admiring each flower, each butterfly, each red flower tree pointing straight up to the blue sky. Everywhere was a lush green color. The space was quiet and peaceful. Occasionally I saw birds, a few geckos, monkeys or deer leisurely grazing. When they saw people, they just looked up with their big round eyes and then calmly grazed on the grass. Camellias and wildflowers in purple, yellow, and green grew everywhere. When my legs were tired, I lay my head on the smooth grass, quietly watching the surrounding nature, closing my eyes to enjoy this rare and precious moment.

World's End

The nameThe End of the World(World's End) made me very curious as to why this place has such an interesting name. When I arrived to see it, World's End is a steep cliff with a height of 880m, the boundary dividing the park with a deep abyss, below is a valley and a small village. Standing from the top of World's End, looking far away, you can see dark green cliffs, even Adam Peak or layers of overlapping clouds and mountains. On beautiful days, without a cloud like the day I went, you can see the sea a few dozen kilometers away. Normally, after 10am, this place is immersed in fog and clouds. Perhaps when the clouds cover the path, people can no longer see anything, in front is a thick fog, unable to move forward, can only step back to find the way to continue, then this place is trulyThe End of the World.

The best time to visit World's End is from January to March. This is the time when there is the least rainfall of the year and fewer visitors, so you have plenty of time and space to fully enjoy your trip.

Before coming to Sri Lanka and learning about this country, in my imagination, there were images of colorful tuk tuks running on dusty roads, spicy curry dishes, and women wearing colorful sarees on the streets. Or maybe I was just curious because Sri Lanka is the home of Dilmah tea, which is very popular in Vietnam. When walking on the trail from World's End to get out of the park, I realized that Sri Lanka is known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean because of its majestic, beautiful, captivating and truly charming nature.

TOURIST INFORMATION

- Visa:You can apply for a visa at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka or apply for an e-visa in advance for a fee of 35 USD. Sri Lanka e-visa application website:http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/

- Trip:Currently there is no direct flight from Vietnam to Sri Lanka, you will have to transit in a third country such as Malaysia, Thailand... There are many airlines such as Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Sri Lanka Airlines, Malindo Air with ticket prices ranging from 250-400 USD/round trip ticket.

- Time:The terrain in Sri Lanka is quite diverse, with sea, mountains, plateaus, plains with an average temperature of 25-30 degrees. You can travel to Sri Lanka all year round but the best time is from January to March.

- Means of transport:Public transport such as buses, long-distance coaches, and trains in Sri Lanka are very cheap. If traveling within the city or short distances, there are tuk tuks that can carry up to 4 people. If traveling in a large group, you can rent a larger car for convenience.

- Accommodation:Major cities like Colombo, Kandy, Galle have a lot of budget motels to 5-star hotels. In some highlands like Ella or Nuwara Eliya, there are fewer options but these places have homestays, resorts surrounded by tea plantations, green flowers and grass. You can choose and book in advance on online booking sites.

- Cuisine:Sri Lankan food is quite similar to India with curry, coconut milk, quite salty and spicy compared to Vietnamese taste. Some special dishes of Sri Lanka are Hoppers eggs, seafood, kottu roti... Especially fruits in Sri Lanka are very cheap and delicious, most are bananas, melons, mangoes, mangosteens.

- Some notes:

• When going to temples, you must wear shirts with sleeves and pants/skirts must be longer than the knee.
• When taking photos, do not turn your back to the Buddha statues.
• Remember to bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, long sleeves.
• Tea, sculptures, paintings of Buddhist images, jewelry, gemstones, cinnamon, pepper… are great souvenirs.

Tran Hong Ngoc