St. Andrew's Church
St. Andrew’s Church is most picturesquely situated on the Haputale ridge with panoramic views of both the vast southern planes as well as the Haputale valley. It was opened for worship in 1869. This Church had a sizeable English congregation when Sri Lanka was under British rule. Many European planters from the district were regular worshippers in the Church, while the European garrison attended St. James’ Church in Diyatalawa.
Here lies interred the ashes of Rev Walter Stanley Senior, known as the Bard of Lanka. His soul-stirring poem The Call of Lanka is engraved inside the Church.
From Adisham Village Home it is a 4 Km easy walk to the Church along the road or better still the rail track, with pretty views.
Here lies interred the ashes of Rev Walter Stanley Senior, known as the Bard of Lanka. His soul-stirring poem The Call of Lanka is engraved inside the Church.
From Adisham Village Home it is a 4 Km easy walk to the Church along the road or better still the rail track, with pretty views.
A walk along the colonial picnic trail through the Thangamale Sanctuary, passing ‘Railway to the Moon’ to Idalgashinna Station
Thangamale, meaning golden valley or field was part of the old Glenanore tea estate. It is 131 hectares in extent and was declared as a protected area in 1938. The trek is about five kilometres, through patches of primary montane forest rich in biodiversity including birdlife. It goes parallel and in varying heights above the railroad and then comes to a point where it merges with the railroad. From thereon one has to walk along the rail track. A hundred metres along the track you come to a knife-edge known to the early railway pioneers as the "Railway to the Moon". At this spot, on a clear full moon day afternoon, looking east one can witness the full moon rising below you while at the same time looking west one can witness the sun setting below you. The only spot along a railroad anywhere in the world where this spectacle can be seen. A kilometre or so along the rail track and you end up at Idalgashinna station from where you can take a return train to Haputale or walk back along the track.
Bambarakanda Falls
The trek from Adisham to Bambarakanda Falls, at 263 metres Sri Lanka's tallest, takes you in its final leg through the unique cloud forests of the Peak Wilderness of which Horton Plains National Park is a part. This is a trek for the passionate, as it takes nearly the whole day depending on the pace. The first part of the trail is the same colonial picnic trail described before. One can take the 8 am train from Haputale to Idalgashinna if you want to shorten the effort. From Idalgashinna, the trail winds through the Peak Wilderness, then entering the borders of Horton Plains above Ohiya and climbing down to the Falls. After the Falls a walk down will link you to the A4 at Kalupahana, from where a bus can be taken to Haputale.
The trek from Adisham to Bambarakanda Falls, at 263 metres Sri Lanka's tallest, takes you in its final leg through the unique cloud forests of the Peak Wilderness of which Horton Plains National Park is a part. This is a trek for the passionate, as it takes nearly the whole day depending on the pace. The first part of the trail is the same colonial picnic trail described before. One can take the 8 am train from Haputale to Idalgashinna if you want to shorten the effort. From Idalgashinna, the trail winds through the Peak Wilderness, then entering the borders of Horton Plains above Ohiya and climbing down to the Falls. After the Falls a walk down will link you to the A4 at Kalupahana, from where a bus can be taken to Haputale.
Horton Plains National Park
Horton Plains is a protected area in the central highlands and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 m is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region was designated a national park in 1988. The Horton Plains are the headwaters of three major rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe. In Sinhala the plains are known as Maha Eliya Plains. Stone tools dating back to Balangoda culture have been found here. The plains' vegetation is grasslands interspersed with montane forest, and includes many endemic woody plants. Large herds of Sri Lankan Sambar Deer feature as typical mammals, and the park is also an Important Bird Area with many species not only endemic to Sri Lanka but restricted to the Horton Plains. The sheer precipice of World's End and Baker's Falls are among the tourist attractions of the park. It is an area for leisurely walks.
The trek to Horton Plains from Adisham takes the same route as that to Bambarakanda Falls until above Ohiya, from where it is a short distance to the park entrance where an entry ticket has to be bought. This too is nearly a full day trek depending on the pace.
The trek to Horton Plains from Adisham takes the same route as that to Bambarakanda Falls until above Ohiya, from where it is a short distance to the park entrance where an entry ticket has to be bought. This too is nearly a full day trek depending on the pace.