If you love hiking and want a real adventure in Sri Lanka, Kirigalpoththa Mountain is waiting for you!
At 2,388 m (7,835 ft) above sea level, it’s the second-highest mountain in Sri Lanka — and the highest one you’re allowed to climb freely.
📍 Quick Facts – Where is Kirigalpoththa?
- District: Nuwara Eliya
- Nearest Village: Pattipola
- Nearest Town: Nanuoya
- Trail Location: Horton Plains National Park
- Trail Start: Horton Plains Visitor Centre
- Trail End: Kirigalpotta Summit
- Distance: 5.6 km one way (around 11–14 km return)
- Elevation Gain: About 252 m
- Hike Duration: 3–4 hours one way, 6–7 hours return
- Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
🌿 What Does the Name Mean?
In Sinhala:
- Kiri = milk
- Gal = rock
- Pottha = tree bark
It’s believed this name comes from the tall trees with white, mottled bark that stand out in the forest.
🥾 What the Hike is Like
The trail starts at Horton Plains Visitor Centre. From there, you’ll walk along a narrow, overgrown path that takes you through:
- Open grass plains
- Misty cloud forests
- Soft, wet bogs
- Steep rocky sections
💡 Did you know? About 1 in 9 hikers never make it to the top because of the challenging terrain.
🏞️ KIRIGALPOTHTHA HIKE — MUST KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!
📍 Location: Horton Plains National Park
🚫 Important: Entry closes at 10 AM sharp
⏰ Why Before 10 AM?
Kirigalpoththa trail usually takes 5 hours to complete ⏳
🕷️ The area is leopard territory — if you’re not back before dark,
You’re basically signing up to be leopard dinner 🍽️🐆
⚠️ No joke — this is why they stop entries after 10 AM!
⛺ My Plan – Camp at Horton Plains
To start early ⏰, I decided to camp inside Horton Plains the night before.
I’ve already written:
🔗 Visitor Guide
🔗 Full Camping Guide
🍽️ Pre-Hike Breakfast at the Canteen
Horton Plains canteen = 👌 tasty breakfast!
🥙 Roti • 🥔 Cutlets • 🍌 Bananas
- Grabbed 🍫 chocolate bars for trail energy.
♻️ At the gate, they remove all plastic/polythene and give you a brown paper wrap instead — love that eco move!
👟 I Made a Rookie Mistake!
I thought the trail would be like the main Horton Plains trail (well-cleared and smooth) …
So I wore my expensive shoes 👟💸
Well… I was wrong 😂
🌾 The Trail Begins
✅ First 1 km: Easy walk through plain grassland 🌾
📸 Breathtaking views! (Check my video 🎥 — coming soon!)
🌳 Into the Wild: Mud, Forest & Crawling!
After the grassland:
🟤 Path turns muddy & sticky — watch your step!
🌳 Then it turns into a low-level forest
➡️ No clear path sometimes
➡️ Had to crouch, crawl, and even go on all fours 🐾
😅 Shoes? Totally regretted the expensive pair!
💧 Water = No Problem Here
Along the way, we found:
💦 Mini waterfalls
💧 Crystal-clear drinking water
✅ Super refreshing & 100 % drinkable!
🧗♂️ Final Stretch = Elevation + Mud + Slippery Jungle
Last 1–2 km:
⬆️ Steep elevation
🌲 Dense jungle
🟤 Super muddy & slippery
💪 BUT… we made it to the top! 🏔️🔥
Totally worth it. The view was 🔥🔥🔥
📍 Trail Info / GPS Coordinates
📡 I’ll share my Kirigalpoththa Trekking route GPX trail map — you can follow the exact path we took!
You can download GPS coordinates in GPX format.
🐆 One More Time: Safety Reminder!
This hike is not for beginners
❌ No entry after 10 AM
🐆 Leopards live here!
Please respect nature and stay safe 🙏
🌄 Best Time to Hike
- January–March or June–August – best weather and less rain
- Avoid heavy rainy months — the trail gets muddy and slippery
📸 The View – Secret Tip!
While the summit is beautiful, the most breathtaking view is from a rock ledge just before the top.
From here, cliffs drop dramatically on both sides, giving you an unforgettable panorama of Horton Plains.
⛰️ Don’t Get Fooled on the Way to the Peak! 🌿
On the way to Kirigalpoththa Peak, you might get tricked 😅. Some rocky edges you’ll pass have amazing views 🌄 and even wide spaces where you can sit, relax, or even lie down. They look like the peak… but nope, they aren’t!
🗺️ Accurate Location
Sometimes Google Maps isn’t 100% correct when it comes to marking the Kirigalpoththa peak 📍. To make things easier for future hikers, I’ll mark the actual summit myself.
Use the above GPS coordinates 📡 during the hike, so you can use them for a more accurate trail guide and avoid confusion on the way. 🚶♂️🌄
✨ The Real Peak Experience:
When you finally reach the true Kirigalpoththa Peak, it’s a totally different vibe. It’s a calm and quiet place 🕊️, surrounded by little tea-like bushes 🌱. Since the trees block the wind, it feels peaceful and still.
🌾 The ground is like a soft green bed of grass — perfect to just lie down and relax all day 😌. Honestly, it feels like nature’s own mattress!
⛺ Camping at the Peak?
Yes, it would be an amazing campsite… but unfortunately 🚫 no permission is given for camping at the top. The area is protected, and you’re not allowed to stay overnight.
📍 Still, there’s a beautiful viewpoint right at the summit where you can enjoy breathtaking scenery 🌄 — worth every step of the hike!
🐾 Wildlife & Nature You Might See
Along the way, you may spot:
- Sambar deer
- Colourful and rare birds
- Orchids and other wildflowers
- Small reptiles and frogs
🐾 Signs of Leopards at Kirigalpoththa 🐆🌲
On the way to the peak, I found plenty of leopard signs — big paw prints in the mud 🐾, droppings 💩, and scratch marks on trees 🌳. Just like house cats sharpen their claws, leopards do the same. This means there are quite a few of them living in the area.
⚠️ Don’t be too scared, though — leopards usually avoid humans. They don’t really understand what kind of animal we are, so most of the time they keep their distance. Still, better be safe:
👉 Never hike alone. Always bring a friend.
🌄 A Quiet, Lonely Trail
Unlike the busy Horton Plains, very few people hike this trail. Most of the time, you’ll be walking alone in silence.
During my hike, I only met one foreign couple 👩❤️👨. Even though they started later than I did, they somehow finished way ahead. Tall, super fit, and quick — their long steps ate up the trail in no time.
😂 The funniest part? They were literally running through the jungle, even across muddy sections, without sinking in! I tried keeping up but failed miserably — so once again, I ended up hiking alone.
🦋 Wildlife Encounters 🐍
The jungle here is full of life. I saw colourful butterflies 🦋, tiny insects 🐛, and plenty of other small creatures.
But the scariest moment came when I almost stepped on a small black snake 😳. I couldn’t tell if it was venomous, but it looked really dangerous. A good reminder to:
👉 Watch every step carefully.
✨ My Kirigalpoththa Takeaway
This hike is wild, peaceful, and full of surprises. 🌿 If you love raw nature, you’ll love it here — but always remember:
✅ Don’t hike alone
✅ Respect wildlife
✅ Walk carefully
Kirigalpoththa is not just another trail — it’s an untamed jungle adventure. 🌏💚
⚠️ Safety Tips
Kirigalpotta is not for beginners. To stay safe:
- Always hike with a guide or group
- Wear non-slip hiking boots
- Carry water, snacks, and a raincoat
- Wear thick clothes to avoid scratches
- Bring salt or leech repellent – leeches are common!
- Stick to the marked path
🎟️ Tickets & Permits for Kirigalpoththa
Good news — you don’t need any special permit to hike the Kirigalpoththa Trail. 🙌
If you already have a Horton Plains entrance ticket 🎫 or a campsite booking ticket ⛺, that’s more than enough to enter the trail and head up to the peak. No extra charges, no extra paperwork — simple and easy! ✅
Kirigalpoththa mountain live weather update 🛰️
18°C
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Rain Chance
- Wind
- Humidity
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🧭 Final Thoughts
Kirigalpotta is for hikers who want both a challenge and peace. It’s less crowded than other famous hikes and offers amazing views for those who make it to the top.
If you’re planning to climb it, prepare well, respect nature, and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
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📍 Honest tips • 😱 Wild encounters • 🧭 Hidden trails • 📸 Epic views
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