As I sat on my soaked umbrella and fumbled with my phone, I cheated death – and decent photos – as the winds from hell blasted me, determined to fling me off the edge of the cliff.

It is unexpectedly freezing in Nuwara Eliya, up in the Sri Lankan highlands. It is a pretty area known for its British village feel and rolling hills full of tea plantations, but nobody pre-warned me of its plummeting temperatures.

It is the halfway stop on our ‘Most Beautiful Train Journey in the World’ ride from Kandy to Ella. We have scheduled this stop for one reason only; to hike to ‘World’s End’ at Horton Plains National Park, a broad, windswept landscape including hidden waterfalls and a bluff with a drop of 880 metres (4000 feet) at the farthest point of the walking circuit.

Being the official trip researcher, I have a good idea of the requirements for such destinations. Still, previously back at home in packing mode, I was presented with a foldup raincoat in a convenient pouch; easy to pack and carry around and purchased especially for this trip. But alas, I scoffed – I didn’t need a coat in sunny Sri Lanka at any time of year. And besides, it will still take up precious space in the backpack.

Still dank and dim outside, we are determined and first through the checkpoint at the ungodly hour of 6 am. So off we trudge, just as the glimmer of a new day is looming over the hill. But the weather is turning – not only is it bitterly cold, but the rain sets in at the exact minute that we step foot on the track.

I am determined but freezing, and for no fault but my own, I have no raincoat. So, with one waterproof garment between us (that I cannot use, as it is deemed undeserved), we trudge out over the vast, wet, windswept plain.

Do the hike before 10 am, they say, as according to Lonely Planet, you will have an ‘unencumbered view’ from the clifftop. After this time, ‘white walls of cloud will roll in to foil your outlook of the valley below’. Instead, we have rain and winds strong enough to hurtle us over the 880-metre drop a long time before 10 am. Horton Plains is reasonably easy to explore, unlike other Sri Lankan hikes that can become quite challenging. It begins with open, flat terrain and meanders through forest paths and along strangely marbled mud trails that look like gnarly riverbeds.

Finally, after three kilometres, we reach Little World’s End. Here, we have our first view of the valley below the steep escarpment and its 270-metre drop. At this point, the winds are wild, and my frozen fingers can hardly press the camera button. But we soldier on, as the Great World’s End Drop is only a kilometre or so ahead, and we wonder if it will live up to our expectations. Pushing ahead, thankful for windbreaks but cursing the weather, we arrive at World’s End.

It’s hectic. Not the pace, nor the crowds, but those godforsaken winds, determined to shove us over the edge to our ultimate demise.

The least I can do is get some photos as proof of attendance. But that itself is near impossible, as I seem to need three hands to handle myself and a camera. With an umbrella in one hand and a phone in the other, I still can’t do it. So, I sit on the wet umbrella for the minimum amount of time possible and finally snap a few photos of my feet, as there’s no chance of standing for a posed shot without maybe dying.

The trek back is enjoyable, if not still wet. We appreciate the changing landscape as we clamber through a gnarled forest and discover Bakers Falls waterfall. Deer and mongoose await us back at the entrance, and we rest our soggy feet before heading back to town.

It’s only 9 am, and as we leave, a glorious, sunny day breaks – along with the arrival of a fresh batch of warm, dry, well-slept hikers.

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Trip Notes:

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