Knuckles Mountains & Forest Range

For hikers and bikers, the Knuckles Mountain Range is tailor-made for adventure and discovery, a real walk (and ride) on the wild side of Sri Lanka’s fabled forests, wildlife sanctuaries and breathtaking scenery. Mountain trails, river crossings, tea plantations, paddy fields, traditional friendly villages, you name it, the Knuckles—so called because they resemble the knuckles of a closed fist—provides it. A high-point—or low-point depending on where you stand—is the Dumbara Valley, fringed by a glorious chain of mountain peaks: 35 up to 3,000ft, 20 up 4,000ft, 14 up to 5,000ft and two that top 6,000ft. The highest outcrop, known as Lakegala, located exactly at the centre of the island, is shrouded in the mists of mystery and legend, one being that it was the centre of Emperor Ravana’s ancient kingdom. Now known as the Knuckles National Heritage and Wilderness Area, it is a major eco tourism destination and conservation area.