Knuckles Mountain Range, Sri Lanka

Knuckles Mountain Range is part of the central Highlands of Sri Lanka which is a UNESCO listed world heritage site since 2010. The five Peaks of the mountain range symbolize the knuckles of a close fist and it is the reason behind the name of Knuckles. “Dumbara Mitiyawatha” is the local name which was famous with the local people in the island. The name Dumbara Mitiyawatha means the misty valley. Located with an elevation of 6112ft above sea level, the knuckles mountain range is home to many species of endemic flora and fauna. Knuckles Mountain Range is considered as the most spectacular mountain scenic landscape of Sri Lanka's highlands. The best view points of Knuckles Mountain range are from Corbet's Gap and from Laggala Patana where there is a mini–Worlds End. Wonderful waterfalls, misty mountain valleys, viewpoints and hidden villages offer some wonderful opportunities for the eco-tourism activities in this wonderful location that is bordering the Kandy city. 

The Biodiversity of Knuckles

The Knuckles Mountain range covers 180sq.km. It consists with Tropical Montane Humid Evergreen Forests found at summits, ridges and upper slopes of Knuckles mountains. Tropical Lowland Semi Evergreen Forests are to be found at lower elevations of the Knuckles area, below 700m alititudes. Tropical Sub Montane Humid Semi Evergreen Forests are found at Corbet's Gap, Reverstone and Kelabokka at latitudes between 600m to 1300m. 255 tree species are found out of 1000 flowering plants in the range and 150 plants are endemic to Sri Lanka. Specie Brachysteima lankana is found only at the Knuckles range. 128 Species of Birds, 31 Species of Mammals, 15 Species of Fish, 33 Species of Reptiles, 20 species of Amphibians,60 Species of Butterfly and 17 Species of Molluscs can be found in the Knuckles Mountain range as the main fauna species. The main flora species that can be found in the Knuckles Mountain range include Pihibiya (Filiciumdecipiens), Badyulla (Semecarpus nigro-viridis), Mora (Euphoria logana) , Milla (Vitex altissima), Etamba (Mangifera zeylanica), Keena (Calophyllum trapezifolium), Bala (Nothopegia beddomei), Katu keena (Zanthoxylum rhetsa), Korakaha (Memecylon spp.), Bol pana (Glycosmis pentaphylla), (Pyrrosia adnascens, Beduru (Drynaria quercifilix), Golumora (Cryptocarya wightiana, Malboda (Myristica dactyloides), Weralu (Elaeocarpus glandulifer), Talan (Litsea gardneri), Pelen (Bhesa montana), Kataboda (Cullenia ceylanica) ,(Brachystelma lankana), Maranda (Syzygium spathulatum), Katu kurundu (Scolopia schreberi), Nelu (Strobilanthes spp.), Bamboo (Arundinaria walkeriana), Kudalu (Impatiens spp.), Weraniya (Hedyotis spp.), and (Gaertnera spp.) 

Nature Trails in The Knuckles Mountain range 

This wonderful nature paradise offers fifteen trails that have been embarked by the Sri Lanka Forest Department Information guide. There are two divisions of trails that are conducted by the team Glamp Collection. These two divisions are Kandy and Matale Divisions. The Kandy Division trails includes Deanston-Mini Worlds End trail-(02 km), Deanston-Dothulugala trail-(04 km), Deanston-Hapugaskumbura trail-(05 km), Kumbukgolla-Nitre Cave-(04 km), Thangappuwa-Allugallena trail-(08 km) and Bambaraella-Knuckles Peak trail-(14 km). The Matale Division trails include Pitawala Pathana-Mini Worlds end trail-(0.76 km), Illukumbura- Kosgaswela trail-(03 km), Kahagala-Pottewela-Sera ella trail- (04 km), Illukkumbura-Rambukoluwa trail- (05 km), Illukkumbura-Manigala-Etanwala trail-(05 km), Rambukoluwa-Korahangala trail-07 km), Narangamuwa-Lakegala trail 908 km), Rambukoluwa-Doowili Ella trail- (08 km) and Etanwala-Walpolamulla- Doowili Ella trail- (10 km). Glamp Collection Team provide transportation to connect between trails if the guests want to conduct multiple trails with overnight stays. 

Experiences Offered by Glamp Collection

The Glamp Collection has qualified naturalists and professional nature guides to conduct different all above listed trails with adventure-based camping in more than 15 locations. We operate water-based adventure activities, village tours, motorbike challenges and pekoe trails in addition to the above 15 trails that are listed under the nature trail experiences.