THE COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE
Discover Knuckles Mountain Range
The Knuckles range takes its English name from the way its cluster of peaks resembles a closed fist when seen from certain angles — a silhouette distinct enough to have given the whole massif its common name among English speakers, alongside its Sinhala name, Dumbara Kanduvetiya, or "misty mountain range." Rising to the east of Kandy, the range's varied elevation and rainfall patterns support an unusually wide range of habitats within a relatively compact area, from lowland forest and grassland to cloud forest and highland plateau, and this ecological variety is a large part of what draws trekkers and naturalists here.
A network of trails crosses the range at different levels of difficulty, from shorter walks suited to a half-day outing to longer, more demanding treks that require an overnight stay in one of the small villages within the range. Trails pass through patana grassland, dense cloud forest, and past waterfalls and viewpoints looking out over the surrounding hill country, and the range's relative lack of development compared with the more established hill-country hiking around Ella or Horton Plains gives it a noticeably wilder, quieter character.
Guides familiar with the range are strongly advisable for anything beyond the shortest, most well-marked trails, both for navigation in an area where paths can be indistinct and for identifying the range's wildlife and plant life, which includes a good number of species found only in this part of Sri Lanka. Small villages within the range offer a glimpse of a more traditional highland way of life, with terraced cultivation adapted to the steep terrain.
Weather in the Knuckles can change quickly, with mist and rain arriving with little warning even on an otherwise clear day, and this is worth planning for regardless of season.