Safari in Knuckles

mountain hiking trails through tropical forests

Knuckles Nature Reserve is located in the centre of Sri Lanka, around 15 km to the northeast of Kandy.

Named for the ridge of peaks, which vaguely resembles a clenched fist, these little-visited mountains are largely cloaked in dense tropical cloud forest, a classic ‘island of evolution’, with extremely high biodiversity.

Although the range represents only a very tiny fraction of Sri Lanka, it contains an incredible 34% of the island’s endemic plant species.

The highest peak is Gombaniya, which reaches 1906m (6248’), with eight other peaks reaching over 1200m (4000’).

The Knuckles area is home to around 30 mammal species, including buffalos, wild boars, black-naped hares, jackals, toque macaque monkeys (endemic), purple-faced leaf monkeys, fishing cats and mouse deers.

Of the 20 species of amphibians 12 are endemic, whilst of the 53 species of reptiles 23 are endemic.

Over 130 species of birds feature endemics including Sri Lankan white-eyes, Sri Lankan hanging parrots, Sri Lankan Layard’s parakeets, Sri Lankan spurfowls, Sri Lankan spot-wing thrushes, Sri Lankan wood pigeons, Sri Lankan green pigeons and Sri Lankan whistling thrushes.

The primary activity in the area is walking, with trails exploring the forests, the peaks and various villages (some of which are surprisingly remote).

The forests are surrounded by beautiful valleys, with small villages surrounded by a patchwork of small-scale agriculture, notably including tea plantations.

The best time of year to visit the Knuckles area is generally considered to be during the Jun-Sep northeast dry season and, to a lesser extent, the Jan-Mar southwest dry season.

This high altitude area experiences high levels of rainfall and very changeable conditions, often with strong winds, mists and fogs for part of the day.

Temperatures are more or less constant year round, with daytime temperatures around 26C/79F, with nighttime low temperatures around 10C/50F, potentially a good deal lower.

The main issue is rainfall, which is highest Oct-Dec and has another smaller peak Apr-May. These periods are therefore usually best avoided.

Getting there

The Knuckles area is usually reached by road. For our guests, this means combining it with various other locations on the island in a private guided overland safari, travelling in the company of an expert driver-guide. Popular connections include …

Colombo : 3-4 hours
Kandy : 1-2 hours
Nuwara Eliya : 2-3 hours
Sigiriya : 2-3 hour
Wasgamuwa : 2-3 hours

The Knuckles area cannot be accessed by train.

Where to stay

Accommodation in the Knuckles area falls into two categories …

The first option is to stay at a private mobile tented safari camp, which can be set out on the fringes of the forest, which is great if you want to focus on hiking within the reserve.

The second option is to stay in the rural areas at slightly lower altitudes, most notably around the village of Huluganga immediately to the southwest, where there are some really pleasant and comfortable properties. Here you can spend time exploring the tea plantations, whilst maybe undertaking an occasional walk up into the forests of the Knuckles Range.

a nice base from which to explore the greater area