Nuwara’Eliya
Location: Nuwara'Eliya
Description of the Activity: Kirigalpotta is the 2nd tallest mountain in Sri Lanka at 2,388 m (7,835 ft) above mean sea level, and is also the highest mountain in the country whose summit is accessible to the general public (the highest point, Pidurutalagala, is occupied by a military base and off-limits to the public). The peak is situated near the city of Nuwara Eliya, within the Nuwara Eliya District. Only one 7 km (4 mi) hiking trail provides access to the mountain's summit via the Horton Plains National Park, although the trail is not very popular. The vertebrate fauna of the region include 24 species of mammals, 87 species of birds, nine species of reptiles and eight species of amphibians. The vegetation of the park is classified into two distinctive groups, 2,000 hectares (7.7 sq mi) of wet Patana (Sinhalese for "Montane grasslands") and 1,160 hectares (4.5 sq mi) of subtropical Montane evergreen forests. Nearly 750 species of plants belonging to 20 families have been recorded from the park.