Before I went to Sri Lanka I’d heard loads about its fascinating colonial history, its evocative archaeological sites, and its magnificent temples and monuments. I was also looking forward to relaxing on the island’s miles of palm-fringed beaches, and going whale-watching or on an elephant safari.
But what had not occurred to me is that as well as all of this, Sri Lanka is a brilliant destination for people who love hiking and the outdoors. And nowhere in the country offers the opportunity to do that more than the Knuckles Mountain Range.
I visited this beautiful area as part of a 12-day tour of south and west Sri Lanka. We spent two nights glamping off-grid, fully immersed in the beauty of nature, and did a 7.5-mile day hike. Along the way, we saw more gorgeous rolling landscapes than our brains could compute, met some incredibly friendly locals, learned loads about Sri Lankan nature, got to swim in a waterfall, and even had a run in with some leeches…
Despite that last part, it was absolutely one of my favourite destinations on the trip, and somewhere I’d definitely recommend to anyone planning a visit to Sri Lanka.
Note: I travelled to Sri Lanka as a guest of the Sri Lanka Tourism office. All thoughts and opinions are genuinely-held, and I don’t accept freebies or payment in exchange for positive reviews. All prices are correct at the time of writing. Some of the links you will see in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
What is the Knuckles Mountain Range?
The Knuckles Mountain Range, also known as the Knuckles Forest Reserve, is a mountainous area in central Sri Lanka, straddling the districts of Matale and Kandy.
It covers an area of approximately 81 square miles (which is roughly the size of the cities of Edinburgh or Seattle). The Knuckles Mountains are dramatic, with 34 peaks ranging from 900m to 1900m in height.
The name ‘Knuckles’ was given to the area by early British surveyors, who decided the undulating peaks and folds of the most prominent five mountains resembled the knuckles of a clenched fist. However local Sinhalese people refer to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya or Dumbara Hills, which means ‘Mist-laden Mountain Range’.
The names of the five peaks, should you wish to know, are Kirigalpoththa, Gombaniya, Knuckles, Koboneelagala and Dotulugala.
Where is the Knuckles Forest Reserve Sri Lanka?
The Knuckles Forest Reserve is the protected area that covers the whole of the Knuckles Mountain range. Along with Horton Plains National Park and the Peak Wilderness Forest region, it forms Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands.
The nearest major city is Kandy, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) or two hours drive to the southwest. Other, closer (but small) towns around the edges include Matale, Riverston, Rattota, Hunnasgiriya and Rangala.
The whole area was collectively declared a Natural World Heritage Site in 2010.
Why visit the Knuckles Mountain Range
The star attraction of the Knuckles Mountains is its unspoiled peacefulness. Still far off the beaten track for most visitors (shhh.. don’t tell anyone or they’ll ruin it!), this is an area that takes a bit more effort to get to, but it’s worth it for the gorgeous landscapes and fresh mountain air.
What’s more, the locals haven’t yet got too tired of tourists traipsing through their villages, so they’ll still give you a friendly smile and let you take their photo – though to be fair, this is still pretty much true of all Sri Lankans.
The thing I loved most about it was the chance to spend a couple of days out in the countryside, away from other people, and away from the madness of the city. No wifi and limited phone signal: a real chance to connect with nature and let some of the cares of normal life drift away for a while.
Glamping in the Knuckles Sri Lanka
Normally I put my ‘where to stay’ section at the end of the post, for after you’ve read all about the activity or destination and decided you want to investigate further. But on this occasion I’m putting it front and centre, because the place we stayed in the Knuckles Mountain Range is part of the attraction.
We spent two nights at Wild Glamping Knuckles, a remote ‘glampsite’ with 10 fixed safari tents arranged in a row facing landscaped gardens, and a communal living/dining area with panoramic views overlooking the misty mountains. It’s not as fancy and comfy as a posh hotel, but what it lacks in TV channels and massive breakfast buffets it more than makes up for in location, fresh air, and peace.
There are other guesthouses and homestays in the Knuckles, of course, but if you can spare the money and the time to get here, I highly recommend it!
You can book Wild Glamping Knuckles here.
Staying at Wild Glamping Knuckles
If you’ve never been glamping before, you might not know what to expect from a stay at Wild Glamping Knuckles. Well, as the name suggests, glamping is like camping, but a bit more glam. You still sleep in a tent, in the outdoors, but with the addition of a few extra comforts, like a proper bed, and toilets, and sometimes even running water and electricity!
I’m not a massive fan of proper camping as I dislike tiny tents and sleeping on the cold, hard ground. But I love being outside in nature, so glamping is perfect for me. And this type of luxury camping in Sri Lanka was the best way to enjoy the peace of the beautiful Knuckles mountains.
Wild Glamping Knuckles was created to provide a way for visitors to enjoy the quiet beauty of Sri Lanka’s highlands, but with minimal impact to the environment. Where possible they use solar power, and meals are cooked on a barbecue using local produce.
There’s also no phone signal or wifi, so this is truly a chance to disconnect from the outside world and get in touch with the natural rhythms of nature.
Read more: A Dream Itinerary For Sri Lanka In Two Weeks
What you get at Wild Glamping Knuckles
Your ‘room’ at Wild Glamping Knuckles is a safari tent – which is a big, fixed tent made of thick canvas, the size of a small hotel room. It’s suspended under a fixed structure with a roof to protect it from the elements, and built off the back of each one is your own private bathroom with running water (and it’s hot too!).
As the site is remote and off-grid, electricity comes from a generator, which is run twice a day, from 6-10 am, and from 6-10 pm (times may vary slightly). Outside of those times there’ll be nowhere to charge your phone or get a cold drink, so plan accordingly.
Wild Glamping Knuckles also provides two portable rechargeable lamps in each room, so if you need a light in the middle of the night, don’t worry! Just make sure you put them back on charge when the power is on.
Breakfast and dinner is served in the communal area, and consists of traditional Sri Lankan breads and curries for breakfast, and barbecued meats and salads for dinner. Everyone eats at the same time, and gets the same meal, though if you have dietary requirements you can let them know in advance.
There’s no alcohol served here, but they don’t mind if you bring your own (though without electricity be prepared to drink your beers a little warm!).
Getting to Wild Glamping Knuckles
Wild Glamping Knuckles is located along a very bumpy unsealed road about 20 minutes from the small town of Rangala. To get there, you arrange to meet a driver in the car park in town, and then transfer yourself and your belongings to a 4WD jeep for the bumpy ride down into a valley, across a stream, and up the other side to the campsite. It’s important to remember that you’ll have to do this on the way out too, and if there is a big group of you with luggage the jeep driver will need to do more than one journey (a 40-minute round trip), so be sure to factor this into your plans.
Book Wild Glamping Knuckles here.
Hiking in the Knuckles Mountains
Apart from relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet, the main thing to do in the Knuckles Range is go for a walk!
The Knuckles Mountains are home to some of the best hikes in Sri Lanka, with loads of different options across a range of distances and elevations. From casual strolls through rolling farmland, colourful villages and down to waterfalls, to more challenging mountain ascents, the Knuckles Forest Reserve and surrounding region offers a decent choice of walking and hiking trails to suit most levels of ability and fitness.
The landscape of the Knuckles is surprisingly varied, with lush farmland of tea plantations and rice paddy fields, grasslands, lofty pine forests, rushing streams and waterfalls, and a variety of different vegetation zones.
The lower slopes and valleys are classed as tropical lowland, with large palm trees and tea and rice fields. Higher up, you get cloud forests, rich in colourful orchids, ferns and moss. I had no idea there was so much beautiful forest in Sri Lanka!
Wild Glamping Knuckles works with local guides Nipuna Knuckles Trekking for all local walks and hikes, and you can book directly through the campsite.
Alternatively, Hidden Trails Sri Lanka also offers hiking trips into the Knuckles Mountain Range with pickup and drop off in Kandy, and accommodation at Wild Glamping Knuckles.
The Heel Oya Trek
The walk we did was the Heel Oya Trek – a relatively easy 7.5-mile trip that started at the campsite.
We walked downhill through rainbow-painted villages to a small river, and then up the other side, through tea estates and a pine forest, to a spectacular viewpoint. Our guide, Janaka, stopped frequently to show us different plants and talk about their uses, as well us telling more about the area and the community.
Then it was back down though terraced rice paddy fields, past vivid red African tulip trees, to the Heel Oya Waterfall, where we were able to have a swim or dip our feet in the refreshing water.
Along the way, we stopped to say hello to locals – who were all incredibly friendly and happy to let me take their photos. Most of them are either farm workers who work in the tea and rice fields, or they have jobs supporting the local community.
Because we stopped so frequently to take photos the walk ended up taking us about 6 hours. We had a late home-cooked lunch at a local house, and were then driven by jeep back to the campsite, where we were able to wash off the day with a hot shower before staff lit a fire for the full camping experience.
Other Knuckles Mountains hikes you could do
We were only there for two days so I didn’t have time to try all these walks, but here are some other alternatives offered by local guides Nipuna Knuckles Trekking.
High Knuckles Trek
This one is for the dedicated hikers who like a challenge! 14 miles long, taking a full 8-9 hours, this walk traverses tea plantations and forests to summit the highest point of the Knuckles range at 1838 m. The guide brochure describes it as “a beautiful and challenging hike that takes you through different elevations exposing you to different flora and fauna unique to this region. It is well worth the effort.”
To get this done in a day you’ll need to start early, around 6 am.
Waterfall Trek
A much more manageable, but still somewhat challenging 8.5-mile hike, through terraced tea plantations and green forests, and down to a waterfall, where you can swim if you want (but allow extra time for this). You’ll need to start relatively early, as this hike will probably take you 5-7 hours.
Corbett’s Gap Walk
This 7-mile hike takes you up to one of the best view points in the Knuckles mountain range, Corbett’s Gap. It is named after the British surveyor Corbett who mapped the area. A fairly easy and mostly flat walk that shouldn’t take more than 4 hours, depending on how often you stop for photos!
Burnside
A picturesque walk takes you through a pine forest, tea plantations and eucalyptus trees ending up at a viewpoint that looks onto a valley. It’s about 4 miles long and will take about 2-3 hours, plus the return journey, which is by jeep. You can also take a detour to the Burnside waterfall for a dip.
Burnside is said to get its name from the pine needles that carpet the ground around the pine forest here. Sometimes in extreme hot weather the needles dry out and catch fire. Hence: ‘Burn-side’.
Mini World’s End Riverston
Not to be confused with the more famous Little World’s End viewpoint in Horton Plains National Park, this is a beautiful hike to an escarpment with a sheer drop of 1192 metres and amazing views. It’s a medium-easy hike that starts from the Knuckles conservation centre in Deanston. It’s not something you can do in a day from Wild Glamping Knuckles, but it’s definitely worth a visit if you have a bit more time in the area.
Wildlife in the Knuckles Mountains
While camping in the mountains, or along your hike, you might be lucky enough to spot some fabulous wildlife. The area is known as a bird-watchers paradise, home to 128 bird species of which 17 are endemic to the region. There are also 31 different types of mammals, 60 butterfly species, and 53 reptile species. Even on our short hike we spotted a black eagle, a sambar deer, and toque macaques. Though note there are no elephants in this part of the country.
Watch out for leeches!
One animal you will almost certainly see – though possibly less welcome – are leeches. These are not the giant, slimy, slug-like creatures you see in Victorian medical dramas. They’re skinny little wormy things, about the size of a hairgrip, and they’re surprisingly fast moving!
Wild Glamping Knuckles supplied us with leech socks for our walk, which are basically like fabric knee-high boots that you wear over your trousers and socks, and inside your shoes. You might think they look ridiculous, but I say they’re pretty badass! And more importantly, they work. We took ours off for the last part of the hike because we were getting hot, and one of our group immediately got bitten!
Read more: A Magical Trip Whale Watching in Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Should you have a guide for trekking the Knuckles Mountains?
It’s actually prohibited to go hiking without a guide in the Knuckles Forest Reserve, so the short answer is yes! But even if it weren’t against the law to wander off without a local guide, there are plenty of reasons why it’s a really good idea to have one for your Knuckles trek.
With limited maps of the area available, and vast numbers of unmarked paths, it’s very easy to get lost. The weather can change quickly, or you might get attacked by leeches, so having a guide is a really good idea for your safety. Plus a guide will be able to sort out permits, and will have an endless supply of local knowledge about the people, flora and fauna to help you make the most of your trip.
And hiring a guide for the day puts money back into the local economy, so it really is a win-win for everyone!
If you don’t want to organise your guide through Wild Glamping Knuckles, you can also book directly with Nipuna Knuckles Trekking, or book a local guide through Knuckles Base Camp or Overa Tours.
How to get to the Knuckles Sri Lanka
Public transport in this part of Sri Lanka is sparse, intermittent, and quite unreliable. Roads are often steep, very windy and narrow, and sometimes the surface is poor.
If you can afford it, the best way to get there and around is to hire a private car and driver, either from Colombo, or from Kandy. This way you’ll have the flexibility of being able to go where you want, when you want.
Alternatively, Overa Tours, Hidden Trails Sri Lanka and Knuckles Base Camp all offer trips into the Knuckles Mountains with pickup and drop off in Kandy.
If your budget won’t stretch and you have time to spare, you can get a bus from Kandy to Teldeniya, and from there it’s probably easiest to try to find a local driver to take you the last part of your journey.
What to wear for glamping and hiking in the Sri Lanka highlands
For hiking in the Knuckles Mountain Range you’ll obviously need comfortable clothes and shoes, and a waterproof jacket in case of rain. Though unless you’re doing a multi-day trek trainers are fine; you don’t need proper hiking boots.
The most important thing to remember is that even though it may be hot, you still need long trousers and socks that cover your ankles. But note that if you don’t have leech socks the little f**kers can still worm their way in, even if you do have your ankles covered, so if you’re concerned, you might want to buy some leech socks of your own!
Also note that due to the elevation it can get quite chilly at night and there’s no heating in the tents, so you probably want a light jacket or jumper, and something comfy to sleep in.
If you think you might want to swim in the waterfalls, then bring swimming stuff, and a small travel towel can be useful. And don’t forget to bring a water bottle (I use this one).
If you’re staying at Wild Glamping Knuckles you don’t need to bring a torch as these are provided, but if your phone battery is unreliable you might want to bring a portable charger (mine is this one) to keep you going until the generator is fired up.
And suncream and a hat are a must if you’re going to be out all day in the sunshine. I swear by this sunscreen, which is a bit more expensive than some but it really works and you only need to apply it once day.
Things to do in Kandy
Before or after your trip into the Knuckles Mountains, you’ll probably want to stay at least one night in Kandy, which is about two hours’ drive away.
Kandy is a major Sri Lankan city which was once the capital of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka. It’s famous in particular for two not-to-be missed things:
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
This is one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Inside the temple is a small room, and in that is a gold casket said to contain a tooth of the Buddha. Visitors come from all over the world to glimpse the casket and make offerings. If you can manage to visit on a holy day when the window into the room is open, it’s a pretty intense experience.
Kandyan dancing
Traditional Kandyan dancing is an important part of Sinhalese culture, passed down through family generations. The dances involve both men and women dressed in elaborate costumes, sometimes including ornate masks and even fire. Some of the dances tell stories relating to Sri Lankan mythology. It’s beautiful and impressive to watch, and definitely worth seeing while you’re in Kandy.
Where to stay in Kandy
We spent one night at Amaya Hills Kandy, a beautiful 5* hotel perched on a hillside just outside the city. It has a gorgeous pool overlooking the city and surrounding mountains, and the sunset views from the rooftop bar are among the best in the whole of Sri Lanka.
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Where to next?
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Bella is a multi-award-winning travel writer, wildlife photographer and science and history documentary director from London. Among many awards and nominations she won Blogger of the Year at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Awards 2023 and Best Photography at the Travel Media Awards 2020. Her work has been published by National Geographic, Wanderlust, and BBC Travel among others. Her films have been shown around the world including on the BBC, Discovery and PBS.
