Horton Plains

Horton Plains is a high, silent plateau above two thousand metres — cloud forest and golden grassland roamed by sambar deer, ending abruptly at World's End, where the land simply stops and falls 870 metres to the valley floor. On a clear morning the view stretches across ridge after ridge toward the southern plains; by mid-morning the clouds boil up and shut the window, which is why everyone starts at dawn.

The nine-kilometre loop trail takes in Baker's Falls and Little World's End along the way, through a landscape unlike anywhere else on the island — closer to the Scottish Highlands than the tropics, down to the frost on the grass in January.

We've walked the trails, paid the fees, and rated every guide. Below: how to get there, when to skip it, and what nearby places pair well — the kind of advice a local friend would give.