Travel Guide Les Knuckles

The Knuckles range covers part of the districts of Kandy and Matale. It is separated from the central mountainous area by the Mahaweli Valley to the east and south, and by the Matale Valley to the west. Its name comes from the clenched fist shape of its five highest peaks (Kirigalpottha 1,642 m, Gombaniya 1,893 m, Knuckles 1,852 m, Koboneelagala 1,544 m, Dotulugala 1,564 m), while there are no less than thirty-five peaks above 1,000 m, twenty above 1,500 m and two above 2,000 m in the whole range. The average height is 900 m. One of the characteristics of this range is that most of the climatic conditions of the rest of the country are found here; this obviously depends on the season, the altitude, the strength of the winds and various other factors. Three major rivers originate in the Knuckles (Hulu Ganga, Heen Ganga and Kalu Ganga) and the area is dotted with many waterfalls. The vegetation, which changes with altitude, is abundant and the fauna and flora are well represented. There are 128 species of birds, 31 species of mammals, 53 species of reptiles and 15 species of fish in the Knuckles. Large mammals include elephants, buffalo, wild boar and various types of deer. However, the Knuckles need protection from deforestation. They have had climate reserve status since 1873 and were declared a conservation forest and biosphere reserve in 2000. Since 2010, the Knuckles, Horton Plains and Peak Wilderness Sanctuary forests have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "Central Highlands of Sri Lanka". Particularly beautiful, the Knuckles region is only rarely visited despite the proximity of Kandy and its many tourists.