Pidurutalagala is the highest mountain Peak in Sri Lanka standing at 8,281 ft. Known as Mount Pedro as well, Pidurutalagala is located North-North East from the Nuwara Eliya town. This mountain due to its height is visible from most areas in the Central Province. Its summit is home to the Sri Lankan government’s main communications array and armed forces and facilities as a key stage in the country’s radar scheme. The peak is presently referred to as an “ultra-high security area” and is kept off limits to the general public by a big military base.
It is Sri Lanka’s ultra-prominent peak and one of the world’s only 1515 ultra-prominent peaks. Five years ago, when a fire broke out that caused the loss of 3 acres of forest, the forest experienced a disaster. The damage will now be repaired and close to completion. The mountain was famous during the British regimen and archive records depict that in the year 1897, the mountain had paths that people used to climb on foot, but if one climbed the mountain on horseback the trip up was shorter.
The mountain was so popular that there were sedan chairs for ladies who wanted to visit the mountain top. Sedans were a wooden litter type that at the moment was mainly used in Britain and Europe. It was a chair with two lengthy wooden poles on top. But they were bamboo in the chairs used on “Mount Pedro.” And strong young men bore the parallel poles on their shoulders.
Pidirutalagala was different from other mountains as according to eye witness accounts, in the 1940s the mountain had a thin film of green vegetation on the somewhat flat plateau rock.
The mountain is not opened to the public as it is a high security zone at present. However, at times the mountain is open with the issue of passes, but trekking is strictly prohibited and even vehicles can drive up to the top without stopping. The drive will bring you beautiful scenic features of flowers and shrubs.