Udawalawe National Park

There are many parks and gardens in Sri Lanka where you will get a detailed idea of the island country’s flora and fauna. Uda Walawe National Park is among the premier parks of Sri Lanka where you will be able to see wild elephants. The park is located besides the vast Uda Walawe reservoir and is only a short drive from the South Coast. The park has an area of over 30,000 hectares. Uda Walawe National Park is a mixture of scrubland and rich teak forest. Uda Walawe became Sri Lanka’s fifth National Park in 1972.

If you are an elephant lover then this is the place for you. There are around five hundred elephants and it is common to see herds of over 50 elephants together. However the debarking of the trees by the elephants poses serious problems at times. The elephant fence not only helps to keep the elephants away from neighboring farm lands but keeps domestic cattle out and protects the parks other resident mammals. If you are very lucky then you will be able to spot a leopard. There are five good locations from where one can sight a leopard, they consist of rocky outcrops where the leopards rest to enjoy the warmth of the first rays of early morning sunshine.

Uda Walawe National Park has many other animals like the sambar, barking deer, water buffalo, jackals, sloth bears and three varieties of mongoose. Approximately 30 species of reptiles and water monitor lizards, the last mentioned can be of six feet in length. Here you will be able to see Crested Serpent Eagle and the Grey Headed Fishing Eagle, the Malabar Pied Hornbill and Blue-faced Malkoha.

This natural park has droughts each year from May and August, this park lies in a dry zone. You can remain in the park until dusk, taking a packed lunch, however during the middle of the day much of the wildlife will seek shade from the blistering sun, therefore it may not be possible for you to spot animals