Forests and National Parks in Sri Lanka
There are lot of forest reserves and national parks in Sri Lanka. In this article we focus on Main, Famous and Best tourist attractive forests and national parks in Sri Lanka.
1. Sinharaja Forest Reserve
2. Yala National Park
3. Udawalawa National Park
4. Horton Plains National Park
Location – between Ohiya and Pattipola in Nuwara Eliya District in Central Province
Best time to visit – February to April and August to October
Importance / Why you should visit Horton Plains – Horton Plains is very attractive national park in Sri Lanka and it is one of a coldest forest region in the country. Horton Plains located in the central highlands of the Sri Lanka and it is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. Horton Plains National park consists of Montane evergreen forests, grasslands, marshy lands and aquatic ecosystem. Horton Plains national park has very rich Bio- Diversity and UNESCO named as World Heritage Nature site. The altitude of the forest region is between 2100 m and 2500 m. The temperature varies between 5 to 15 Celsius.
Activities / things can do – Horton Plains is very beautiful and scenic national park. Therefore, tourists can enjoy scenic beauty. There are breathtaking views inside the park. It can be watched wild life such as Sambar Deer, rusty-spotted cat, Sri Lankan leopards, wild boars and stripe-necked mongooses. As well as there are reptiles, birds and several endemic species can be seen in Horton Plains. There are some special places / tourists’ attractions inside the park.
World’s End - World’s End is a sheer cliff, with a drop of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m). It is the most visited tourist attraction in the park. In clear days it can be observed several provinces of Sri Lanka from this place.
Baker’s Fall - Baker’s Fall is a scenic water fall located inside the park. It was explored by Sir Samuel Baker, who was a famous explorer. The height of the Baker's waterfalls is 20 m.
5. Knuckles Forest Reserve / Knuckles Mountain Range
Location – border of Matale District and Kandy District in Central Province
Best time to visit – February to September
Importance / Why you should visit Knuckles – Knuckles forest reserve is one of best tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. It is located in the Northern end of central highlands. Knuckles is a Bio-Diversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. More than 30% of Sri Lanka's endemic trees, shrubs, and herbs can be found in these forest range. The Knuckles forest connect the wet zone and the dry zone of Sri Lanka. It consists dry evergreen forests, montane forests, sub-montane forests, dry and wet grasslands. As well as Knuckles range is a home for various mammals such as spotted deer, giant squirrel, wild boar, barking deer, purple faced leaf monkey and mongoose and higher number of bird species. UNESCO has named Knuckles as a World Heritage Site.
Activities / things can do – Knuckles mountain range is one of best place for trekking. Knuckles is a paradise for the trekkers because various terrains can be experienced such as grasslands, montane forests, dry evergreen forests, mountain peaks, streams and waterfalls. The lot of endemic flora and fauna can be seen in this forest range. Bird watching is one of best activity in Knuckles and in addition to that lot of wild life including mammals, lizard species, reptiles can be observed.
Places to visit in Knuckles –
Riverston mountain peak (The most famous location in Knuckles region. It is Cold and misty gap which offers nice and scenic view of surrounding area to the tourists)
“Bambarakiri Ella” and “Sera Ella” waterfalls
Meemure village (Nice and famous traditional village)
Pitawala Pathana (one of unique and scenic grassland)
6. Wilpattu National Park
Location – between Puttalam and Anuradhapura (forest lies on 03 provinces i.e. North Central, North Western and Nothern)
Best time to visit – February to September (Oct to Dec is rainy season)
Importance / Why you should visit Wilpattu – Wilpattu National Park is located in the Dry zone of the Sri Lanka at North western end. The total area of the park is more than 1300 km 2 and it is one of largest parks in Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of "Willus" (Shallow Natural lakes filled with rain water surrounded by grasslands) inside the park. There can be seen lot of wild life habitats associate with those lakes. Wilpattu national park is a great habitat for lot of wild life including mammals, birds, reptiles and butterflies. Wilpattu is well famous habitat for Sri Lankan Leopard and Sloth Bears. In addition to them Wilpattu is a habitat for Asian Elephant, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, mouse deer, Wild Boar, Water Buffalo and Mugger Crocodiles.
Activities / things can do – It can be watched mammals such as Leopards, elephants, deer, crocodiles and bears. Wilpattu national park is one of best attractive and scenic dry forest in Sri Lanka. It can be seen dense forest, scrubs areas, grasslands and small natural lakes in side the park. Wilpattu is famous for the Bird watching also.
7. Minneriya National Park
Location – between Habarana and Polonnaruwa in North Central Province
Best time to visit – February to September (Oct to Dec is rainy season)
Importance / Why you should visit Minneriya – Minneriya National Park is located in the Dry zone of the Sri Lanka. The annual rain fall is about 1500 mm and mean temperature is varying from 25 to 35 Celsius. Minneriya National park is the catchment of Minneriya tank and the unique wild life habitats can be observed around the tank. Large numbers of Sri Lankan elephants are attracted to grasslands at the edges of the Minneriya tank specially in dry seasons. Therefore, large number of tourists visit Minneriya during the dry seasons to watch the Elephants. In addition to the elephants it can be seen birds, amphibians, reptiles and butterflies. Minneriya National park has several types of vegetations including low-canopy montane forests, intermediate high-canopy secondary forests, scrublands, grasslands and wetlands.
Activities / things can do – The main activity of the tourists is watching Elephants. Tourists can enjoy a safari in Minneriya National park by hiring a safari jeep. In addition to the elephants other wild animals can be seen and bird watching is also famous activity.
8. Kaudulla National Park
Location – near Galoya in Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province
Best time to visit – January to September (Oct to Dec is rainy season)
Importance / Why you should visit Kaudulla – Kaudulla National Park is located in the Dry zone of the Sri Lanka. It is a dry evergreen forest. The annual rain fall is about 1500 mm and mean temperature is varying from 25 to 35 Celsius. Kaudulla tank is located inside the park. Large numbers of Sri Lankan elephants are attracted to grasslands at the edges of the Kaudulla tank specially in dry seasons. Therefore, large number of tourists visit Kaudulla during the dry seasons to watch the Elephants. In addition to the elephants it can be seen birds, amphibians, reptiles and butterflies. The BirdLife International has identified Kaudulla as an important bird area along with the Minneriya and Giritale sanctuaries.
Activities / things can do – The main activity of the tourists is watching Elephants. Tourists can enjoy a safari in Kaudulla National park by hiring a safari jeep. In addition to the elephant, bird watching is also main activity in kaudulla. More than 150 species of birds including large water birds can be found in Kaudulla.
9. Wasgamuwa National Park
Location – near Hettipola in Matale Central Province and near to Polonnaruwa in North Central province (but the entrance is at Handungamuwa near Hettipola)
Best time to visit – January to September (Oct to Dec is rainy season)
Importance / Why you should visit Wasgamuwa – Wasgamuwa National Park is located in the Intermediate and Dry zone of the Sri Lanka. It is a tropical dry mixed evergreen forest. The annual rain fall is about 2100 mm and mean temperature is varying from 25 to 30 Celsius. Wasgamuwa is famous for Sri Lankan Elephants. In Wasgamuwa, Sri Lankan Elephants can be seen in large herds. And also, Wasgamuwa is very important bird area in Sri Lanka. More than 120 bird species can be found in Wasgamuwa including endemic species.
Activities / things can do – Wasgamuwa is one of most famous and best location I Sri Lanka for watching Elephants. Large herds of Elephants can be seen in Wasgamuwa, but the best time to see large herds of Elephants is November to May. The rest of the year elephants tend to migrate to nearby Minneriya and Kaudulla national Parks. Tourists can enjoy a safari in Wasgamuwa National park by hiring a safari jeep. In addition to the elephant, bird watching is also main activity in Wasgamuwa. More than 120 species of birds including endemic species can be found in Kaudulla. Wasgamuwa national park is bordered by the Mahaweli river and Amban river. Highest elevation of the National Park is Sudu Kanda (White mountain) and it has height of 470 m. Therefore, Wasgamuwa is another best place for trekkers.
10. Kumana National Park
Location – near Panama in Ampara District in Eastern Province
Best time to visit – April to July
Importance / Why you should visit Kumana – Kumana national park is the best bird sanctuary of Sri Lanka. During the period of April to July thousands of birds migrate to Kumana swamp area. Kumana is one of the most important bird nesting and breeding location in Sri Lanka. As well as in Sri Lanka, it has been recorded more than 400 bird species including endemic, resident and migrant. Out of those species nearly 250 species can be found in Kumana National park. The park is bordered by Kumubukkan Oya stream from the west and southeast part is bordered by the Sea. Approximately 200 hectares of mangrove swamp called “Kumana Villu” is located within the Park. Those areas are subject to occasional inundation with sea water and birds are nesting and breeding in these swamps during the period of April to July.
Activities / things can do – Kumana is a bird paradise. Therefore, main activity is bird watching. In addition to that other wild life such as Elephants, Leopards, Wild Boar and Fishing Cat can be seen in Kumana.
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