Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe lies south of the central hills of the island, and it surrounds the man-made reservoir of Udawalawe, which is part of the park. It is a mixture of abandoned teak plantation, scrub jungle & grassland. The dry season is best to watch the many herds of elephant that roam the park; which is usually between May & September.

 

 Udawalawe is an attempt made by Sri Lankan authoritative figures to protect the catchment of the reservoir. It has become the 3rd most visited National Park of Sri Lanka due to the Udawalawe reservoir on the Walawe River, which emits an undeniable force of attraction that is particularly stronger to elephants. Similar to Yala, Udawalawe is a superb place to watch elephants. The attraction has enchanted a herd of roughly 250 permanent elephant residents in the total 30,821 hectares of Udawalawe National Park. 

 

Apart from elephants, Udawalawe National Park is also home to The Rusty-spotted cat, fishing cat and Sri Lankan leopard, Sri Lankan sloth bear, Sri Lankan Sambar deer, Sri Lankan axis deer, Indian Muntjac, Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, wild boar and water buffalo and many others.

 

While the land of Udawalawe entertains many species, it has become a significant environment for water birds and elephants that has dearly embraced the geography.