Bird Watching
Kaudulla Mational Park
Kaudulla National Park is located 197 km from Colombo and It was designated a national park on 2002 becoming the 15th In the island. Along with Minneriya and Girithale BirdLife International have identified Kaudulla as an Important Bird Area. Historically built 16 irrigation tanks there by King Mahasen I.t now attracts and supports a variety of plant and animal life, including large mammals, fish and reptiles.
Udawalawa National Park
Udawalawa National Park is about 165 km from Colombo and was created to provide a for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawa Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established 1972.
Before the designation of the national park, the area was used for Chena farming. The Udawalawa is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third most visited park in the country.
Horton Plain National Park
Horton Plains National Park located in central highlands of Sri Lanka and was 1988. Its about 170 km from Colombo and 32km from nuwaraeliya at an elevation of 2,100–2,300 m (6,900–7,500 ft) and encompasses montane grasslandand cloud forest. It is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This is a very popular tourist destination in the hill country.
The Horton Plains are the headwaters of three major Sri Lankan rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani, and Walawe. In Sinhala the plains are known as Maha Eliya Plains .Stone tools dating back to Balangoda culture have been found here. The plains’ vegetation is grasslands interspersed with montane forest and includes many endemic woody plants. Large herds of Sri Lankan sambar deer feature as typical mammals and the park is also an Important Bird Area with many species not only endemic to Sri Lanka but restricted to the Horton Plains .The World’s End and Baker’s Falls are among the tourist attractions of the park.
Yala National Park
Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka, Abordering the Indian Ocean. The park covers 979 square kilometers and is located about 300 km from Colombo. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900. The park is best known for its variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan elephants, Sri Lankan leopards and aquatic birds.
Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. It is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.
Wilpattu National Park
Wilpattu National Park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” (natural lakes) – natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located on the northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka.
There are one hundred and six lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. Wilpattu is among the top national parks world-renowned for its leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population. A survey conducted by Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust ,fourty nine individual leopards photo captured.
Popular visiting periods spans between the months of February and October, although there are a number of private eco-tourism groups that conducts safaris year round.
Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and redesigned to a national park 1993. Bundala harbours 197 species of birds, the highlight being the greater flamingo, which migrate in large flocks.
In 1991 Bundala became the first wetland to be declared as a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 245 km from Colombo. Bundala was declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2006
Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park situated North Central Province of Sri Lanka about 190 km from colombo along with Kaudulla and 1997 declared as a national park. Minneriya tank and the wildlife of the surrounding area historical importance, having been built by King Mahasen in third century AD.
The park is a dry season feeding ground for the elephant population dwelling in forests of Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee districts.