The Lunugamvehera National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s lesser known national parks, however it plays a key role as the location of a reservoir, and as a sanctuary for the wildlife in the area. In addition, the park acts as a safe passage for migrating wild elephants roaming between the Udawalawe National Park on the west coast and the Yala National Park on the east coast.
Established in 1995, the Lunugamvehera National Park was initially closed to visitors due to the civil war; however, it was later declared open to the public in 2001. For travellers interested in visiting, the best way to enjoy and easily access the park is to stay at one of the nearby Yala hotels in Sri Lanka, Yala is one of the most visited national parks, and thus, has plenty of good accommodation choices to offer, like the eco friendly Cinnamon Wild Yala, for example. The park can be accessed from Yala through blocks III, IV and V.
Lunugamvehera National Park covers over 23,498 hectares of forests, grassland and the Lunugamvehera reservoir. Located in the dry zone, the park experiences annual drought which is relieved by seasonal monsoons. Dense forests are made up primarily of teak and eucalyptus trees. The rich biodiversity provides the ideal habitat to herds of elephants, and wild water buffaloes as well as sambar and spotted deer, wild boar, sloth bears and many more animals that live within the park.
The Lunugamvehera reservoir and other large bodies of water in the park have made the area a favourite nesting and breeding ground to some 200 species of water birds. Varieties include Jungle fowl, Black headed ibis, Crested hawk eagle, Indian peafowl, Grey heron, White-bellied sea eagle, Jungle owlet and many other birds. Whilst not as popular as Yala or Udawalawe, Lunugamvehera has plenty to offer avid wildlife enthusiasts, and more often than not, you will surely see wild elephants roaming through the grasslands as they make their way through the park.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+