Sri Lanka, the tear drop shaped island in the Indian Ocean is a tropical paradise and visitors to the island carry away unforgettable memories. The island boasts of many wild life sanctuaries. As thousands flock to the island, tourism is big business and tour operators Sri Lanka are many and varied. For anyone wishing to organize a tour, Aitken Spence Travels with their years of experience and varied and meticulous services would be an ideal choice.
Born free and living free – the denizens of forest, air and water of the Uda Walawe National Park spend their time enjoying the bounty of Mother Nature in their natural environment.
The Uda Walawe National Park is one of the biggest wild life sanctuaries in Sri Lanka. The Park was created to provide an alternate natural home for animals displaced by the building of Uda Walawe Reservoir and to protect the catchment area of the Uda Walawe reservoir. Situated on the boundary of Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones the topography of the Uda Walawe National is mainly of plains but there are some mountainous areas too. The vegetation is light but has a stark beauty all its own and makes watching wild life easy. Teak, Kumbuk and the endemic Mandorang trees are a plenty in the riverine areas. The thorny scrub jungle and grasslands of the 30,821 hectare Park bears a strong resemblance to African game parks. To the north of the park are the Kalthota Range, the Diyawini falls, and the outcrops of Bambaragala and Reminikotha lie within it. Marshes, the Walawe River and its tributaries are also a part of the Uda Walawe terrain. Endemic flora and medicinal plants are found within this sanctuary as well. The park is 165 km from the capital Colombo and two nearby towns are Uda Walawe, Ratnapura, and Embilipitiya. The Uda Walawe National Park is an important elephant sanctuary and these giants roam the park at will and therefore can be seen easily and throughout the year.
Also inhabiting the park are rusty spotted cats, fishing cats and Sri Lankan leopards. Among the other species found at Uda Walawe are spotted deer, sambhur deer, jackal, black knapped hare, mongoose, golden palm civet,the endemic Ceylon spiny mouse, wild buffalo,the endemic toque macaque and gray langurs.
The Uda Walawe Sanctuary is home to many species of birds and during the migrant season (Nov – March). The white bellied sea eagle, crested serpent eagle and the grey-headed fish eagle are among the raptors found at Uda Walawe. There are several endemic species including the Ceylon Jungle Fowl, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Ceylon Green Pigeon, Ceylon Grey Hornbill and Ceylon Woodshrike. Grey Herons, Cattle Egrets, Yellow Wattled Lapwings, Indian Rollers and the Malabar Pied Horn Bill can also be seen here. In the more forested areas the Blue Faced Malkoha can be seen. Whiskered Terns, Yellow Wag Tails, and Little Ringed Plovers are among the migrants wintering at Uda Walawe National Park.
The Uda Walawe Sancturay boasts of several species of beautiful butterflies including the banded Peacock, and the Common Mormon.
Oriental garden lizards, painted–lip lizards, mugger crocodiles and around 30 species of snakes make their home at Uda Walawe. Fish like the Giant Gourami, Catla and Rohu inhabit the reservoir and are important as a food resource to most of the animals that live there.
Ath Athuru Sevana – The Elephant Transfer Home is an Elephant Orphanage located within the Uda Walawe National Park.
A visit to Uda Walawe is a glorious way to be one with nature!
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.
