>Udawalawa national park

Uda walawe wild life reserve in Sri Lanka,

The best park in Sri Lanka to watch and photograph Elephants

Spanning over an area of 30,000 hectares the Uda Walawe wild life reserve in Sri Lanka is really the catchments area to the Uda Walawe reservoir constructed damming the Walawe Ganga, which was called Mahanadi in the past. Uda Walawe National reservoir constructed damming the Walawe Ganga, which flows to the south starting from the Samanala (Adam’s peak) ranges. Situated about 170 kms South East of Colombo within Ratnapura and Moneragala districts, the vegetative cover here comprises those of the Dry zone. These are the grasslands jotted with short, handy type of trees, thorny shrubs, scrubland and valuable trees as teak of trees later added in the course of the schema of re –forestation. Lack of trees in some areas is most probably is the result of vast Chena cultivation undertaken once in the area and also due to illicit timber felling.

Though there is an annual drought between May and August and the watercourses run dry and the streams are reduced to mere trickles of flowing water. Western section here gets more rain as it overlaps the intermediate zone based on climate. Though not a rain forest as such, it is rich in the diversity of fauna including bird life.

Some important animals found in uda walawe wild reserve in Sri Lanka are the elephants, species of deer as Sambhur, spotted dear, barking deer, wild boar, wild buffalo, jackals, mongooses etc. There are three varieties of mongooses, large varieties of reptiles, lizards some up to a few feet in length.

The birds found here include most generally present in the Dry zone such as the Malabar Pied Hornbill, Blue – faced Malkoha and rantors like crested Serpent eagle with yellow spots above and white spots under the grey headed fishing eagle.
Uda walawe wild life reserve supports more than 600 elephants

This park supports nearby 500 elephants and big herds with 50 or more. Threes are limited firstly due to the dry climatic conditions and secondly by the debarking of the trees by the elephants. Wild life department has under taken to provide elephant fences to avoid animal human conflict and to keep out the domestic cattle and protect other resident animals.

Uda Walawe is the best park in Sri Lanka to watch and photograph elephants sometimes in their herds of 50 or more. Leopard the largest of the carnivorous animals too could be sighted with some regularity and for this there are five good locations in the rocky outcrops where they come early morning to relax and enjoy the was with of the early sun But they are not often seen due to its mode of life to remain hidden to enable them to hunt their prey.

The best accommodation for visiting Uda Walawe is at Embilipitiya from where the yala national park is about 1 ½ hrs drive. From Uda Walawe to NuwaraEliya takes you by Buduruwagala near Wellawaya where there are huge Mahayamist images of the Budda over 50 feet in height and on either side there are images of Bodhisatvas (Buddha Aspirouls). Thus we can see that this area is of great historical value.