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Landscape in Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka-by M.S Dulan De Silva-

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Udawalawe National Park

Sri Lanka’s Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces’ borders are shared by Udawalawe National Park.

The park was established to protect the catchment of the reservoir and to offer a sanctuary for wild creatures driven from their natural habitat by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River.

The reserve was formed on June 30, 1972, and it has a total land size of 30,821 hectares (119,00 sq mi).

Before the region was designated as a national park, shifting cultivation was practiced there (chena farming). Once the national park was established, the farmers gradually disappeared.

165 kilometers (103 miles) separate Colombo from the park. Elephants from Sri Lanka and waterbirds both depend on Udawalawe as a habitat.

It is a well-liked vacation spot and the third-most frequented park in the nation. Here are remarkable facts about Udawalawe National Park.

1. The park was established to act as a refuge for wild animals

The park was established to protect the catchment of the reservoir and to serve as a refuge for wild animals driven from their natural habitat by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River.

2. Udawalawe National Park attracts lots of tourists

Wild buffalo udawalawe national park-by wsThushansenevirathna-

It is a well-liked vacation spot and the third-most frequented park in the nation. The elephant guarantee in Udawalawe National Park has the drawback that many other people will also be present.

To hop in a jeep and experience the wild elephants for themselves, tourists from all over the world travel to Udawalawe.

The elephants are surrounded by traffic congestion as a result. Basically, don’t anticipate a tranquil vehicle safari with just your group and driver in Udawalawe National Park.

Although visiting Udawalawe National Park does not entail viewing elephants, you can witness many different types of wild creatures. Many wild creatures inhabit this area. 

There are a ton of Jeeps everywhere you turn when you enter the park. The park is home to 30 different species of snakes in addition to Asian water monitors, painted-lip lizards, mugger crocodiles, Bengal monitors, and garden lizards.

The Felidae family, which includes the fisher cat, leopard of Sri Lanka, and rusty-spotted cat, is also represented in the park. Additionally, the park’s scenery is pretty nice.

3. Udawalawe lies on the boundary of Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones

The wet and dry zones of Sri Lanka are separated by Udawalawe. The landscape is dominated by plains, however, there are also some mountainous regions.

The park’s northernmost features are the Kalthota Range and Diyawini Falls, and its interior contains Bambaragala and Reminikotha outcrops.

The park receives 1,500 millimeters (59 in) of rainfall annually the majority of which occurs between the months of October and January and March and May.

Around 27–28 °C (81–82 °F) is the average yearly temperature, while the relative humidity ranges from 70% to 83%.

The majority of soil is reddish-brown and well-drained, with low humic grey soils in the valley bottoms being poorly drained. The majority of the soils in water course beds are alluvial.

4. Udawalawe is an important habitat for Sri Lankan elephants

Elephants udawalawe national park-by wsThushansenevirathna-

The Sri Lankan elephant, which is very difficult to see in its open surroundings, has an important habitat in Udawalawe.

The Udawalawe reservoir draws a lot of elephants to the park, where a herd of roughly 250 animals is thought to live permanently.

 To care for orphaned elephant calves inside the park, the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home was founded in 1995.

A total of nine calves were released into the park when they were old enough to survive on their own, twice in 1998 and 2000, and once in 2002.

5. Udawalawe is also a good birdwatching site

Birds udawalawe national park-by wsThushansenevirathna-

Udawalawe is a great place to see birds. The breeding resident birds include endemics including Sri Lanka spurfowl, red-faced malkoha, Sri Lanka grey hornbill, brown-capped babbler, and Sri Lanka junglefowl.

Rare migrants include the white wagtail and black-capped kingfisher.

Cormorants, spot-billed pelicans, Asian openbills, painted storks, black-headed ibis, and Eurasian spoonbills are just a few of the water birds that frequent the reservoir.

Birds of prey including the white-bellied sea eagle, crested serpent eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, booted eagle, and changeable hawk-eagle are drawn to the open parkland.

Landbirds abound and include the pied cuckoo, Indian roller, Indian peafowl, and Malabar pied hornbill.

6. The park has been home to endemic floral species

Wild jasmine-by Jeremy Weate-

The park has been home to endemic floral species such as Hopea cordifolia, Memecylon petrolatum, Erythroxylon zeylanicum, and Jasminum angustifolium.

Together with Terminalia arjuna, Hopea cordifolia can be found growing beside the river. Elephants rely heavily on Panicum maxima and Imperata cylindrical as food sources.

The more typical taller trees include Diospyros ovalifolia, Vitex pinnata, Berrya cordifolia, Diospyros ebenum, Adina cordifolia, and Chloroxylon swietenia.

Forests contain medicinal plants like Phyllanthus emblica and Terminalia bellirica. In the grasslands, Grewia tiliifolia plants and Cymbopogon confertiflorus grass species are prevalent.

7. The land was originally used for Chena farming

Before the region was designated as a national park, shifting cultivation was practiced there (chena farming).

Once the national park was established, the farmers gradually disappeared. 165 kilometers (103 miles) separate Colombo from the park.

8. The park is facing a number of difficulties

Dead Tree in the Udawalawe National Park-by Peter Addor-

Reduced water levels in the Walawe river are a result of the destruction of natural forests and the establishment of monospecies crops like pine and eucalyptus.

The park is seriously threatened by human settlement encroachment, poaching, illicit logging, gem mining, overgrazing, and chena cultivation.

The elephants’ primary food sources are being harmed by invasive weeds including Lantana Camara and Phyllanthus polyphyllus.

Elephants have reportedly been shot using illegal muzzleloader weapons on a few occasions.

9. How to get to Udawalawe Park

The settlement of Udawalawa in central Sri Lanka is the closest place to the Udawalawe National Park.

A two-hour trip from Mirissa, a half-hour from Ella, or four hours from Colombo will get you to the Park.

10. It has been featured in the “National Parks of Sri Lanka” series

On October 31, 2007, four Udawalawe wild animals the water buffalo, Sri Lankan elephant, reddish mongoose, and tufted grey langur were featured on postage stamps in the “National Parks of Sri Lanka” series.

Udawalawe National Park is definitely worth a visit if you wish to observe elephants and other Sri Lankan wildlife roaming in their natural habitat.