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ANIMAL
SANCTUARIES
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The animals to be seen
in Sri Lanka's national parks include elephant, leopard, sloth bear,
sambhur, deer and monkeys, wild buffalo, wild boar (pig), porcupine,
ant-eater, civet cat, jackal, mongoose, loris (unique to sri Lanka)
several varieties of lizards, squirrels, reptiles and amphibians.
Each park however has its own specialities. |
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YALA
(RUHUNA) NATIONAL PARK
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Situated 309 km. south
of Colombo, Yala is approximately 1,259 sq.km. in extent and is
located in the south eastern corner of the island. Its northern
boundaries border on the Lahugala Elephant Sanctuary and it has
the added bonus of a scenic ocean frontage. The terrain is varied
flat plains alternating with rocky outcrops. The vegetation ranges
from open parkland to dense jungle. Water holes, small lakes, lagoons
and streams provide water for the animals and birds. The speciality
here is the large numbers of elephants. |
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GAL
OYA NATIONAL PARK
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Situated at Inginiyagala,
the Gal Oya National Park is 314 km. from Colombo and is most renowned
for its elephant population. |
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UDA
WALAWE NATIONAL PARK
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Situated 170 km. South
East of Colombo the Uda Walawe National Park is approximately 30,821
hectares in extent. This Park which lies within the Ratnapura and
Monaragala Districts acts as the catchment to the Uda Walawe Reservoir
and is located in the Dry Zone. This Park comprises grasslands and
thorn scrubs and many valuable species of trees are found within
it. Large herds of Elephants and Deer species such as spotted Deer,
Sambhur, Barking deer and Langur, Wild Boar, Water Buffalo, Jackal
are some of the prominent wild animals found in this Park and a
variety of avifauna is seen. |
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WASGAMUWA
NATIONAL PARK
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Situated approximately
200 km. away from Colombo, the Wasgamuwa National Park lies within
the Polonnaruwa and Matale Districts and have the Mahaweli river
and Amban river as its eastern and western boundaries. Tropical
intermediate dry mixed evergreen forest predominates its environment. |
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HORTON
PLAINS NATIONAL PARK
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The Horton Plains National
Park is the only National Park situated in the Hill Country and
falls within the Nuwara Eliya district and is 200 km. away from
Colombo. Panoramic scenic beauty of the Hill Country could be witnessed
within the Park. The famous `Worlds End' is a major attraction within
the Park. Endemic slender loris and endemic purple monkey are among
the important animal species that could be seen in addition to sambhur,
a member of the cat family etc. There are some endemic avifauna
also found within this Park. |
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BUNDALA
NATIONAL PARK
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Bundala National Park
is the latest addition to the National Parks and is situated 260
km. away from Colombo. All species of waterbirds resident in the
country and the migrant birds inhabit this Park. |
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BIRD
SANCTUARIES
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The sanctuaries at Kumana
312 km. from Colombo, Wirawila 261 km. Bundala 259 km. and Kalametiya
224 km. are all lagoon locations in Sri Lanka's extreme south eastern
coast. The Giant's Tank in the north western corner of the island
is a huge ancient irrigation reservoir of 3,800 hectares. The coastal
sanctuaries are exotically picturesque with combinations of lagoon,
swamp, river, jungle, lake and plain. Large flocks can be found
here of both resident and migrant aquatic birds. The highland sanctuaries
at Udawattakele 118 km. from Colombo and the Peak Wilderness 141
km. are quieter but equally picturesque with wooded hills and secluded
streams and have the added bonus of rare flora such as our unique
Wesak Orchid as well as numerous species of rare butterflies. The
Udawattakele Sanctuary is in the suburbs of Kandy, our picturesque
and fascinating hill capital. The Peak Wilderness is situated on
the slopes of Adam's Peak (Sri Pada), Sri Lanka's sacred mountain. |
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NATIONAL
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
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Situated 11 km. from
the Fort, the Zoo has a fine collection of animals, birds, reptiles
and fish from all over the world. The aquarium is the only one of
its kind in Asia and displays over 500 varieties of aquatic life.
Also walk in through Aviary, Reptilium, Butterfly Park. There are
daily elephant performance at 5.15 p.m. Open daily between 8.00
a.m. and 6.00 p.m. |
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ELEPHANT
ORPHANAGE
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An orphanage for elephants
has been set up by the department of National Zoological Gardens,
at Pinnawela, 90 km. from Colombo. It was established in 1975 and
several animals brought here at the inception are now mature enough
for breeding, which is the ultimate aim of the institution. Entrance
fees : Rs.200. Pinnawala elephant orphanage has largest captive
herd in the world The Pinnawala elephant orphanage has not only
got the largest captive herd of elephants in the entire world but
it also has become the most successful elephant breeding centre,
according to reports. The elephant orphanage was established in
1995 with seven orphans today has a population of sixty two. The
elephant orphanage now boasts of its sixteenth birth and the second
generation of births in captivity. It has become a major tourist
attraction because of its uniqueness. This is an ideal site for
photography, research and education on elephants as the visitor
is able to observe a large herd comprised of week old babies to
sixty year olds. |
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IRON
WOOD FOREST
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National Iron Wood Forest
is a unique forest in Sri Lanka where the Iron Wood (Mesua ferara)
trees dominate the vegetation of the 238 acres of forest. It is
said that during King Dappula IV’s period (8th century AD)
this Iron Wood forest was created and the remaining trees are the
shoots of that forest. Hence it is considered the oldest man made
forest in Sri Lanka.According to botanists this is the only Iron
Wood forest in the dry zone with wet zone vegetation. Among the
many streams that meander through the forest, one stream intriguingly
disappear out of sight only to emerge as a great fresh water fountain
500 metres away. |
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PINK
QUARTZ MOUNTAIN
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The main topographical
feature of the forest is the Pink Quartz mountain with seven peaks.
The height of the mountain is 1070 ft above sea level. Geographers
believe that it was formed 4,000 million year ago and it is the
only mountain of this kind in Sri Lanka. |
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