The Maduru Oya National Park

Discover the breathtaking beauty of the Maduru Oya National Park whose 58,850 ha area is characterised by an eight kilometre scenic stretch of rocky mountains to the southwest. Established to protect the immediate catchments of the Maduru Oya, Ulhitiya, Ratkinda, NDK and Henanigala Reservoirs that are vital refuges for a large number of wildlife, it used to be the famous hunting ground for the indigenous Veddahs and is full of a great many ancient ruins. It is located entirely in the dry zone to the east of the island.
While 15% of the park consists of water, vegetation on land includes tropical dry mixed evergreen forest, expanses of open plains dominated by illuk grasses and a large plantation of teak located to the east. Explore this varied terrain by jeep, winding around the tracks and trails and you'll see that Maduru Oya is home to a wide variety of resident wildlife. You may catch glimpses of elephants enjoying the marshy terrain, leopards sunbathing on rocks, sleepy sloth bears, water buffalo wallowing in the cool shallows or sambhur in large groups. Smaller mammals such as the slender loris, endemic tocque macaque and purple-faced leaf monkey, porcupine and black-naped hare can also be seen on trips around this park. Look out also for tortoises, pythons, and both the mugger and estuarine crocodiles.

Due to the abundance of water in the park, many aquatic birds including the Painted stork and white-bellied sea eagle are frequent visitors and are spectacular sights if you're lucky to see them. Forest residents include the endemic Sri Lankan jungle fowl and the rare broad-billed roller while you may see the little nests of tidily sewn-together leaves intimately constructed by the tailor bird, who may even proudly be in residence!