Wasgamuwa National Park

Wasgamuwa National Park

If you are looking for a national park that is unspoilt, scenic and serene while also potentially offering sights of elephants and many birds then Wasgamuwa has to be the one for you. Measuring 37,062 ha, it is located to the north of the Hill Country and was upgraded to a national park expressly to conserve wildlife displaced by the forest clearance of the Mahaweli Development (Irrigation) Project. The national park is bordered to the west by the famous Mahaweli River, where you may uniquely stop to observe bird life, and to the east by the Amban River.

Carefully you'll be guided through the varied habitats of Minneriya, scouting for any wildlife to be found in lowland dry zone forest, intermediate forest, dry patana and thalawa grasslands that are highly popular with the elephants. Continue on your journey through the wetlands and up between wooded hills to the sounds of birdsong.
Expect to see a mix of riverine forest, lowland dry evergreen forest, intermediate dry mixed evergreen forest and scrub on your journey around the park while plentiful grasslands provide a rich feeding ground for elephants, some of which migrate from the Minneriya-Giritale Sanctuary to the north and the Flood Plains National Park to the north east. It is on these grasslands and at the river's edge where you may be rewarded with the greatest number of animal sightings. Mammals to spot include leopards and sloth bears, of which there are a number, wild buffalo wallowing in the shallows and sambhur. The slender loris and the fishing cat are special features of the park though can be challenging to find.

Wasgomuwa is home to 143 species of birds including eight endemic species such as the Sri Lanka jungle fowl, the Sri Lanka spur fowl and the yellow fronted barbet. You'll get ample time to appreciate the variety of bird life as your journey will pause at the banks of the Mahaweli River where, with the help of your experienced guide, you'll be able to not only observe them, and any other visiting wildlife, but positively identify them too!