Wasgamuwa National Park Sri Lanka

Wasgamuwa National Park nearly totally encompassed by rivers, the Southern border of Wasgamuwa National Park is the only section not bordered by a river. The Eastern boundary is defined by the famous long flowing Mahaweli Ganga, whilst  the Northern and Western sides are bordered by the Amban Ganga and Dunuwila Oya  respectively.

Historically, Wasgamuwa National Park is of importance, as the ancient tanks and religious sites lend credence to the story of the famous Yudanganapitiya – the site where Sri Lanka’s famous kings, Dutugemunu and Elara, camped during their mighty battles, in the 2ndCentury BC.

In the Park, visitors will see many ancient man-made tanks, where many of the bird species gather and the bigger mammals come to feed. Large numbers of peacocks roam free through the Park. Often spotted are large herds of deer and buffalo coming to these waterholes. There are approximately 150 elephants residing in the Park, although are not confined to it’s borders and are often seen wandering across the protected corridor to the nearby Flood Plains National Park.

Water sources in the Park add a particular natural beauty of their own, and the small Sudu Kanda Mountain Range has numerous streams flowing from it to the plains below. Reaching to just under  500 metres above sea level, one of these streams cascading from Sudu Kanda flows east as far as Trincomalee and out into the Indian Ocean. The Sudu Kanda Mountain Range, dips and swells and eventually , under another name, disappears east, also at Trincomalee.

With it’s natural watery boundaries, it is reported that Wasgumuwa has perhaps the most wildlife in the country – in terms of diversity. 

History and the Description of the Wasgamuwa National Park:

Long before wildlife conservation became fashionable, Sri Lanka already had areas of jungle marked out for conservation. One such case is that of the Wasgomuwa National Park, a portion of which was declared a Strict Nature Reserve as early as 1938.

Life here, of course, is abundant, a testimonial to the success of Sri Lanka 's early conservation efforts. Approximately fifty species of butterflies have been observed in the Park,nine of which are endemic. With so many rivers and streams criss-crossing the Park, there is an abundance of fishlife to be seen, including the Stone Sucker and the Combtail. 

Water monitors and crocodiles are oftern seen along the riverbanks, whilst the smaller and  much less dangerous reptiles include the endangered skink, the Red-lipped Lizard and the Earless Lizard.

In Wasgamuwa National Park there are about 140 species of birds which have been observed, including Sri Lanka's largest bird, the Lesser Adjutant, the Red-faced Malkoha and the Yellow-fronted Barbet. - where the Lesser Adjutant does not refer to a disgraced general - there are about 143 species of birds.  There is also the Sri Lanka Frogmouth, which appears to have no beak, and also found here is the Slender Wood Frog, an endangered amphibian and the most noteworthy among the eight species found in Wasgamuwa.