Wasgamuwa National Park
Situated 225km from Colombo Wasgamuwa national park is yet another nature reserve created to accommodate displaced animals from one of Sri Lanka’s major infrastructure projects, the best way to get to Wasgamuwa National Park is via Kandy.
The park is home to a major elephant population and is also one of the Important Bird Areas of Sri Lanka. The name of the Wasgamuwa National Park is derived from the sloth bear which occupies this forest, which in Sinhala is known as a walasa. Wasgamuwa is different from other national parks in Sri Lanka in that it has a full complement of predators of which bears obviously are the most common.
The wasgamuwa national park is crossed by two rivers and also boasts the occasional medium sized mountain range while the main type of flora found here is tropical dry mixed evergreen forest. The Sri Lankan sloth bear is obviously the main attraction at Wasgamuwa, but the park is also widely reputed to be the home of the biggest elephants found in Sri Lanka, especially the “marsh elephant” found in Wasgamuwa.
The park also boasts ancient ruins and other sites of archeological significance in Sri Lanka, though not among the most nationally important. There are plenty of fun activities you can do in Wasgamuwa, the main one is of course taking a safari in this exciting park of Sri Lanka. You can also take multi day camping tours, and take exclusive private tours to get up close and personal with the elephants.
Wasgamuwa is a quiet park teeming with all sorts of wildlife and will definitely refresh your senses and mind with its luscious beauty. It rains here from October to January and the dry season is from July-September. The intervening months make a great time to visit Wasgamuwa. Wasgamuwa also has some nice camping sites within the park, and they can offer some of the best ways to get intimate with mother nature, but not in a creepy way please!
Aside from the camp sites, this Sri Lankan national park also has a few bungalows you can rent to stay within the park. If you are looking for something more luxurious might we suggest Farcry Wasgamuwa Hotel and Governor’s Mansion. Kandy is also a great place for a base for your safari to Wasgamuwa, enabling you to take your pick of its wide range of accommodation solutions on offer.