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Attidiya |
The Attidiya-Bellanwila Bird Sanctuary is a 30 minutes drive from Colombo city limits.
The sanctuary features the painted stork, purple coot, black and yellow bitterns, little cormorant, darter, cinnamon, asian openbill, lesser whistling duck, black-headed and glossy ibises, white-breasted waterhen, moorhen, purple swamphen, stork-billed and white-breasted kingfishers, rusty-rumped warbler and many more. In fact, more than 150 species of birds have been spotted here. |
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Bundala |
The Bundala National Park is a nature reserve situated in the South East of Sri Lanka. This secluded reserve is renowned for its herds of wild Elephants.
The vast jungle areas of the Bundala National Park allow these majestic creatures to roam in their natural surroundings, away from human influence. Hundreds of interesting species of birds, amphibians and reptiles also live within the boundaries of the Bundala National Park an ideal location for nature lovers. |
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Debara Ara |
If you wish to explore natures enclosed beauty this is the ideal safari for you. A unique adventurous safari is conducted exclusively by Tasks and only recommended for the physically fit.
Your safari begins when you enter Debara Ara jungle by Jeep. You then have to trek by foot deep into the jungle. As you proceed, you will encounter elephants, bear, wild boar, wild buffalo, jackal and numerous exotic birds. |
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Ella |
The Ella adventure Park offers exciting opportunities for adventure seekers.
At the adventure park you will walk down the main road and hike through a thick forests till you come to a vertical rock face where you will be guided down to the bottom of the rock using a rope. Enjoy a refreshing cup of pure Ceylon tea as you relax by the river. After tea, get lost in a world of your own as you enjoy the evening gazing at the stars. The bird watching trail at the Ella Adventure Park lasts approximately 45 minutes. Another attraction at the Ella Adventure Park includes a hike towards the Diyaluma Falls. You can also enjoy a cool and refreshing river bath at a natural pool or Canoe across to Handapanagala tank to view the elephants. |
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Gilimale |
Gilimale Forest is a low-lying wet zone forest that is adjacent with the peak wilderness sanctuary.
Bird life enthusiasts visiting the Gilimale forest are bound to see birds such as layards parakeet, ceylon blue magpie, red-faced malkoha, imperial wood pigeon, hanging parrot, chestnut backed owlet, yellow fronted barbet, black capped bulbul, spot winged thrush, brown caped babbler, orange billed babbler, ceylon hill munia, sri lanka myna, white faced starking, legge's flowerpecker and many more species of birds. |
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Hakgala |
The 2nd hill country botanic gardens after Peradeniya Gardens.
Which was originally a plantation of Cinchona from which the anti-malarial drug quinine was found and later used for experiments in acclimatizing temperate-zone plants to life in the tropics, and were run by the same family for three generations, up to the 1940. Hakgala Botanical Gardens is located 10 km away from the town of Nuwara Eliya. Your trip to Nuwara Eliya is not complete without a visit to the Hakgala Gardens mainly because the site is legendary. It was once the pleasure garden of Ravana of the Ramayana epic and according to many, it was one of the places where the beautiful Sitha was hidden by the demon King Ravana. The present botanic gardens were founded in 1860 by the eminent British botanist Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites who was superintendent of the Peradeniya Gardens. The Garden consists of an outstanding collection of fauna and flora. |
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Horton Plains |
The Horton plains form an undulating plateau over 2000 meters high, which consists mainly of grasslands interspersed with patches of forest, with some unusual high-altitude vegetation.
The plains are more often than not, visible only before 10.00am due to the heavy mist, which engulfs the area. The most unique feature of the Horton Plains is the "World's End". This is a sheer 1,000 feet vertical escarpment which visitors throng to see. The Horton Plains was once the hunting ground for Mr. Farr, a former British Governor which is today home to rare species of fauna and flora. |
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Kalametiya |
The Kalametiya Bird Park is one of Sri Lanka's oldest Bird Sanctuaries. The sanctuary is a wetland with two salty lagoons, mangrove swamps and open areas with pockets of scrub jungles.
The Park is a very important site for migrant shorebird and is quite famous for its flamingoes, Black Capped Purple Kingfisher and many other migratory birds. Birds such as the Asian Open Bill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Purple Swamp Hen Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, and Black Winged Stilt are also quite frequently seen at the Kalametiya Bird Park. |
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Kithulgala |
Kelani Valley Forest Reserve (Kitulgala) is an ideal venue for Bird watching.
Watch out for the ceylon blue magpie, racket tailed drongo, stork billed kingfisher, white breasted, king fisher, three toed kingfisher, green billed coucal, ceylon gray horn bill, red-faced malkoha, yellow fronted barbet, and the ceylon spur fowl which are a few of the birds that feature at the Kelani Valley Forest Reserve. |
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Maduru Oya |
Maduru Oya is rich in ancient ruins, which have been found in different places, and its southern area provides the Veddha tribes their living environment.
Endemic purple monkey is among the important animal species that can be seen in addition to Sambhur, a member of the cat family etc. There is some endemic avifauna also found within this Park. |
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Minneriya |
The Muthurajawela marshes is situated approximately 40 minutes away from Colombo on the Colombo-Negombo highway which is rich in plant and animal life.
The area is home to around 40% of the vertebrae species of Sri Lanka and mammals such as the Fruit Bat, Slender Lorris, Otter, Fishing Cat and Mouse Deer. Hundreds of beautiful butterflies and multi-colored dragonflies abound here making it a nature lover's delight. The Muthurajawela Wetland Conservation Project Visitors' Center is the place to visit in order to experience the delights that the marshy land has to offer. A boat trip conducted by this center is the ideal way of exploring the marshes. A well-informed guide employed and trained by the center accompanies each boat ride. |
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Muthurajawela |
Situated in the Polonnaruwa district in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka the Minneriya National Park covers an area of 8,889 hectares. Hundreds of animal and plant species are found in the Minneriya National Park.
This includes Deer, Sambhurs, Donkeys, Monkeys, Mongoose, Leopard, Bats and reptiles like Crocodiles, Pythons, and Monitors. Around 160 species of birds, 09 amphibians, 25 reptile species, 26 fish species and more than 78 butterfly species have been found in the Minneriya National Park. The Minneriya National Park also consists of wet lands, which have global significance. |
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Peradeniya |
The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya is 06 kms from Kandy, the magnificent river girdled 57 hectare laid out in 1832 are among the finest in the world.
Its treasures of tropical flora include fine collections of orchids, aromatic spices, medicinal herbs, palms and rare endangered plant species. These gardens were the naturally camouflaged operations headquarters of SEAC Supreme Allied Commander, Lord Louis Mountbatten during the 2nd World War. |
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Pinnawela |
Near Kegalle on the Colombo Kandy road is the Pinnawela Elephant orphanage, a riverside sanctuary which cares for elephants displaced from wild habitats.
The orphanage is home to hundreds of abandoned or injured elephants who are looked after with warmth, love and affection. The elephants at the orphanage are bathed daily in a river located nearby. |
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Sepala Wewa |
There's nothing better for bird life enthusiasts than taking the early morning nature hike to Sepala Wewa.
The bird watching is done through a typical Sri Lankan native village. This enables the guest to have a first class experience and taste the true flavor of Sri Lankan village life as well. All this happens simultaneously, as they feast their eyes on colorful tropical bird life. This is a one off experience, which can only be viewed at Sepala Wewa. |
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Sinharaja |
Sri Lanka's tropical rain forest the Sinharaja is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. The Sinharaja forest, which is situated 30 km from Galle, covers an area of 8900 hectares, and is in fact one of the few virgin forests left in the world.
The forest covers a series of mountains and ridges rising abruptly from 90m to 1170m above mean sea level. The Sinharaja forest includes streams, springs, rivers, waterfalls, and is home to leopards, deer, monkeys, butterflies and a variety of trees, shrubs and medicinal herbs are also found within the forest. The Sinharaja forest is unique because it is the only location in Sri Lanka where the altitude changes within one kilometer in an area measuring 01 km from east to west. This factor has contributed to the amazing variety of species of fauna and flora. The largest mammal inhabiting the Sinharaja forest is the Leopard, which is very rarely spotted, also very rarely spotted are the rusty spotted and wild fishing cats. Sambhur, Deer, Wild Boar and Langur Monkeys are much more commonly seen at the Sinharaja forest with 20 species of birds and 45 species of reptiles. |
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Udawalawe |
The Uda-Walawe National Park is situated in & around the Uda-Walawe Reservoir in South central Sri Lanka.
Herds of wild elephants roam the banks of the reservoir while small game like deer or barking deer are spotted regularly as well. |
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Udawattekele |
The Udawattekele Sanctuary is an area of rainforest rich in species that have still been protected. The sanctuary consists of 160 acres of tropical rain forest and provides home for flora, fauna, birds and monkeys.
Some of the birds that inhabit the Udawattekele Sanctuary are the Layards Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow Fronted and Ceylon Small Barbets, Black Capped Bul Bul, Brown Capped Babbler, Emerald Dove and many more. |
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Vavulpane |
Vavulpane is renowned for the magnificent cavern which lies secluded in the Ratnapura district about 280 meters above sea level. This geological phenomenon consists of 12 caves of different sizes, streams and a waterfall.
The water within this cavern is believed to cure the skin ailments of anyone who bathes in it since it contains a high percentage of Calcium Carbonate and Iron Hydroxide. The main cave at Vavulpane is about 457 meters in length, 09 meters in breadth and 4.2 meters in height. The crystallized limestone formations in these caves, which have been formed by sea creatures proving that these formations were once part of a prehistoric sea bed. In fact, Vavulpane is the only place in the world where mince and crystallized formations are found in close to each other. After careful studying, scientists have confirmed the age of these caverns to be more than 500 million years old. These caves at Vavulpane are also home to 25 species of Bats. |
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Wanawagawa |
The zone jungles of Wanawagawa provide all adventure seekers a Night Safari not to be missed. You can climb a rock outcrop and sit around a bonfire enjoying a drink while dinner/snacks are prepared on the rock itself.
Wanawagawa is a place of unbelievable tranquility and beauty. If you are lucky enough you just might be able to see a few creatures of the night gently walking beneath the rock and drinking water from the natural pools in the rock itself. |
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Wasgamuwa |
The Wirawila Bird Sanctuary is located about 10 miles beyond Bundala. The Sanctuary comprises of two tanks Wirawila and Tissa.
Many aquatic species of birds and several jungle types including hornbills make their homes here. |
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Wirawila |
The Wirawila Bird Sanctuary is located about 10 miles beyond Bundala. The Sanctuary comprises of two tanks Wirawila and Tissa.
Many aquatic species of birds and several jungle types including hornbills make their homes here. |
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Yala |
The Yala National Park is situated in the South East of Sri Lanka and offers wildlife enthusiasts an approach of lifetime to see wild boar, deer, leopards, crocodiles, monkeys in their natural surroundings.
But the Yala National Park is renowned more for its elephant safaris than anything else. Visitors flock to see the herds & herds of these majestic creatures moving around freely, totally ignorant to the happenings of the outside world. |
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