Wasgamuwa National Park | Sri Lanka

 

Wasgamuwa

Wasgamuwa is dry evergreen forest in the Sri Lankan dry zone.  We may see both wet and dry zone ecosystems inside this area. This is on the eastern slope of the Knuckles mountain range.  

This area is made up of 39322 hectares of land. It was designated as a reserve in 1937 and named as a National park in 1984. Wasgamuwa is only 05 hour drive from Colombo.

Handungamuwa is the major entrance of Wasgamuwa National Park. It is around 16 kilometres from Hettipola town in Matale District. Safari vehicles along with tour officers are ready at the gate.

Wasgamuwa can be divided into several zones.

Dense forest covers approximately 22000 hectares away from 39322. It is about 60% of the way to complete coverage. Grasslands cover 30% of the total land area. Riverine ecosystem, often known as Jungles associated with the rivers, represent for 5% of the total land area.

Boundaries

Around 75% of borders of Wasgamuwa were bounded by three major rivers. The Mahaweli River forms the eastern boundary of the forest. The Amban Ganga flows across the northern boundary of the land while the Kalu Ganga flows through the western border. The River Mahaweli runs through the boundary of the park for around 40 kilometers.

The Vegetation

There are 150 different tree species can be found here. Here you may find Thimbiri, Dummella, Weliwenna and Arjun tree which is known as Kumbuk tree in Sinhala.

In dense forest environment, trees can reach a height of 30 metres on average.

The weavings include Burutha AKA Ceylon Stain Wood tree (Chloroxylon swietenia), Kaluwara AKA Ebony tree (Diospyros ebenum), Palu AKA Ceylon iron wood (Manilkara hexandra) and Weera (Drypetes sepiaria).

Weliwenna (Dimorphocalyx glabellus), Yakada Maran (Syzygium zeylanicum), Ulkenda are the underlayment layer of this dense forest section.

Animals Birds and Reptiles

There are 23 different types of mammals, 143 varieties of Birds and 17 varieties of reptiles in there.

Approximately 150-200 Asian elephants who live there. When food and water become limited in Wasgamuwa, they migrate to Minneriya, Somawathiya and Kaudulla National parks. 

Sri Lankan endemic animals and birds can be found there. Handun Diviya (fishing cat), Diya Balla (Otter), and Kalu wandura (one of the variety of Monkeys) are some of them.

Some of the endemic birds found here include the Red-faced malkoha (watha rathu malkoha) and Racket trailed drongo/Ceylon crested drongo (Piti penda kauda).

Elephants, tigers, deer and the reptiles are among the animals that can be found here. This is the place where the tallest elephants are live. This park is home to more than 160 different species of birds. Painted storks, spotted doves and eagles are some of them. Also the tiny weaver’s nests can be seen in here.

The southern section of the forest belongs to the Matale district and the upper section belongs to the Polonnaruwa District. Angammedilla National Park is located over the upper boundary, Amban Ganga, of Wasgamuwa National Park. Sudu Kanda is the highest mountain summit of the National Park. It is about 500 metres above sea level.

The bear population is extremely high in this area. The bear is known in Sinhala as Walaha. Gomuwa is a term used to describe a location where something has gathered. As a result, people were able to call Walaha Gomuwa to the location. Walaha Gomuwa afterwards became Walas Gamuwa and then Wasgamuwa.

The forest does not receive rain throughout the year. Every year, the Dry season lasts from May to August. The best time to visit the park is between November to May. This is one of the most biologically diverse regions in Sri Lanka.

During the voyage, visitors can bathe in the Mahaweli River. The majority of the visitors go on safari in the southern part of the park, which is close to the main entrance. There is lot more to see and do in Wasgamuwa than you may think. It is recommended that visitors stay for at least three nights and four days within the park.

Historically Importance of Wasgamuwa

Yudanganawa, a historically significant location within the forest. The people of King Dutugemunu rested in this place before the battle between King Dutugemunu and Elara. 

Facilities

There are 07 camp sites and 03 circuit bungalows in this national park for the visitors. These belong to the Department of Wildlife conservation in Sri Lanka. Kadurupitiya circuit bungalow is built inside the park. It is only a few minutes’ drive from the main entrance.

The website of the Department of wildlife conservation has information about booking circuit bungalows and campsites.