Best Wildlife National Parks in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka – dive into nature’s embrace

Verdant stretches of green sprawling over vast landmasses boast diverse ecosystems of marshy, dry and evergreen lands and here, lives and thrives a myriad of elusive and majestic denizens. This is in short, a description of what you can expect from the many national parks in Sri Lanka. Let’s take a look at the best nature reserves easily accessible from Polonnaruwa for starters.

Wasgamuwa National Park

This oasis of nature is located in the north-central part of Sri Lanka in the lowlands. Wasgamuwa National Park is well-known for the wild elephants that live here. Keep your eyes peeled and you just might be lucky enough to spot the ever-so elusive leopards and bears who love to play the game of hide and seek with safari-goers.

Parakrama Samudra

Constructed during ancient times, the Parakrama Samudra remains bountiful to the present day with freshwater. The name of this attraction means the “sea of King Parakramabahu”, who was responsible for and saw the project through its completion in the early days. This reservoir provides the farmers with enough water for their crops when the weather is dry. And it supports a wide variety of aquatic, land and avian wildlife.

Giritale Lake

Located just a 20 drive minutes drive away from Hotel Sudu Araliya and the likes, this is one of the most scenic places to visit in Polonnaruwa. Known in the local language as “Giritale Wewa”, this was yet another development that remains from ancient times. The body of water was built by King Agbo II and is said to have been improved by King Parakramabahu the Great. This too facilitates a large number of wild animals and it helps it’s surrounding thrive with greenery!

Angammedilla National Park

This is a fairly new national park that is home to a variety of flora and fauna. The nature reserve was set up to protect the wildlife and nature around the drainage basins of Minneriya and Girithale tanks. The climate around here is ideal for both dry zone and wet zone vegetation to survive. Expect to see peacocks, leopards, elephants, deer and sloth bears on a safari here – which will indeed be a journey to cherish!