Lahugala Kitulana National Park

Visit Lahugala, a gem of a national park measuring just 1,554 ha in extent that lies in the basin of the Heda Oya to the east of the island in the dry zone. Though it is small, it is one of the most valuable conservation areas for herds of elephants and endemic birds. It acts as an elephant corridor between Gal Oya and Yala National Parks allowing the animals to move freely to the south east of the island, and you to get good glimpses of them

The parkland of Lahugala as you'll discover is relatively flat and consists of dry mixed evergreen forest, scrub and some rocky outcrops. Beru, a tall reedy grass that covers the three tanks found in the park, Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa, is a favourite snack for elephants, and one they can't resist. It is possible to see herds of up to 150 of them in any of the tanks, most notably in July and August. Other species you may come across on your adventure include the endemic tocque macaque, sloth bear, pangolin and black-naped hare.

Many endemic frogs are present in the park as well as snakes such as the scarily sounding flying snake and venomous Russell’s viper, which are exciting to see. Waterfowl includes the pelican, purple heron, grey-headed fishing eagle and white breasted kingfisher while in the forests the endemic Sri Lanka spur fowl can be seen.