The All-Inclusive Guide to Kaudulla National Park

If you have a soft spot for tropical flora and animals, you should definitely make a trip to Kaudulla National Park in Sri Lanka.

In the center of the cultural triangle, you’ll find Kaudulla, a national park that was just proclaimed in 2002. Located next to Minneriya Wildlife Park, this park has a total area of 6656 hectares and shares a corridor with its neighbor. Wildlife, especially elephants, may be seen in great numbers in this park. The landscape varies greatly from hilly to flat to forested to scrubby and back again. There is even a large area of grassland near the Kaudulla reservoir.

The Kaudulla National Park is one of the most notable of Sri Lanka’s 26 national parks. Its enormous land area is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including both land-based and water-based species, as well as a wide variety of rare and unusual birds. You can see more of Sri Lanka’s wildlife, including elephants, in the Somawathie Chaitiya Park and the Minneriya Wildlife Park, both of which are attached to the Kaudulla National Park.

Kaudulla National Park history

Kaudulla was constructed as one of King Mahasen’s 16 irrigation tanks in the region. It had been abandoned for some time before its 1959 reconstruction. Large animals, fish, and reptiles are just some of the new species that have found a home there. As an additional aspect of the “elephant gathering” at Minneriya National Park, Kaudulla is providing critical help.

Many elephants travel easily between the parks because of their closeness and the fact that they share forest habitats. When there is a drought in Sri Lanka, the elephants go to the Minneriya tank to eat and drink.

 

 

Kaudulla landscape features

Dry evergreen forests predominate in the park’s ecology. Traditional shifting crop cultivations and grasslands spread around the tank region. You’ll have a clear shot at seeing the animals you’re trying to picture. The park is home to 160 different species of birds, 24 different species of animals, 25 different species of reptiles, and 26 different species of fish. Elephants, birds, and other species are much easier to detect at the tank during the dry season because they congregate there for water. The park is home to a wide variety of mammalian species, such as the Sri Lankan leopard, sambar deer, Axis deer, chevrotain, wild boar, and sloth bear.

Kaudulla National Park is an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it is home to both wetland species like the spot-billed pelican and dryland birds like the Sri Lankan green pigeon. Indian flap shell turtles, Indian black turtles, and the unique frog Fejervarya pulla all call this tank home.

 

Kaudulla National Park Safari: What to Expect

In this park, you may see more Asian elephants than in any other single location on Earth, so much so that it has earned the nickname “The Gathering.” Elephants are most visible during the dry months of July through December. Though the park is small, visitors may expect to see elephants at any time of year.

 

Within that area, you may visit not one but three national parks in small steps. You may visit Minneriya National Park, Kaudulla National Park, and Hurulu Eco Park. Locals and visitors from other countries go to all three parks to see the massive elephant populations. Large herds of elephants may often be seen in the Minneriya National Park from July to September. However, in October and November, when the lakes are filling up from heavy rains, they move to Kaudulla National Park.

Climate in Kaudulla

On average, the park receives between 1500 and 2000 millimeters (mm) of rainfall annually. Predominantly, the northeastern monsoons are responsible for the precipitation. Between the months of April and October, the weather is often dry. Annual temperatures are typically in the range of 20–24.5 degrees Celsius.

How to get to Kaudulla National Park

  • The Colombo-Trincomalee highway provides direct access to Kaudulla National Park. From Trincomalee, you may take a taxi straight to the park.
  • A night train departs from Trincomalee and arrives at Galoya Junction, the terminal station for the 2-hour trip to Kaudulla National Park. It takes around twenty minutes to walk up to the park from Galoya Junction, or you may hire a cab.
  • The cab ride from Dambulla to Kaudulla National Park takes around 42 minutes and covers the 44 kilometers between the two locations.

What’s the best time to visit Kaudulla National Park

In September and October, after the time of the famed elephant gathering at Minneriya National Park, the number of elephants in Kaudulla National Park reaches a high of over 200. So this makes it the best time to visit the park. Nevertheless, visitors to any of these parks may view elephants throughout the year.

The Hurulu Eco-Park, located on the outskirts of the vast Hurulu Biosphere Reserve west of the Habarana-Trincomalee road, is open daily from 2:00 to 6:30 p.m. It too provides opportunities to see herds of elephants outside of the peak wildlife viewing season, when visitors flock to nearby Kaudulla and Minneriya National Parks. Compared to the massive Minneriya reservoir and the much larger Kaudulla reservoir, the small reservoir at Hurulu Eco Park seems almost minuscule. However, from January through March, at least 30 elephants could be sighted.

 

 

Wrapping up

If you compare the Kaudulla to Sri Lanka’s other national parks, you’ll notice that there are surprisingly few Jeeps there. Unlike Yala National Park, where you may go glamping, this park is not touristy at all. It has fantastic wildlife without prohibiting overnight stays. On the drive back to your accommodation, you may be fortunate enough to see some elephants strolling along the roadside. The flora and fauna make Kaudulla one of the best choices to go on the bucket list of any wildlife lover. Visiting the park in the “best time of the year” can reveal so much more than at other times of the year.