Udawalawe National Park is one of the most important and important national parks in Sri Lanka. This is an important protected area for significant flora and fauna and is a virtual environment for elephants and waterfowl in Sri Lanka. This National Park is located on the border of Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.This park is located at a distance of 165 km from the capital city of Colombo. Udawalawe National Park was declared open on June 30, 1972 at a ceremony presided over by the Ministry of Shipping and Tourism. [Government Gazette Notification No: 14]. This park was completed at the end of the Udawalawe Reservoir Project. The main purpose of naming it as a National Park is to protect the water catchment areas and provide protection to the wild elephants. Maw Ara Wewa, the second reservoir in the National Park, was built between 1991 and 1998.Udawalawe National Park covers an area of 30,821 hectares [119 sq mi] and has a reservoir with a total capacity of 3405 ha. Udawalawe National Park is connected to Lunugamvehera National Park in the South East. Udawalawe Thanamalwila Road defines the southern boundary of the National Park.To the south of the road is the Sevanagala Sugar Estate. Before naming Udawalawe National Park, people used this area for shift cultivation [hena farming]. After being designated a national park, people moved to places. Today, Udawalawe National Park is a significant and popular tourist destination and is the third public tourist national park in Sri Lanka.
