Somawathiya National Park

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Queen Somawathie built the Somawathie dagoba along the eastern bank of the Mahaweli River in the 2nd century BC, giving the national park its name. On the 9th of August 1966, the park was recognized as a wildlife sanctuary, and on the 2nd of September 1986, it was designated as a national park. It lies in the deltaic flood plains of the Mahaweli River (the longest river in Sri Lanka) and it is here that the river forks into two branches: flowing into Koddiyar Bay and Verugal Oya, which eventually reaches the ocean. Given the park's location, it is home to some of the island's most spectacular wetland ecosystems, known as villus in the Mahaweli flood plains. These natural inland water features are characterized by aquatic plants and water-tolerant grasses. Somawathiya is environmentally noteworthy because of its large population of elephants (approximately 400 in the park and nearby areas), as well as its diversified animals. The golden jackal, fishing cat, rusty-spotted cat, leopard, wild boar, Sambar, water buffalo, porcupine, and black-naped hare are all noteworthy mammals that can be seen in the national park. In the winter, around 75 migrant species are known to visit the marshes, including garganey, marsh sandpiper, pintail snipe, and whiskered tern. Among the resident birds are the painted stork and the purple coot. so, if you are looking for the perfect place where to admire and taste whole the aspects of nature, the Somawathiya National Park is the ideal destination for you. Picture By Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35123064