A popular motif in the visual and literary arts - Butterfly

There are over 245  species of butterflies in Sri Lanka and  of which 25 of them are endemic to the island.
The largest Sri Lankan butterfly which has  glossy black and bright yellow colors with attractive pattern, was categorized as flagship species due to its wide distribution.

 Bambarakanda Ella 

The tallest waterfall in the country.  263 meters high.

The 299th tallest waterfall in the world and Situated in Kalupahana in the BadullaDistrict.

Bambarakanda falls is formed by a branch of Walwe River which is known as KudaOya.

 Enjoy a once in a lifetime whale & dolphin watching safari in Mirissa

Mirissa is located in the south of Sri Lanka, between major cities of Galle and Matara.Historically, Mirissa is one of the largest fishing ports at Sri Lanka‘s south coast.

Mirissa is one of the only places in Sri Lanka where you get to see blue dolphins dancing around and occasionally jumping  ​and it is probably the only place where you have chances to spot both blue whales and sperm whales on the same tour. 

 Belilena cave

Belilena is a very large cave, in which the 12,000-year-old skeletal remains of the prehistoric ‘Balangoda man’ (Homesepiens Balangodensis) have been found.The Homo sapiens balangodensis or the Balangoda Man refers to hominins from Sri Lanka’s late Quaternary period.

 Wilpattu National Park-

the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka

Wilpattu National Park, the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka is among the oldest and most important of protected areas in Sri Lanka.

It also contains a number of important cultural sites.  

Wilpattu National Park and its surroundings are of history that runs as far as back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya in Lanka from East India in 543 BC. The landing beach of prince Vijaya is believed to be the area today known as Kudriamali. Kali Villu is said to be location of the palace of Kuveni, a princess of a native tribe in the island.

Wilpattu National Park span an area of no less than 131,693 hectares with altitude ranging between the sea-level and 152 meters.

Wilpattu National Park is situated in the dry zone, and is unlike any other wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka. A unique complex of over 50 wetlands called “Villu” is the most prominent topographical feature of the national park. ‘Villu’ are shallow natural lakes filled with rainwater surrounded by open grassy plains amidst the dense scrub jungle. 

Annual temperature in the Park is around 27.2 Celsius and its annual rainfall is approximately 1000 mm. The best time to visit Wilpattu National Park is during the months of February and October. .

Three types of vegetation can be distinguished : Littoral vegetation including salt grass and low scrub immediately adjacent to the beach, a 5-10km coastal belt of monsoon scrub of very low stature; and further inland, monsoon forest with tall emergent.

Among the species are 31 mammals. The biggest draws in Wilpattu are Leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) and Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus). Apart from those two mammals are Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus), Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, jackals, sambhur, barking deer, mouse deer Wild Pig, Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and Mugger Crocodiles.

Butterflies recorded include the Great Eggfly, Blue Mormon, Common Mormon, Common Rose Great Orange Tip, Glad-eye Bushbrown, Blue Mormon, Common Mormon, Common Rose and Crimson Rose.

Countless species of birds can be found and the park plays host to numerous winter migrants from November to March, while menacing crocodiles top the list of reptiles.

 The National Tree in Sri Lanka - 

The Ironwood (Na Tree)

The Ironwood (Na Tree), botanically known as ”Mesua Nagassarium” was declared the National Tree on 26th February 1986.

Visit to the Sri Lankan jungles is to enter a whole new world 

where nature has largely stayed still.

Despite its relatively small size, Sri Lanka possesses a high level of biodiversity due to its wide range of topographic and climatic variation. 13% of Sri Lanka conserved as national parks, reserves, sanctuaries and jungle corridors.

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya is 06 kms from Kandy.It is reputed as one of the best and biggest gardens in the island and the best in the island.

 

The Gardens date back to the Kandyan kingdom, when they were used as royal pleasure grounds. However, it was soon after the British seized the Kandyan Kingdom that they were established in 1821; primarily to introduce coffee trees and various other tropical plants of economic importance to the region. Even after it took on a more botanical emphasis in the 1840s, the garden remained a center for horticultural activities. Under the directorship of the botanist George H.K. Thwaites, the garden played a pivotal role in establishing the country’s flourishing tea industry in the late 1870s. Thwaites also brought in and cultivated the Brazilian rubber tree, which became a crop producer vital to Sri Lanka’s economy. The botanical collection has developed into one of the finest in the region. 

National Flower of Sri Lanka

Nil Manel / blue water lily

In February 1986 blue water lily was chosen as the National flower of Sri Lanka. It`s a symbol of purity and truth.

 National Bird of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl – Very colorful ground bird, endemic to Sri Lanka is the national bird of Sri Lanka. Distributed commonly in Sri Lanka’s jungle and dense scrub through out. Roosts high in trees at nights. Flies up to tree branches when threatened. Nests in hidden, scraped place on the ground or on a pile of vegetation just off the ground. Sinharaja is a very good site to watch Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl.

 Beauty of the Sri Lankan wildlife and its habitats.

Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism (16% of the fauna and 23% of flowering plants are endemic) in the world.

THE PINNAWELA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975, commenced with seven orphans. This 24 acre orphanage is situated 80km northeast from Colombo. The orphanage was primarily designed to afford care and protection to the many baby elephants found in the jungle without their mothers. Today some of these orphans enjoy the fortune of seeing their grandchildren born in the same location. 24 elephants were born in the park since first elephant born in 1984. With the help of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawela started a scientific captive breeding program for elephants. Today the Pinnawala orphanage is the biggest herd of captive elephants in the world. Today there are 69 elephants live in the orphanage.

The united nations declared this year as the international Bio Diversity year 2010

Though Sri Lanka is very small in land area, the great diversity in habitats harbors are a rich and diverse fauna and flora, with many species endemic to the island. Within the confines of 65,600 square Kilometers inhabit over 600 species of terrestrial vertebrates. For instance, there are 82 mammals, over400 birds, 133 reptiles, and 54 amphibians.