Rest house for the birds, Bundala National Park..
There are two groups who would be happy when they hear the name of Bundala. One group is the traveler who wants to visit birds, the rest are foreign wanderers who fly to foreign lands during the unfavorable times. Bundala National Wildlife Sanctuary where most of the migrating birds are located, is protected as a natural heritage and has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bundala National Park which is situated in the Hambantota District is not such a huge national park but it has an elevated natural value more than the extent of its land. We have to travel 235km from Colombo, to reach this National Park. Though the arid climatic conditions in Hambantota influence this National Park, the wet environment and mangrove make food and shelter available for the birds and animals.
In the winter, during the December-February period, about 167 varieties of bird species come to Sri Lanka. During this period, a bird-watching person can see endless birds like Flamingo, Black Stroke, Falcon and many other foreign birds migrating to Sri Lanka. As aquatic foodstuffs are available in the coastal lagoon environment these birds travel for weeks to arrive at Bundala.
Bundala is a World Heritage Site, so be sure to take the trip if you do not carry the habit of causing damage to the environment. Also, the animals in the wild at Bundala National Park will not be annoyed. There is an information center maintained by the Department of Wildlife in the middle of the park.
There are other several places to visit while travelling to this area. Kirinda Vihara which is located by the sea is believed to be the place where Vihara Maha Devi, daughter of king Kelanitissa landed, during a Tsunami happened long ago. And you will be able to see some places like Tissamaharama and Ranminitenna Tele-Cinema Village in the close vicinity.
