Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park is one of the premier nature parks of the island country of Sri Lanka and is just 300 kilometres from the capital city of Colombo in the Ampara and Badulla districts. The name of the park is from Gal Oya River that flows through the park. The river was dammed after 1948 in order to create the largest water tank in the island, and this reservoir is called Senanayake Samudra. It is possible to take boat trips here, which supports a large fishing industry. There are many birds that come here regularly and it is possible to spot several species.
Senanayake Samudra has forested and rocky hills outlining the reservoir and needless to say this has created one of the most attractive landscapes in the island. However large tracts of land were inundated and the Veddhas to whom this forest was home, were left in the lurch. A few gnarled tree trunks sticking out of the water bear silent testament to the unfortunate event. This body of water and its considerable catchment area consist of the Gal Oya National Park.

Gal Oya is actually a valley that is has many layers of history. Several kings had taken refuge here at different times and in distress, all these are known from the annals of Sri Lankan history. Gal Oya National Park has both forest cover and grassland. The evergreen forest has a green canopy. You will find different species of trees like Halmilla or Trincomalee wood, etamba, kalumediriya or calamander and kaluwara or ebony. The grasslands have aralu, bulu, and gammalu. There are at least thirty two species of mammals in Gal Oya National Park. The most common are the Sri Lanka grey languor, toque monkey, Sri Lanka leopard, Sri Lanka sloth bear, Sri Lanka elephant, Indian wild boar and water buffalo.