Sunday, April 17th, 2022 – Udawalawa
Apr 23rd, 2022 by rallyadmin
We’re headed down to the beach again, on the south coast. But before we leave, we’re doing a “safari” ride through the nearby national park. The park is known for it’s wide diversity of wildlife including wild elephants.
The guide arrives just before 6 AM with a land cruiser type truck with a raised area in the truck bed. The raised area seats 6 and it provide excellent 360° viewing. Out of the hotel parking lot down the small road to the highway and about 20 minutes later we’re entering the park to buy our tickets and move into the park.
The guide is very knowledgeable and knows where to find the different birds, crocs and monkeys. The variety of birds is remarkable, all different kinds of wading and non-wading birds. There numerous colonies of monkeys and every water hole seems to have a few crocodiles, some quite large. Snakes and land monitors. Water buffalo and even run of the mill cattle.
The guide tells us that the cattle are strays that have wandered into the park unintentionally but now that they are in the park they are here unless they wander back out. If the do stay in the park, the original owner can not reclaim them. It’s his loss.
Unfortunately, no elephants to be seen but the park is a remarkable place. It’s the dry season and the animals stay c lose to the remaining water holes. In a month or so the monsoon will start here, large portions of the land will flood and the animals will disperse. I very interesting trip.
Back to the hotel, load up and on the road to Udawalawa. Along the way we cross the enormous Udawalawa earthen dam which is a popular attraction for the Sinhalese locals. As we get to the side near our hotel there’s a big sign warning that swimming is prohibited. Though I can’t read the Sinhalese print, I assume that the warning is for crocs. At the waters edge there are 20 -30 swimming and frolicking in the water.
Cross the dam take a right and then za quick left into the hotel. We manage to get all of our trucks into the small parking area inside the massive property gate and unload. The hotel has a very nice but small pool. Into the pool to cool off. More beers and then dinner.
There’s really nothing to do here other than do another “safari” into another national park which no one is really up for. We just stopped here to shorten the next day’s drive to Marissa. Beers into the late evening and then bed. Tomorrow Marissa for 2 days at the beach.
Obi