National Park

Fact Sheet

Bundala National Park, covering an area of 6216 hectares is located in the Southern Province, close to Hambantota, The Bundala National Park considered the most important birding destination in Sri Lanka , and is also home to sloth bears, elephants and deer.

Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969, in 1991 it became the first wetland to be declared as a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka due to its wealth of wetland birds, and was named a national park in 1993. In 2005 the national park was designated as the fourth biosphere reserve in Sri Lanka by UNESCO.

Bundala's lagoons, beaches, sand dunes & scrubby jungle stretch nearly 20km along a coastal strip starting just east of Hambantota passes along Bundala's northern boundary.

Bundala National Park is an \important wintering ground for migratory water birds. Bundala has nearly 200 species of birds, of these 150 are endemic. The greater flamingo migrate in large flocks in the winter months. It is possible to see flocks of over 1,000 Greater flamingos here. Amongst the Other migratory birds are the Petite Blue Tailed bee-eaters, Brown Flycatcher, Sandpipers, Barn Swallow, Water Fowl, Common Redshank, the Lesser Sand Plover and Forest Wagtail.

The park is an important bio-diversity area with identified total of 383 plant species including 6 endemics and 7 that are considered nationally threatened.

The area of open scrub around the coastal area offers great opportunities for bird-watching with the added bonus of being able to spot the odd elephant & basking crocodile.

It is also home to 32 different species of mammal, 5 of which are classified as threatened. The bird life is also diverse. For keen bird-watchers, the complex wetland system harbours a rich bird life (approximately 197 species).

Park Open : Open Throughout the year

Best Season : April - September

Main Attraction : Greater Flamingos & elephants

Shortest Route : Fly to Colombo & drive to Bundala (263 km)

Nearby : , Yala National Park (30 km) , Kalametiya (35 km), Mirissa (100 km)

Province : Southern Province

Area : 40 sq. km

Altitude: 0 - 10 m

Vegetation : Shrubs & Herbs

Major City: Hambantota (15 km)

Airport : Galle (133 km)

Railway Station :