Introduction:
If you love visiting Sri Lanka, then Wilpattu National Park is a must-visit place for you. On the road 25km north of Puttalam, Wilpattu national park is located, and it is 30km west of Anuradhapura. One of the best things that you will know about this park is that it lies on the northwest coast and distances the border between the North Western Province of Sri Lanka and the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Then, in the south of Wilpattu National Park, you can find the river Modergam Aru, and then, to the north, the river Kalay oya. Besides that, you can always see the large sign board of the Anuradhapura Highway, which will read the sign about Wilpattu National Park. Later, you can also turn to the left at 7km, and there will be a signboard that will take you to the entrance of the park at Hunuwilagama.
Wilpattu’s History
Besides all of that, in the year 1905, Wilpattu was declared as a wildlife sanctuary, and then on February 25, 1938, the sanctuary was given the status of a national wildlife park, also known as Wilpattu National Park Sri Lanka. Then, in the year 1947, on November 7th, the northern area of Wilpattu was avowed as the Wilpattu North Sanctuary. Let’s look at the topography and climate of the area. Wilapttu national park is located in an area of around 131,693 hectares and it has an altitude ranging between 152 metres and sea level. It is located in the dry zone and is not like other wildlife refuges that are in Sri Lanka. It also has a sui generis complex of 50 wetlands which is called Villu, which is the most famous topographical skin (highlights) of the national park.
It rains in Wilpattu-
Villu can be called a shallow lake that is natural and filled with rainwater. It is surrounded by a grassy plain that is open regardless of the dense scrub jungle. The villus is present with an abundance of water and it can best be explained by the weather pattern which prevails over the national park. You can find drought there in the months of May to September, and the rain season comes there during the months of September to December. During these months, there are heavy downpours of the north-eastern monsoon and the inter-monsoon season. In the months of March and April, the temperature in the park is around 27.2 Celsius and its yearly rainfall is approximately 1000mm.
The Best Time to Visit Wilpattu-
During the months of February and October, you can visit the Wilpattu National Park. One of the things that you should know about Wilpattu National Park is that it has a decent system of gravel roads, especially between the water holes. Also, Wilpattu National Park consists of 3 different types of vegetation, like littoral vegetation, comprising of low scrub and salt grass, which is instantly adjacent to the beach. Plus, it has a 5 to 10 km coastal belt of the scrub of monsoon of very low stature and also further inland, there are also wooded forests with tall trees like Palu and Satin, Milla, Weera, and Ebony. Some of the 73% of the park has dense forests or scrub, and the rest is an open habitat.
