Kaudulla National Park
A quieter park around the Kaudulla reservoir that shares the great elephant herds with neighbouring Minneriya, along with deer, water birds and the occasional leopard.
About 190 km from Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, Kaudulla National Park centers around an ancient reservoir dominated by the Kaudulla Wewa, one of sixteen irrigation tanks built by King Mahasena during his reign between 276 and 303 CE, the same king credited with the neighboring Minneriya reservoir. Popular legend offers a gentler alternative to the official chronicles, crediting the tank's construction instead to one of Mahasena's queens or possibly his sister, Princess Biso Bandara, a detail that's stuck in local tradition even as the ancient scripts formally attribute it to the king himself.
Following a long period of abandonment, the reservoir was reconstructed in 1959, and Kaudulla was formally declared a protected national park on April 1, 2002, becoming the 15th such designated area in Sri Lanka. What makes the park genuinely unusual ecologically is how much of it disappears seasonally, roughly two thirds of Kaudulla's total area lies submerged for several months of the year, creating a shifting landscape of forest, wetland and open grassland that draws wildlife in reliably predictable patterns as water levels rise and fall. Alongside Minneriya and Girithale, Kaudulla has been recognized by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area, its wetlands and forest edges supporting genuinely rich birdlife alongside its more famous mammalian residents.
Kaudulla and Minneriya function as sister parks in every practical sense, elephants moving fluidly between the two depending on where water and fresh grass are most abundant, meaning travelers who miss The Gathering at one park often find equally spectacular herds at the other. With annual rainfall between 1,500 and 2,000 millimeters feeding its wetlands, Kaudulla offers a genuinely rewarding, slightly less crowded alternative to Minneriya for witnessing the seasonal elephant congregations that have made this stretch of Sri Lanka's dry zone internationally famous among wildlife travelers.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Around USD 15 to 25 for foreign visitors, plus jeep and service charges
- Opening hours: 6:00am to 6:00pm
- Time needed: Half day
- Best time: Around October to January, when the herds move here
Getting there
North of Habarana, about 35km from Polonnaruwa. Reached by jeep safari.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Kaudulla National Park?
- Around USD 15 to 25 for foreign visitors, plus jeep and service charges.
- What are the opening hours at Kaudulla National Park?
- 6:00am to 6:00pm.
- How long should I spend at Kaudulla National Park?
- Plan for half day.
- When is the best time to visit Kaudulla National Park?
- Around October to January, when the herds move here.
- How do I get to Kaudulla National Park?
- North of Habarana, about 35km from Polonnaruwa. Reached by jeep safari.