The Royal forest of Udawattakele

When talking about Kandy, the places that readily come to mind are the Temple of the Tooth, the Kandy Lake and the Peradeniya gardens. However, there is a place which very few visit that is right in the middle of Kandy town, in fact just behind the Temple of the Tooth. This is Udawattakele - a Royal Forest that was forbidden to all but the King just a few hundred years ago.

To reach Udawattakele, travel along the road leading to Trinity College. Less than half a kilometer thereafter is the entrance to the sanctuary.

Udawattakele was a forbidden forest which no one save the Royal family were allowed to enter. Even today, when walking through the numerous paths in the forest there is an aura of mystery that does not go away even when you remember that you are surrounded by a city.

A little history

Udawattakele is home to many small and medium sized animals, porcupines, wild boar and mouse deer are some of the animals you can spot if you are lucky. You are however guaranteed to catch more than a glimpse of a number of monkeys. 

While the fauna in Udawattekele may not be extensive, the same cannot be said about the bird life. There are plenty of bird watching opportunities for bird lovers. 

Even if you are not there to see animals, a pleasant stroll through the many paths in Udawattekele is bound to take you away from the stressful hustle and bustle of city life. If you want to engage in something slightly more strenuous, you can venture up one of the footpaths leading to Kodimale mountain - the highest point in the forest. 

Map of the many trails in the forest

Entrance to the forbidden forest

It's time to decide which path to take

Directions are available everywhere, so no chance of getting lost

Some trails are nice and easy

And some are harder - this is the start of one of the paths leading to the Kodimale peak

A view point at the Kodimale peak - now sadly rotting away.

Lovers Lane

Horagolla National Park

Which is the closest national park to Colombo? No, it's not Wilpattu or Udawalawe.

A little known fact is that just on the outskirts of Colombo, 1 Km away from Nittambuwa one of Sri Lanka's newest national parks - Horagolla National Park opened its doors for visitors in 2004.

Directions:

• When travelling from Colombo, turn on to the Veyangoda road from the Nittambuwa junction. Travel for about 1 Km till you reach Pinnagolla junction and take a turn to your left (a sign post is present). Travel another 600m till you reach a footpath leading to the Horagolla National Park. The footpath is sign posted, however there isn't a parking area. You may need to park your vehicle by the side of the road before heading off into the park.

Do not expect wildlife safaris in jeeps like your typical national park, in fact despite being called a national park - the total area of this reserve is just 33 acres but it is still home for 10 types of mammals, 64 types of birds, 7 types of fish and 28 types of butterflies.

More often than not, your visit to Horagolla National Park would be to admire the flora and not the fauna. The few animals who call this forest home are shy by nature and not easy to spot, but don't let this put you off - the park is a pleasant place to stroll through on the well defined trails. It is hard to imagine that such a forest setting exists so close to highly populated urban areas.

While not really a destination in itself, Horagolla National Park is worth a visit if for nothing else just to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life and to commune with nature. Combine your visit to Horagolla with a visit to one of the numerous historic temples in the Gampaha district (most of which are located on mountain tops with panoramic views of the Gampaha district) or with a visit to the Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens - the site of the first rubber plantation in Sri Lanka now converted into a Botanical park.

The Hora Kele wewa greets you just before the park ticketing counter

The skin of a croc, seen at the ticketing counter

Like other national parks, remains of animals are preserved here too. The display was still being set up when we visited

There are a few captive animals at the ticketing office. These are either animals who are bred in captivity, captured from urban areas or who are injured and cannot be released to the wild / are being prepared for release to the wild.

The trail begins, well marked paths criss cross the entire park

Directions are clearly marked, follow the arrows and you can see the park in its entirety

The trail winds through the Horagolla forest

The forest canopy high above

More captive animals and birds in an enclosure half way through the forest trail

Benches and seating areas such as this are available at scenic spots. You can have a meal here if you wish but please keep the place clean and leave nothing behind

Beauty of natures creations

The summer hut overlooking the Hora kele wewa marks the end of the trail, continue on the trail for a few meters and you reach the ticketing office again