Famous for its herds of elephants, water buffalo, sambar deer and leopards, Uda Walawe National Park was the third and final stop of our must visit National Parks whilst in Sri Lanka. As one of the countries pride and joys and supposedly a park which is able to compete with the East African National Parks and Reserves, there was great anticipation.
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After an unforgettable experience In Yala National Park, we continued our adventure with Ruhunu Safari Camping. Fortunately, unlike Yala National Park, you are able to camp within Uda Walawe National park at some amazing camp sites, however none are permanent camps and are only able to stay at the same site for a couple of nights.
With this being the case, Ruhunu offers a temporary, slightly more basic luxury camp which they are able to set up within a few hours. Despite being a temporary camp, it is pretty amazing what they were able to set up, very well equipped with all the basic needs and along with an outdoor toilet and shower. Set up explicitly for each guest, as a temporary structure it gave us the opportunity to have our tent set up with a couple of slight personal preferences with respect to angles and positioning.
With our camp positioned on the edge of the Weli Oya river, which feeds the Uda Walawe Reservoir and as one of the main water ways through the park, it is extremely diverse in terms of wildlife and creates the perfect setting for a nights camping experience. With our tent set only a few metres away from the raised river bank and facing directly towards the river, we were able to sit below our veranda as the sun set and watch the crocodiles bask on the river banks as the vibrant bird life skimmed across the calm waters in search of a quick catch.
Visit Ruhunu Safari Camping: www.ruhunusafaricamping.com