Spanning 58,849 hectares, the Maduru Oya National Park (like many other national parks in the country) is famous for its elephant habitat. But the park isn’t just about elephants, though. Other animals such as leopards, sloth bears, wild boar, wild buffalo, purple-faced langur and many varieties of squirrels are also found in this park.

With over 100 bird species, Maduru Oya National Park is also a birder’s paradise. Here, you’ll be able to spot birds such as Lesser Adjutant, Woolly necked stork, Openbill, painted stork, Racket tailed Drongo, Yellow-fronted barbet and Sri Lanka jungle fowl.

But there’s more to this national park. It was once the hunting grounds of the Veddas (the indigenous community of Sri Lanka), and there’s also a stupa dating back to the time of the Anuradhapura kingdom and the remains of an ancient dam. Other than that, there’s also a group of Veddas living within the boundaries of the Maduru Oya National Park.