Gal Oya National Park and Senanayake Samudraya Sanctuary (ගල්ඔය ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)

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With Senanayake Samudra Sanctuary, Gal Oya Valley North-East Sanctuary, Gal Oya Valley South-West Sanctuary

SizeGal Oya National Park: 25,900ha
Senanayake Samudra Sanctuary: 9,324ha
Gal Oya Valley North-East Sanctuary: 12,432ha
Gal Oya Valley South-West Sanctuary: 15,281ha
Total : 62,937 ha
Main attractionLarge herds of elephants and Birds

Gal Oya National Park lies south-east of the country in the Monaragala District of Uva province. This park was established to protect the catchment area of the Senanayake Samudraya (lake). This reservoir was created by damming the Gal Oya River at Inginiyagala, from which the name of the park is derived. This reservoir covers 78 sq. kilometres in extent and was named after the first prime minister of the country after independence and the instigator of this project. This park was closed to the public for the last two decades due to Tamil terrorist activities but now is open to the public.

In addition to the national park, three sanctuaries were declared to protect the catchment area of this tank. They are

  • Senanayake Samudra Sanctuary (Managed Nature Reserve)
  • Gal Oya Valley North-East Sanctuary (Managed Nature Reserve)
  • Gal Oya Valley South-West Sanctuary (Managed Nature Reserve)

Together these reserves and the national park cover approximately 63,000 ha of land. The park and the three sanctuaries were established by the Gal Oya Development Board on 12 February 1954 and subsequently handed over to the Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1965. There is also a proposal to connect this area with the Maduru Oya National Park through the Nilgala jungle corridor (10,360ha). for elephants to freely move from one jungle to another.

Due to the richness of this wetland, the park is a natural habitat for a wide range of fauna and flora consisting of dry mixed vegetation including savannah grass and an extensive green cover. About 45% of the vegetation is evergreen forest, 33% savanna, 9% grassland, 2% chena cultivations and the balance is water bodies dominated by Senanayake Samudraya. A host of medicinal shrubs and trees such as Aralu, Bulu, and Nelli can be readily found in the Nilgala area, while several locally known trees such as Vevarana, Halmilla, Veera, Palu, Ebony and Mahogany are found in great numbers.

The park with its thick green canopy is a haven for species of birds and nearer to the Samudraya even migratory birds such as Painted Storks, Pelicans, Cormorants and Teals could be seen. A host of local birds such as the Grey Dove, Malabar Horn Bill and Grey Horn Bill, Koel and several water birds are found in this jungle habitat.

In addition to elephants, the park is home to leopards, bears, spotted deer, sambur, wild boar etc. Among other fauna are several species of monkeys, Porcupine, several fish species, reptiles and four species of butterflies such as the Crimson rose and Glassy Tiger have been recorded.

Gal Oya is a valley, which has given refuge to several kings in the ancient past. In the 2nd century BCE, King Tissa sought refuge at the Digavapi, a place Lord Buddha visited on his third visit to Sri Lanka. The Digavapi Dagoba, built in the 2nd century BC to mark the spot where the Lord Buddha sat on his last visit to Sri Lanka, attracts thousands of pilgrims even today. Again in the 13th century, King Buwenekabahu sought refuge on the summit of Govindahela. This is the tallest peak (573 m) in the area and lies just outside the protected land. The self-proclaimed King Dore Swamy sought refuge at Nilgala in the 19th century. Henebedde Cave near Vadinagala has a drip ledge and contains a Brahmin inscription. Near the cave are a moonstone, guard stone and balustrade stone. The ruins of an ancient structure are close by.

Entrance Fees for Gal Oya National Park

Description (Fees Applicable for Category 2 Parks)Price
Local – AdultsLKR 60
Local – Children (6-12 years)LKR 30
Local – StudentLKR 20
Local – Children (below 6 years)FOC
Local – Group Fee (per vehicle)LKR 400
Foreign – AdultsUSD 12
Foreign – Children (6-12 years)USD 6
Foreign SAARC Countries – AdultsUSD 10
Foreign SAARC Countries – Children (6-12 years)USD 5
Foreign – Children (below 6 years)FOC
Foreign – Group Fee (per vehicle)USD 10
Taxes on total cost15%
Entrance Fee per vehicleLKR 300
Ticket Price Schedule as gazetted in 2022

For example, for 2 foreigners with 1 child between 6 and 12 will have the cost of

DescriptionCost
2 adultsUSD 24.00
1 childUSD 6.00
Group FeeUSD 10.00
Total USD 40.00
Tax (15%)USD 6.00
TotalUSD 46.00
The above costs are for entry tickets for persons. A ticket for the vehicle, as given above, has to be purchased separately

Payments can be made in USD or equivalent LKR by foreigners. You can call 1919 (government information center) for the latest ticket prices. If you are hiring a private safari Jeep, the prices vary from LKR 11,000 to LKR 15,000 for half a day (4 hours) based on the park. For a full day, it’s double the cost of a half day.

Also See

Map of Gal Oya National Park and Senanayake Samudraya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Gal Oya National Park and Senanayake Samudraya

Access from Colombo (186 miles/315 km) is via Ratnapura, Beragala, Wellawaya, Moneragala and then north from Siyambalanduwa to Inginiyagala.

Route from Colombo to Gal Oya National Park ( to Inginiyagala) Route from Ampara to Gal Oya National Park ( to Inginiyagala)
Through : Ratnapura – Beragala – Wellawaya – Monaragala
Distance : 315 km
Travel time : 7 hours.
Driving directions : see on google map
Through : Inginiyagala Road
Distance : 20 km
Travel time : 30 mins.
Driving directions : see on google map

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