Hikkaduwa National Park : Coral Reefs (හික්කඩුව ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය : කොරල් පර)

54 years ago2 months ago03 mins

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Size	102 hectares
Main attractions	Corral and Reef Fish

Hikkaduwa National Park lies in the popular tourist destination of Hikkaduwa along its beach. The Coral Reefs in this marine park have made Hikkaduwa Beach one of the most sought-after beaches in the country.

In 1940, the Ambalangoda/Hikkaduwa Rocky Islets were declared sanctuaries and were limited to the land boundaries of these rocky islets. The intention was to afford protection to seabirds nesting on the islands.

In 1961, 110 acres of territorial waters off Hikkaduwa were afforded protection under the Fisheries Ordinance. In 1979, the Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary was gazetted under the Fauna & Flora Protection Ordinance. In 1998 it was upgraded to the status of a nature reserve and later to a national park. Hikkaduwa National Park is one of the only 2 marine national parks in Sri Lanka.

The primary purpose of the Hikkaduwa National Park is to protect the coral reefs. However human activity continues on the beaches of this park. The reef has suffered high degradation due to both natural and human activities. The live coral cover decreased from 47 per cent to 13 per cent in a coral bleaching event in 1998, induced by the 1998 El Nino weather.

Hikkaduwa National Park Ticket Prices (Entrance Fees)

Currently, there is no special fee levied to view the corals. However, you need to hire a glass bottom boat in which you can see the corals and fish from the boat itself or rent diving gear from a beach hotel.

Also See

Map of Hikkaduwa National Park (Coral Reefs) and Other Places of Interest

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

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 Hikkaduwa National Park (Coral Reefs)

Route from Colombo to Hikkaduwa National Park

Though : Southern Expressway – Ambalangoda
Distance : 113 km
Travel time : 2.5 hours
Driving directions : see on google map

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