About 15km inland from Arugam Bay, the main road passes through the small but beautiful Lahugala National Park. The park encloses the extensive Lahugala Tank and its surrounding dry mixed evergreen forest, an unusually fine stretch of woodland including numerous lofty rosewoods and satinwoods – particularly magical in the low light and long shadows of early morning or late afternoon. The park is best known for its elephants: up to 150 congregate around the tanks during July and August, when the rest of Lahugala’s waters dry up, to drink and feed on the beru grass which grows prolifically around the water.
The tanks are also good for spotting a wide range of aquatic birds, including innumerable snowy white egrets which can often be seen hitching a ride on the backs of obliging elephants. When the rains come the elephants disperse, and large sections of the park turn a brilliant, post-monsoonal green.
Lahugala isn’t currently open to vehicles, but this also means that there are no entrance charges, so you can walk into the park from the main road between Arugam Bay and Monaragala, which runs right through it. Be aware, however, that walking through jungle with a large elephant population carries a degree of risk, so it’s best to stick to one of the recognized viewpoints close to the road. The easiest (and safest) option is to head to Lahugala Hospital (at the 306km post). Just west of here along the main road, several small paths run off to the right to the raised bund at the edge of Lahugala Tank, about 100m away, which offers a secure vantage point and good chances of spotting elephants and lots of water birds.
