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| Sunday, 12 June 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Udawalawe National Park- a nature lovers' paradise The Udawalawe National Park bordering the Ratnapura and Moneragala
districts, the habitat to various species of flora and fauna came into
The main entrance to the park is at the seventh milepost on the Thimbolketiya - Thanamalwila road. The easiest way to reach the park from Colombo is along Ratnapura and Pelmadulla. When you travel along the Pelmadulla - Embilipitiya road and turn left at the Thimbolketiya junction and travel along the Thanamalwila road you reach the park. From Colombo it is about 165 kilometres. To enter the park you have to obtain a permit at the main entrance and all vehicles must be accompanied by a recognised tracker. There are four Wild Life Department Circuit Bungalows within the park at Thimbirigasmankada, Veheragolla, Sinuggala and Gonaviddagala. Each bungalow can accommodate ten people and is located near the major water resources which provide better opportunities to view elephants. There are two campsites at Pansadhara and Aliwadiya Spanning across 30,821 hectares, the main attraction at this park is that you can watch elephants at close range. Well known for its scenic beauty and the variety of animals and flora the park attracts foreign and local tourists throughout the year. Most of the land area at the Udawalawa Park is flat but there are small rocky areas and the Kalthota, Ulgala, Bambaragala, Reminikotha mountain ranges and the Diyawinna waterfall add beauty to this nature lovers' paradise. There are several species of flora in this national park as well as valuable timber including teak and ebony. Udawalawe is the habitat to several species of birds and animals who became destitute after the Udawalawe development project. It is estimated that there are about 250 elephants. There are leopards and bears but since the numbers are small you will be lucky if you see them. Moreover you can also see different species of deer, wild boar, fox, monkeys, rabbits, mongoose, stag, different kinds of rats, different species of chameleons which are indigenous to the dry zone, crocodiles and monitors. The park is also the habitat for about 30 species of snakes and one could also observe about 50 kinds of butterflies too. It's a good opportunity to observe birds which are endemic to Sri Lanka as well as the migrant birds. The Walawe river which starts from the mountain Adam's Peak collects the waters from Kuda Oya, Mavu Ara, Rakwana river, Welioya and flows through the thick jungle passing Koongaha Mankada, Thimbirigaha Mankada Udawalawapalle Bahirawa, Liyangasthota, Ambalantota and joins the sea at Welipatanwila. Source: National Parks of Sri Lanka by P.M. Senaratna and Info travel Sri Lanka. ########### Renaissance Sri Lanka Luxury Hotel Developers and Managers "Our Way" Sanasuma Developments (Pvt) Limited plan to build 10 new hotels following the "Elephant Corridor" Hotel in Sigiriya, which has taken the high ground not only in Sri Lanka but internationally as well. "As our hotels are beginning to take off and our focus is not only on developing very superior products, but also operating them at very high standards to be international forerunners, we are conscious of our base and roots", said a spokesperson at the launching of "Renaissance Sri Lanka", the program to raise standards of the country's people in general. "Renaissance Sri Lanka" will be run entirely by women in deference to the historical and continuing contribution to the economy and country by women. Their courage and resilience in carrying a nation and a country for so long cannot have too much recognition. "Naturally we will start small, but as our organisation grows we intend setting apart a substantial portion of our income of up to 50% of our profits for this program which will take in actual requirements of people not related to the organisation". Our stated goal is to have some of the best hotels in the world but we intend to do so in Sri Lanka, from where we come. Looking after ourselves and one's own is a basic animal instinct, but we trust that the culture and four major religions of our country will take this program "Renaissance Sri Lanka" further into a far wider circle. "The spokesperson said "we believe in Sri Lanka and the capacity of her people to be among the best and even better, we also believe that we need to lead by example and commit to the development of people we believe in". Once we are in full operation we hope to commit up to half our profit to "Renaissance Sri Lanka" which we hope grows much larger than our own organisation. We will not accept outside donations and will work only with funds from our own organisations," he said. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
being
as a result of the development of the Walawe river development project. It
is the closest national park to Colombo and it takes about 3-4 hours from
the city to reach the park. 
