Ampara is the town located towards Eastern coast of Sri Lanka and is famous among the nature lovers. Arugam Bay has made this town as the home of best surfing spot in the world. In this destination, you can witness some of the great international surfing competitions.
Interesting fact about Amapara!
Gone are the days when Amapara was the place that was considered to be just the residence of construction workers. Eventually, Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake brought in Galoya scheme under which Amapara became a coastal town.
How to reach Ampara?
Journey to Ampara is very interesting because it can allow you to enjoy the view of misty hills and lush green fields. This place is 324km away from the Colombo. You can easily reach to this place via train or by car drive. If you choose to go by train, then it may take around 3 hours to reach this place and if you go by car drive, then it may take around 5 hours to reach the place.
Have you heard of air taxi? You can also travel here by booking for air taxi that can drop you to the Batticaloa. From here you can reach Ampara in a short ride.
While roaming around the city, you can enjoy traveling in Tuk Tuk!! Tuk Tuk is an interesting three wheeler vehicle but before getting into it, it is important for you to fix the price so that you don’t have to pay anything above the meter. You can also travel the city by bus and it is also quite affordable mode of traveling.
Few attractions of Ampara!
This place in Sri Lanka has handful of attractions that can allow you to take back some great memories. Here are the best 8 things to see in the Ampara:
First is Gal Oya National Park
The Gal Oya National Park is located in Inginiyagala and it was established in the year 1954. This park is rich in Flora and Fauna and you can also find different types of animals here.
There are several tiny islands across the reservoir where you can find varieties of birds. It is said that in this national park you can view around 150 differnet bird species. In this twenty five thousand nine hundred hectare park, you can find around 35 species of mammals. It includes leopards, boar, buffalo, langur etc.
It is the reservoir where you can opt for boat safari in order to enjoy different views thoroughly. There are people who also enjoy jeep safari because it allows them to explore the ever green forests. For jeep safaris, there are two tracks available and they are 5km as well as 13km. The best time to visit this place is from the month of March to the month of July.
Second is Lahugala Kitulana National Park
Lahugala Kitulana National Park is said to be the smallest national park in Sri Lanka but is very rich in terms of Flora and Fauna. It comprises of 1554 acres of land. There are several inhabitants who take shelter in this forest. This national park consists of 3 reservoirs and they are Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa.
In this park there is an ancient temple called as Magul Maha Viharaya which you can view while enjoying your park tour. This temple has premises of around ten thousand acres. Here you can view Stupas, moonstone, palace etc.
In this park some of the commonly found animal species are like sloth bear, rusty spotted cat, fishing cat, golden jackal, white kingfisher, Indian hare, Indian pangolin etc.
Third is Maha Oya Hot Springs
In Ampara, Maha Oya Hot Springs is considered to be the well-known spring destination. It is 2 kms away from the Mahaoya town. Seven wells make Maha Oya Hot Springs and you can also observe low blue coloured wall. 56 C is the temperature of the hottest spring. In the 2 wells here, you can find the water that has bathing temperature. Mineral content in water is equivalent to a spa treatment.
Fourth is Mahoora Tented Safari Camp
Do you like viewing wildlife behind the bar? If you are nature and animal lover then definitely you want something more! Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Sri Lanka offers you the chance of view animals from close. Movable tents can make it easy for you to view different animals at different place. In this place you can view animals in their natural environment.
For safari camping this is considered to be the best place. For wildlife holidays you can visit this place and enjoy tented safari camps.