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Nature Tourism in Western Province

The Western Province has plenty of tourist attractions. It’s wonderful beaches such as Negambo, Mount Lavinia, Wadduwa, Kalutara Kalido, Moragalla, Beruwala and Kaluwamodara are famous among tourists. Furthermore one could find a unique collection of flora and fauna within the Western Province. The Western Province gives shelter to several wild life sanctuaries where the enthusiastic nature lovers would see beautiful local and migrated bird species. If one wishes to go beyond sight seeing and explore the nature, he could involve in nature based activities such as scuba driving, fishing tours in the sea and inland water streams, hiking etc. Due to the geographical variations, the province rich with a number of nature attractions including beautiful water falls, rivers, mountains, and forest reserves which would lure the nature viewers.

See: http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/

See: http://www.lankalibrary.com/natural.html

Present Nature Attractions

Important Bird Area in the Province

The function of the Important Bird Areas (IBA) programme is to identify and protect a network of sites, at a biogeographic scale, critical for the long-term viability of naturally occurring bird populations, across the range of those bird species for which a sites-based approach is appropriate.

IBA programme uses a set of scientifically sound and objective criteria to identify IBAs. The criteria are also standardized globally so the international importance of the IBAs should be well understood in different countries. The criteria include globally threatened species, restricted-ranged species such as those in Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) (Sri Lanka is an EBA and there are 24 endemic bird species), congregations of breeding, migratory, and wintering birds (as those species for wetlands given in the RAMSAR criteria), and birds restricted to major biomes

Bellanvila Attidiya Wetland and wildlife

Painted Strock

Bellanvila is a small birds santuary which is very cloce to the Colombo district. There are more endemici and migrant birds . Attidiya wetland is situated on the south Estern frontier of colombo. It comprises of shallow water ponds and marshers .The vegetation of this wetland is dominated by sedge and grasses.around 13 speciesof waterfowls are living in the area. Bluebreasted bandedrail.Indian shag are the most uncommon species in sri lanka.

Muthurajawla wild life santuary

Bird Watching

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) is the implementing institute of the IBA project in the country as a BirdLife representative of Sri Lanka. 70 sites have been identified as Important Bird Areas in the island. Nine of them are located in the Western province and are given in following table.

No	Name	Ownership	Conservation Category	District
01	Bellanwila-Attidiya	DWC	S	Colombo
02	Muthurajawela	DWC	S	Colombo
03	Delmella Yatagampitiya		PR	Kalutara, Ratnapura
04	Haycock	FD	FR	Kalutara
05	Indikada mukalana	FD	PR	Colombo
06	Kalugala	FD	PR	Kalutara
07	Labugama -Kalatuwawa	FD	FR	Colombo, Kalutara, Ratnapura
08	Morapitiya-Runakanda	FD	PR	Kalutara
09	Yagirala	FD	FR	Kalutara

DWC - Department of Wildlife Conservation

FD - Forest Department

S - Sanctuary

PR - Proposed Reserve

FR - Forest Reserve

Natural Water Falls in the Province

The hilly areas in the Western Province falling number of water falls which are not very popular or easy assess to the public as water falls in Central Highland in the country.many of them are virtually unknown, hiddenaway in forest or barren land.

Following are the names of wasterfalls

1. Ella Uda Ella
2. Makeliya Ella
3. Ranmudu ella
4. Kumari Ella
5. Yaka bedi ella
6. dabora Ella

Ranmudu Ella

Ella Uda Ella

Kumari ella

Makeliya Ella

The makeliya Water Fallsis about300 ft.runs at the approach of kukuleganga and Makeliya stream.it is very beautifull fater fall and it is located in agalawatta Divivsionl secretariat Division.The place is very close to the Colombo District.Visiters can vicite there to enjoy with the scenic buity.