Hikkaduwa National Park

Hikkaduwa national park, located near Hikkaduwa town in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, is a marine national park, with a delightful variety of marine creatures. This zone is a low fringing coral reef, with a depth of 16 feet and length of 4 km. The site was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1979 and later upgraded to a nature reserve in the year 1988. In September 2012, it was listed as a national park.

The lagoon is rich in fauna. It encompasses 60 coral species and 170 species of reef fish. The corals include Staghorn, Elkhorn, cabbage, brain, table and star collar and species belonging to Montipora, Faviidae and Poritidae families. The reef serves as a habitat for Dugongs, sea turtles and various invertebrates such as prawns, crabs, shrimps, oysters, and sea worms. Apart from these, marine plants also exist underwater.

The site is known to offer a multitude of activities, like lagoon tours, lagoon safaris, canoeing, kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving. The most famous resort on the beach, Kalla Bongo offers kayaks on a rental basis. Amongst the most popular activities here are the lagoon tours and scuba diving. The area receives rainfall up to 2000 millimetres in the months of May-July and October-January. During this period, most of the activities come to a halt. Hence, visiting Hikkaduwa national park during these months is not advisable. The average temperature of the area is between 28°C to 30°C throughout the year.