Wetland tour

Wetland tour

“Colombo, emerging one and only south Asian wetland city” within 18 cities across the globe, declared by RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands held in Dubai. The wetland complex in Colombo spreads across Diyawannawa, Beddagana, Thalawathugoda, Kotte, Kolonnawa, Thalangama and Ambatale rendering a mammoth of services, which are often looked over by stakeholders.

History of Diyasaru Park

Before admiring the beauty, let’s look into the history of Diyasaru Park briefly. Before 1980, this place was a paddy field. But during the construction period of the new Parliament, the land was acquired and used to dump dredged material from that project. After the construction of the Parliament, the land has become a marshy land and so it was neglected.

Then invasive plants had begun to invade the marshy land and slowly it has become a wetland. During the flood in 2010, the authorities have identified the importance of the management of the wetlands, and a decision has taken to further develop this area as a wetland. The land has been divided into several islands, and canals have been made. With heavy moderation the land has been converted to a complete and beautiful wetland. That is how Diyasaru Park was born.

Diyasuru Park is an artificial Wetland built near Thalawathugoda in Colombo. It is managed by the Wetland Management Division, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation, and Development Corporation. The Parks overall aim is to provide a nature-based experience for its visitors. The Park also attempts to demonstrate how the use of wetlands and the integration of green infrastructure is beneficial to city development.

What we’ll do

We start the day early around 5.30 am from Borelesgamuwa, EI Life Skills Training Team’s Head office and expecting to reach park by 6.15am or 6.30am as “Diyasaru Park” is open from 6am. Diyasuru Park consists of many marshy areas, woody patches and artificially created lakes and ponds and stands at 60 acres and is home a wide variety of animals. It houses over 50 types of migratory birds, over 15 varieties of fish and over 25 species of butterflies. You can also find fishing cats, otters, and estuarine crocodiles.

Further the land was divided into islands and canals were created in the development of this park. Those canals allow having a nice boat ride around the park. And if you want to observe the whole park, you definitely have to have a boat ride, since the footpaths don’t cover the whole park. The trip duration is said to be 45 minutes. We start off with a boat ride in the morning hours from 6.45 am to 7.45 am.

After the boat ride we gather at resting hut near the entrance to take have breakfast. Approximate time for breakfast would be 1 hour (8.00 am to 9.00 am). A Sri Lankan traditional Breakfast will be arranged by our team along with tea/ coffee/ herbal tea of your choice.

Then you are allowed to walk around the whole wetland area soon after your morning break. Timber footpaths are created to walk over water and marsh. “ Bird Hid” which is a camouflaged shelter built to observe birds closely without disturbing their natural behaviors. Next to this bird hide is a waterlogged area with a lot of bird activities. By staying inside this hut, you can observe them though the little holes created. Further “Bird Watching Tower”, another facility you are provided to watch them. There is a large waterlogged area in front of this two-storied observation tower. If you have proper gear, this place is perfect for bird photography. On the other side of the park, the Butterfly Garden is situated. You can find numerous kinds of butterflies there. According to the park management, there are 80 species. Also an Organic Farm – A Traditional farm without chemicals available to see. You definitely can’t finish this list before lunch. But our experts will guide you to.

After getting the live experience of “Diyasaru Park Wetland” approximately by 1.00 pm you’ll take a break for lunch. Again Sri Lankan Authentic Lunch and desert will be provided by our team.

There are two large huts right after the entrance which are dedicated to studying and group sessions. Diyasaru Park is more concerned to facilitate studies on bio-diversity and wetland management. Therefore, workshops and seminars are held inside the park in the regular basis. So we EI Life Skills Training team do provide a brief lecture session in the evening hours (approximately by 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm) by our consultant. Within the session your doubts and questions can be discussed with our expert. We conclude the session by 5.00 pm.

What we’ll provide

Breakfast & Lunch

Transport

Entrance Tickets and other Tickets arrangements

Professional guide to the entire tour (One Day)

Bookings of Rides

Bookings of Lecture Session

What to bring

Nothing much to bring as all basics are arranged by our team. But do not forget medicine, if you are following any daily medicine after or before meals. And Sun protection, Hats, Cameras on your interest and protection.

What to Wear

The Climate in Sri Lanka is tropical and consists of very distinctive dry and wet seasons. The average temperature of Sri Lanka usually ranges from 28 – 32 degrees Celsius. So that while visiting wetland parks we recommend warm clothes. For women, loose cotton skirts or trousers and tops or a long dress. For men cotton trousers or shorts and a T-shirt.