04 – Kayaking in Kalawewa National Park

This was an amazing day. Kalawewa is an ancient twin reservoir complex in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura district, built by King Datusena around 460 A.D. with a capacity to hold 123 million cubic meters of water. It’s surrounded by Kalawewa National Park, making it a popular spot for outdoor activities like kayaking, where you can paddle through calm waters while spotting wildlife such as elephants, birds, and other animals in a mix of forest, grassland, and wetland landscapes. We didn’t see any elephants as the water level was very high due to it being the rainy season.

The tractor ride to the lake was an exciting start to the journey. Normally a Jeep is used but given the extremely wet conditions the road was impassible.
Love my tractors…
Everyone waves, particularly the children.
The team have a ritual before entering the national park.
Cutting a branch and posting it on this tree prays for a safe return.
The park entry sign.
The two senior guides.
The smiles are so genuine and normal here. Sri Lanka is a happy place and much of that is down to Buddhism.
The tea time break. The is consisted of fresh cut and local fruit and yellow pancakes made of rice flour filled with a sweet cinnamon and sugar mixture. Delicious!.
Our leader was a fascinating individual with big plans. Note how behind him how several acres of the lake are covered with water lilys. He has a plan in action for the local fishermen to collect these so that they can be pulped and turned into paper! Understand that we are here at the wettest time in a year that has had above average rainfall and a devastating typhoon in the last 2 months.
This is a long video that brings us out of a forest and into the leeward side of a large expanse of the lake. The water became choppy and we turned around shortly afterwards.
Just turning back from the choppy water. This was the maximum extent before we headed back. Total distance is estimated at about 12km over three hours.
Pradeep our guide for the whole trip pumping out water.
Bright coloured millipede. The bright colouring of all manner of species is beautiful.
Brahminy Kite. Looks like an eagle but more reddish.
Pelicans leaving their perch
It was interesting to watch the local fisherman going about their business using their traditional ways. The people of this country believe in protecting and preserving their natural environment as far as possible even where that impinges on advancement and progress. Motor powered vessels are not allowed on lakes in national parks so these methods are the only real option.
Turn up the audio to hear the cacophony of birds before the heavens opened.
Phil Shatz

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