Janet's Journal

Tucked away in the depths of rural Sri Lanka lies the small town of Udawalawe.  Equidistant from the hills to the north and the Indian Ocean in the south it is surrounded by vast sugar cane plantations, rice paddy and fields of manioc. 

 It would have remained relatively unheard of if it had not been for a decision in the 1960s to build a dam across the Walawe River.

The Udalwalawe Dam created a reservoir 8.6 kilometres long by 7 kilometres wide.  It provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.  

The road across the dam is 4 kilometres and gives spectacular views across the calm blue water to the misty peaks of the hills in the distance.  

The evocative petrified remains of trees in the water remind one of the extent of the original forest.  On the other side you look across the top of a vast teak forest.

A national park was formed providing sanctuary for all the animals displaced by the formation of the reservoir. The Elephant Transit Home was founded between the town and the park to care for orphaned elephants. See separate articles on Udalwalawe National Park and The Elephant Transit Home.

Huge river fish are displayed for sale on market stalls by the roadside, convincing me that I never want to swim in the rivers here!

A few kilometres from the town is a large sugar factory, I tried to visit but was turned away at the gate with a polite “foreigners are not allowed inside”.

Elephants come amazingly close to the road hopeful of some food from the kindly villagers.  Electric fences stop them getting out of the park but at night the occasional elephant gets out and spends some happy time munching on sugar cane.