Sri Lanka - Gal Oya National Park, Ampara

When i was working with the Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry, i got a wonderful opportunity to Travel with the authorities to the East Coast (Ampara) after the completion of the war inorder to document some of the NEW attractions Sri Lanka was going to promote in the future. Gal Oya National Park, Ampara is one of the places identified. In most parts of the year, you could witness elephants swimming in a 100 feet of water from one island to the another in search of food. It was magnificent and not many people are aware of it. It is also an ideal place for fishing, camping and hiking through the thick jungle. You have to have a good guide and wild life officer with you as there can be many elephant encounters with nowhere to run. There is a mysterious whole near a water fall where they are unable to identify the depth as there seems to be a tunnel where the water flows through but no place at which it comes out of. This is why its referred to as a 'Whole'.