Hi all, hope you are doing well. Today, let us talk about a hidden beauty in Colombo District, which is very less known about by the locals even. That is Beddagana Wetland Park. It is a nice place to have calm walk and to see diverse wetland plants & animals (birds mostly). You can feel the genuine experience of a wetland here in Beddagana Wetland Park, since the place is remained untouched.
We have talked about another park built on a wetland very recently. That is Diyatha Uyana in Battaramulla. Both the parks are bordered by the same lake, Diyawanna Oya. But they are very much different in nature. Diyatha Uyana is a developed park, constructed on a wetland, to contain a large number of people at once and to facilitate exercisers (so land is filled up mostly), where Beddagana Wetland Park is literally a wetland. There are footpaths and some huts, other than that, it is all a wetland.
The park is situated in ‘Beddagana’ (that is how it gets its name), Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. And it is maintained by the ‘Urban Development Authority’. There is a small entrance fee for both locals and foreigners.
The entrance and the parking area are at a corner of the park. You don’t have to worry about parking spaces, there are plenty of space. To reach the ticketing counter, you have to walk little far into the park. It is because the arrangement of the park has changed recently with opening of the car park. The first thing you will meet in Beddagana Wetland Park, is ‘Migratory Birds Trail’.
Migratory Bird Trail
It is basically an open area filled with plants and small trees and a natural water reservoir and marshland in the center. There are a number of types of birds around that water body. Most of them are said to be migratory birds. You will see birds here through out the year, but in migratory birds’ season, you will see a whole lot of birds here. Due to which, Beddagana Wetland Park is highly sought after by bird lovers.
Footpaths are created to walk along. Make sure not to walk out of the footpaths, since the animals can be disturbed. The management has set the area up, to make animals feel like it is their natural habitat.
This is a fine example for that.
A bird has laid eggs on this man-made nest since she has felt it is safe.
If you walk silent enough, you will see number of birds with their natural actions.
You can also see number of herbal, indigenous, rare and various types of important plants and bushes are planted along the path, mixed with beautiful flower plants.
Park School
At the end of the Migratory Birds Trail, you will meet a school. Yes, you heard correctly, it is the ‘Park School’. It is intended to give introductions and knowledge to small groups on bio-diversity, wetland management, conservation, etc.
When you walk passing the park school, you will reach the ticketing counter. Please note that plastic bottles and containers are not allowed in the park. If you have any of them in your possession, you have to keep them at the ticketing counter.
This is where you enter into the lake (Diyawanna Oya) side. And below is the first thing you will see once you enter the lake side.
You should definitely follow that, not only in here, but anywhere you visit.
Butterfly Walk
It is said that there are Butterflies in this area, but unfortunately I couldn’t see many. May be it is because I’m not patient enough to observe Butterflies.
Duck Pond
From here you will walk above the wetland. A wooden footpath is created for people to walk without disturbing the surround. It is really a nice feeling to walk on this thing. By the sides of the footpath, there are a lot of ducks in this area. That is why it is called Duck Pond. But not only ducks, there are many other types of birds also in this area. Duck pond is the most attractive thing in the Beddagana Wetland Park.
As I mentioned before also, walking on these footpaths is an awesome experience. You will have to go through a lot trees, plants, vines and bushes, while you are walking above the water. Most parts of the path are shady, so you won’t find it difficult to visit this place even at the noon, unlike Diyatha Uyana and Bellanwila Park.
Diyawanna Walk
When you pass the Duck Pond, you enter into the bank of Diyawanna Oya. You can walk along the bank up to a point, and you have to come back on the same path. They call it ‘Diyawanna Walk’.
Forest Trail
After that you can enter into the ‘Forest Trail’ which is a considerably thick wetland forest. The path is so shady and brings you a unique experience.
Floating Deck
At the end of the forest trail, there is another timber deck, which is larger and more beautiful than the first one. They call it ‘Diyawanna Floating Deck’.
Again, you have to come back along the Forest Trail to continue the rest of the journey. Now you can take the other side of Duck Pond.
This large hut is in the middle of the Duck Pond. It adds much beauty to the site. You can observe a large area from the top of it. The sight from here is amazing at the evening when the sun is about to set.
Beddagana Wetland Park is open from 6.30 AM to 5.30PM. To my experience the best time to feel the beauty of this is early morning or the evening.
When you walk passing this, you will reach the Butterfly Walk again, which leads you to the ticketing counter.
I guess you have an idea of Beddagana Wetland Park now. For more photos (larger), visit the complete image gallery below.
How to reach Beddagana Wetland Park…?
I might have convinced you to visit this lovely place. So here is the exact location of the Beddagana Wetland Park.
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There is another newly developed wetland park just like this, on the other side of the Diyawanna lake. That is Diyasaru Park. If you love this place, you will definitely love that also.
So that is about Beddagana Wetland Park, a hidden beauty in Colombo District. If you have any questions or need more details please ask me via comments. Hope to see you soon in the next post.