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HARAJA
F
O
REST
R
ESER
v
E
Gin Ganga in the south. An old foot track
that goes past the Beverley Estate marks the
eastern border, close to the highest peak in
the forest, Hinipitigala (1171m). Towards the
west the land decreases in elevation.
The reserve comprises 189 sq km of nat-
ural and modified forest, measuring about
21km east to west and 3.7km north to south.
It was once a royal reserve, and some colo-
nial records refer to it as Rajasinghe Forest.
It may have been the last redoubt of the Sri
Lankan lion.
In 1840 the forest became British crown
land, and from that time some efforts were
made towards its preservation. However, in
1971 loggers moved in and began selective
logging. The logged native hardwoods were
replaced with mahogany (which does not oc-
cur naturally here), logging roads and trails
snaked into the forest and a wood-chip mill
was built. Following intense lobbying by con-
servationists, the government called a halt to
all logging in 1977. Machinery was disman-
tled and removed, the roads gradually grew
over and Sinharaja was saved. Much of the
rest of Sri Lanka’s rainforest stands on moun-
tain ridges within a 20km radius of the forest.
There are 22 villages around the forest, and
locals are permitted to enter the area to tap
palms to make jaggery (a hard brown sweet)
and treacle, and to collect dead wood and
leaves for fuel and construction. Medicinal
plants are collected during specific seasons.
Rattan collection is of more concern, as the
demand for cane is high. Sinharaja attracts
illegal gem miners, too, and abandoned open
pits pose a danger to humans and animals,
and cause erosion. There is also some poach-
ing of wild animals.
̈ Wildlife & Plants
Sinharaja has a wild profusion of flora. The
canopy trees reach heights of up to 45m,
with the next layer down topping 30m.
Nearly all the subcanopy trees found here
are rare or endangered. More than 65% of
the 217 types of trees and woody climbers
endemic to Sri Lanka’s rainforest are found
in Sinharaja.
The largest carnivore here is the leopard.
Its presence can usually be gauged only by
droppings and tracks, and it’s seldom seen.
Even rarer are rusty spotted cats and fishing
cats. Sambar, barking deer and wild boar
can be found on the forest floor. Groups of
10 to 14 purple-faced langurs are fairly com-
mon. There are three kinds of squirrels: the
flame-striped jungle squirrel, the dusky-striped jungle squirrel and the western giant
squirrel. Porcupines and pangolins waddle
around the forest floor, mostly unseen. Civ-
ets and mongooses are nocturnal, though
you may glimpse the occasional mongoose
darting through the foliage during the day.
Six species of bats have been recorded here.
Sinharaja has 45 species of reptiles, 21 of
them endemic. Venomous snakes include
the green pit viper (which inhabits trees), the
hump-nosed viper and the krait, which lives
on the forest floor. One of the most frequent-
ly found amphibians is the wrinkled frog,
whose croaking is often heard at night.
There is a wealth of birdlife: 160 species
have been recorded, with 18 of Sri Lanka’s 20
endemic species seen here.
Sinharaja has leeches in abundance. In
colonial times the British, Dutch and Portu-
guese armies rated leeches as their worst ene-
my when they tried to conquer the hinterland
(which was then much more forested), and
one British writer claimed leeches caused
more casualties than all the other animals
put together. These days you needn’t suffer
as much because all guides carry antileech
preparations.
̈ Practical Information
Tickets are sold at the main Forest Depart-
ment office at Kudawa and at Deodawa, 5km
from Deniyaya on the Matara road. The drier
months (August and September, and January
to early April) are the best times to visit.
See http://www.sinharaja.4t.com for detailed in-
formation on the history, flora and fauna, and
the challenges faced by the Sinharaja Forest
Reserve.1 Sights
Kotapola, 6km south of Deniyaya, has a su-
perb early-17th-century rock temple. It’s well
worth the climb. The Kiruwananaganga
Falls, some of the largest in Sri Lanka (60m
high and up to 60m wide), are 5km east of
Kotapola on the road towards Urubokka. The
Kolawenigama Temple, 3km from Pallega-
ma (which is 3km from Deniyaya), is of mod-
est proportions but has a unique structure
that resembles Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred
Tooth Relic. It was built by King Buwanekaba-
hu VII in recognition of the protection given
to the tooth relic by the villagers. The shrine
has Kandyan-style frescoes.4 leeping & EatingS
It’s most convenient to visit the reserve from
Deniyaya if you don’t have your own wheels