Sinharaja Forest Reserve | Sri Lanka | Travel | Destinations

Wildlife in Sri Lanka

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Sinharaja forest receives between 3000-6000 mm of rain throughout the year and have a minimum rainfall of over 200 mm even during non monsoon periods. The mean temperature is between 18-27 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 75% - 90%. Only a faint sunshine reaches the ground layer of the forest which ranges from 5% - 15% of the total sun light. The land coverage of the Sinharaja Forest is 21 km lengthwise, with a minimum width of 3 km and a maximum width of 7 km throughout that land extent. The location of Sinharaja Rain Forest is between 6 D 21 M and 6 D 27 M , North and 80 D 25 M and 80 D 34 M, East. Gin Ganga and Kalu Ganga [ Rivers Gin and Kalu] gets its water flow from this forest land. The highest elevated mountain peak found at Sinharaja is 1170 Mts and has eight peaks over 600 Mts.

Sinharaja Forest is considered to be a Tropical Rain Forest in the areas below 1000 Mts. elevation and Sub Montane Forest above 1000 Mts. elevation. The plant density inside the forest is 240,000 plants per hectare and also there are 340 timber species. Out of these, 192 are endemic to Sri Lanka and 19 out of those endemic species are found only within Sinharaja Forest.