The only urban park in the Western Province, Horagolla National Park gets its name from the hora tree (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus) a common species around the island. These trees are more commonly known as “kiripalu” in Sanskrit. The park is a low country evergreen forest and Dipterocarpus itself is a deciduous plant. Mahogany, teak, sacred fig (Ficus religiosa or “Bodhi” tree), and golden shower tree or ehela-not to be confused with Frangipani or esala which is not native to the island-all fall under this group. Horagolla Walauwa is also the old estate of the famous Bandaranaike family, once the ruling clan in the newly-named Sri Lanka. In size, it covers just about 13.6 hectares.

Among the animals at Horagolla National Park, there are numerous butterflies like the large Ceylon Birdwing as well as many arboreal mammals. These include the grizzled squirrel, the smallest of the Oriental giant squirrels (genus Ratufa) as well as the fishing cat.

This is a wildcat with webbed toes, somewhat larger than a housecat and perfectly at home in the water. Among the other small and medium-sized mammals include the golden jackal, an opportunist that lives throughout Eurasia, and the water chevrotain.

Written by Vasika Udurawane for Travel Lanka Compass