A lagoon-and-mangrove national park northeast of Kilinochchi, a haven for migratory water birds and wintering greater flamingos.

Overview

Chundikkulam National Park protects a broad brackish lagoon and its surrounding mangroves, sea-grass beds, scrub forest and palmyra plantations on the strip of land between the mainland and the Jaffna Peninsula. It is one of the finest birdwatching sites in the north, alive in the migratory season with waders, ducks, terns, painted storks, spoonbills and large flocks of greater flamingos. Remote and little visited, it rewards those who make the effort with big skies, quiet water and abundant birdlife.

History

The Chundikkulam lagoon and its shores were declared a bird sanctuary on 25 February 1938 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. After decades affected by the civil war, the sanctuary was upgraded to a national park on 22 June 2015, covering some 19,565 hectares, and is managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.