Kaudulla National Park is situated in the Polonnaruwa district, 197km away from Colombo. Kaudulla National Park is one of the identified Important Bird areas (IBA), as well as potential observe numerous species of other wildlife. It encompasses an area of 6900 hectares of dry evergreen forest and lies in the dry zone of the country. Kaudulla not only has a rich biodiversity, but also a rich historical background going back as far as the time of king Mahasen (277 to 304 AD).

Minneriya tank in the Kaudulla park was one of the 16 irrigation tanks built by the King Mahasen, which then was eventually abandoned due to shifting of the capital from Polonnaruwa to Dambadeniya. The tank was reconstructed in 1959 which resulted in a variety of wildlife getting attracted to the surrounding area, especially in the dry season (April to October).

The vegetation of the park is mainly of the dry evergreen forest type with traditional shifting crop (chena) cultivations (irrigated from the tank) and grasslands surrounding the tank area. This gives good visibility for both wildlife observation and photography. The park boasts of 24 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish and 160 species of bird. The wild animals move closer to the tank during the drought season, which makes it ideal for spotting elephants, birds and other wildlife. The Sri Lankan sambar deer, axis deer, chevrotain, wild boar, Sri Lankan leopard and sloth beat are among the mammals found in the park. Being an IBA site, the Kaudulla national park boasts of large water birds such as the spot billed pelican and lesser adjutant and dry zone birds such as the Sri Lankan green pigeon. The tank is the home to an endemic species of frog named Fejervarya pulla and to Indian flap shelled turtle and Indian black turtle

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