Kanneliya Rain Forest

Last updated on 02 May 2023Show location

Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiadeniya or ``KDN'' is a forest complex in southern Sri Lanka.

In 2004, UNESCO designated this forest complex as a biosphere reserve. Apart from Sinharajaya, the KDN complex is the last remaining large forest reserve in Sri Lanka. This forest area is one of the most vegetated areas in South Asia. The forest complex is located 35 km northwest of Galle city. This rainforest is a major catchment area for the Ging and Nilwala rivers, two very important rivers in southern Sri Lanka. Many flora and fauna endemic to Sri Lanka are sheltered in this biosphere reserve. From the 1960s until the end of the 1970s, the thin planks corporation's Galle Gingthota factory used to get wood from this area for the production of thin planks, so there has been a lot of forest destruction. The asphalt roads used at that time are still visible in the forest. For this reason, the primary forest in Kanneliya is less. The forest is spread over the secondary plants. That is, many areas of this forest are covered with newly grown plants.

The Kanneliya jungle should undoubtedly be visited by tourists looking for adventure-based tourism destinations in Sri Lanka. A low-lying forest covering roughly 5306 acres. Moreover, the Galle district is home to a tropical rain forest. A series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys make up the landmark. The height is between 60 and 425 meters above sea level. When compared to the other areas of the Galle district, the climate in Kanneliya significantly differs. The yearly temperature range is four to five degrees Celsius, with a mean of 27.0 °C. 3,750 mm of significant rain fall on the forest. Biodiversity is greatly enhanced in the Kanneliya forest. Just because of the Sinharaja Forest, it can rank second on the list. The main water source for the Kanneliya forest is the "Gin Ganga" river.