Kanneliya Rain Forest Reserve

This precious forested eco-wonderland has been designated a special biosphere reserve by UNESCO, and with good reason. One of only two rainforests remaining in Sri Lanka, it is recognized as home to one of the richest collections of tropical plant life in South Asia. These include many that have been used for centuries as medicinal plants, including Concinium fenestratum (Sinhalese ‘Weniwelgata’) and Salacia reticulata (‘Kothala Himbutu’). The forest is also a haven for nearly all the species of wildlife to be found in Sri Lanka, all of which co-exist in harmony with the 10,000 people who live in 78 villages around the forest complex.