A new entrance to the Yala National Park is now open to the public at Maw-aara through Lunugamvehera National Park for visitors travelling along the Kataragama-Buttala Road.

Plans are also underway to merge the Lunugamvehera National Park with Yala National Park, which is the most visited and second largest national park in the country. The 23,498-hectare Lunugamvehera Park was declared in 1995 with the intention of protecting the catchment area of the Lunugamvehera Reservoir and the region’s wildlife. This park also serves as a corridor for elephants to migrate between Yala and Udawalawe National Park.