Pambala Mangrove conservation forest and museum

Year and Month	June 2017
Number of Days	1
Crew	3
Accommodation	N/A
Transport	Pajero, Boat
Activities	Boat rides, Photography
Weather	Clear sky
Route	Chilaw -> Pambala -> Chilaw
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Take 2L’s of water Do not carry Plastic items (Minimize), Make sure you bring back everything you took. Don’t disturb wild life Wear life jackets Need protection for cameras Avoid windy days Need anti emetic treatment if you are prone to nausea. Can talk with the Pambala center and arrange a boat Its easy to get a boat on Saturday evenings and Sundays at Chilaw lagoon
Author	Ashan
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Chilaw is a city with a lagoon which acts as a tsunami barrier, mode of living and the most important aspect which is the bio diversity it provides. Chilaw lagoon is also a part of the extensive network of mode of transport which was used during the colonial era. The lagoon at Pambala/Chilaw is fed by two river estuaries of Deduru oya and Lunu oya which finally connects to Hamilton canal.

Attractions

Pambala Lagoon ride
Pambala museum
Chilaw lagoon ride

So as pre planned we arrived at Pambala on a morning to get a boat ride but unfortunately the boat operator was ill so we had to find another person and he had only a rowing type boat. The boat ride was through the tall mangrove forest towards the south and a return trip back to the Pambala conservation center.

lagoon view

.	Lagoon of pambala

towards Chilaw

.	entering the narrow canal

.	tall mangroves

.	Keran koku

wow

grey heron

.	returning back

the museum

specimens

.	available for rides

muhudu kaju

After returning to the conservation center we went through the orderly organized museum(Open only on weekdays) which I think every school child needs to visit at least once in their life time. You could get a good idea about Mangrove forest and the species which live among it. The specimen collection also was an extensive one. At pambala there are lots of specimens of mangroves which could be acquired for re plantation projects so please contact Mr Douglas (0714237674) who is the director at this place for further information.

entrance

In the evening we reached the Chilaw fish market where we met our contact person called Anton. He took us towards the Lagoon mouth where the Deuru oya meets the ocean. The narrow mouth was shallow as well so the boats had to get a helping hand to be pushed in to the sea at this point. After observing some fishing we headed towards the Deduru oya side but unfortunately we had to abandoned the ride because there were lots of washed away trunks which was causing problems to the boat. We returned back to the Fish market and on our way we noted a boat race which begun at around 5.30Pm. Actually this was not a race of a tournament it was a race for living.