An area of 6216 hectares is one of the 3 “RAMSAR” approved Wetland Reserves in Sri Lanka (the other two are Annaiwilandawa beyond Chilaw and Madhu Ganga Reserve at Balapitiya) that hosts over 20,000 shorebirds, during the period August to April. The Park consists of lagoons and inter-tidal mudflats where wintering birds rest and feed, golden sandy beaches and sand dunes where sea turtles nest and the thorny scrub-land where elephant, spotted deer, wild buffalo, wild boar, crocodiles, and peacocks roam.

More than 150 species (including 45 species of “Waders”) of resident and migrant birds could be seen in this Park. Thousands of Greater / Lesser Flamingoes, Spot-billed Pelicans, Spoonbills, Ducks, Indian Shags, Cormorants, Stone Plover and various species of Herons are among the large flocks found here. Pathirajawela, within the Bundala National Park, is a site where the earliest evidence of the pre-historic man is found in the Island.