Sri Lankan National Parks
The small Indian Ocean nation of Sri Lanka is said to be comparable in size to the island of Tasmania and slightly smaller than Ireland yet manages to squeeze in no less than 26 national parks, (including marine national parks, bird sanctuaries and a forest reserve), covering a total area of some 5,700 square kilometres. While many Sri Lankan National Parks are not large, some do offer spectacular landscapes and many are certainly packed full of wildlife.
We confess to having only visited a fraction of these in person – some are rather far-flung and several very small – so our list concentrates on the better-known ones which can be readily included on our Sri Lanka small group tour itineraries. Certain parks justify their existence to a specific species or range of fauna, such as the wild ponies of Deft or the abundant bird species of World Heritage Sinharaja Forest Reserve, so we also try and include ones that offer a range of wildlife as well as a reasonable likelihood of sightings. (Although, of course, nothing is ever guaranteed.)
Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe has a convenient location in south central Sri Lanka and is thus readily accessible from many of the south and southwest coast resort towns. The park is home to abundant wildlife, including elephants, crocodiles and waterbird species, although covering a mere 300 or so square kilometres and being the 3rd most visited of the country’s national parks, it does get crowded.
Yala National Park
Yala lies in the island’s southeastern corner – east of neighbouring Udawalawe – but covers a much larger area of 1,300 square kilometres. It’s probably Sri Lanka’s best-known national park and receives the highest number of visitors as, again, its western reaches are conveniently close to coastal resorts. During high season the most easily accessed areas of the park get very crowded so, if you do wish to visit, we’d suggest entering in the quieter, eastern and northern parts of the park. Elephants and birdlife are abundant while leopards are regularly sighted.
Leopard in Yala National Park Wilpattu National Park
While Udawalawe and Yala are great parks offering a range of fauna, our clear favourite is the more off-the-beaten-track Wilpattu situated in the northwestern sector of Sri Lanka. Despite being the country’s largest national park its somewhat remote location means it sees far fewer visitors than Yala or Udawalawe. Wilpattu offers some of the best opportunities to see sloth bears and leopards, while the area’s attractive landscapes feature heavier forest cover than the scrublands of certain southern parks. The numerous, picturesque lakes dotted across the park are home to crocodiles in addition to a wide number of bird species.
Forest trail in Wilpattu National Park Minneriya
Pronounced Min-air-eeya, this park also comes with a convenient location close to World Heritage Polonnaruwa, a short distance southeast of Habarana in the country’s Cultural Triangle. Minneriya’s claim to fame is the annual ‘elephant gathering’ when hundreds of pachyderms congregate around Minneriya Tank – one of the area’s last remaining dry season watering holes. However, along with neighbouring Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa National Parks, the region does have a large all-year-round elephant population.
Due to the park’s relatively small size and the gathering’s renown, initial impressions can be somewhat off-putting with almost as many safari jeeps as elephants, although in our experience, a good local guide can easily get off the beaten track while still finding plentiful herds. Langurs, crocs and birdlife are also readily spotted, although the big draw here remains the ellies.
The elephant gathering, Minneriya National Park Horton Plains
Last but not least on our Sri Lankan National Parks list is another well-known site – the Horton Plains National Park. Including the spectacular World’s End viewpoint where the Hill Country abruptly meets the southern plain with a sheer drop of over 1000 metres, Horton Plains is famous for its spectacular landscapes and excellent hiking opportunities rather than the wildlife jeep safaris of Yala and Wilpattu. Nonetheless, the park is home to bountiful flora and fauna, including rhododendron forests (not native and originally brought from north India by the British), sambur deer, langurs and numerous bird species. Leopards and giant squirrels are also occasionally seen.
World’s End in the Horton Plains National Park Honorary mentions
Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa
Many of the herds heading towards Minneriya Tank for the famous gathering spend much of the year in these two neighbouring parks. They’re far less known and see fewer visitors, so are excellent options outside of the dry season.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
The best remaining area of rainforest on the island Sinharaja is reputed for its myriad bird species and while mammals also abound, the dense jungle makes spotting opportunities rarer than in the scrub and grasslands of Yala and Udawalawe or drier forests of Wilpattu.
Sri Lankan National Parks on All Points East tours
While the above are all wonderful parks – as indeed are many that didn’t make our list – with a limited time frame and to avoid repetition, we’ve selected 3 different and differing national parks to include on both our scheduled small group tours and our Sri Lanka family tours. The scenery, relative lack of visitors and range of wildlife make Wilpattu the 1st choice for our jeep safaris while it also offers what we feel is the best camping/glamping set-up.
Minneriya is a must for the spectacular elephant gathering and, as we mentioned above, even though it can get busy, our expert local guides do a great job of finding more off-the-beaten-track areas of the park. Depending upon the location of herds, either Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa National park may replace Minneriya at certain periods of the year.
Horton Plains is included for the wonderful landscapes as well as offering great hiking opportunities on relatively easy trails and at a high, so cool, altitude.
