One of the top five biodiversity hotspots in the world, Sri Lanka, with its many wildlife parks and forest reserves, sets the stage for a wildlife adventure like no other. It gets better – Sri Lanka also boasts one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world!
With so many wildlife safari/exploration options available, planning your adventure can indeed be an ardent task. The most popular national park in Sri Lanka is Yala, located on the southeast of Sri Lanka and bordered by the Indian Ocean. It is also the largest, spanning over 320,000 acres. In Yala, hotels and camping sites are a plenty. However, for a true adventurous stay, opt for camp-centric accommodation such as the ones provided by Wild Trails Yala.
Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary back in 1900 and a national park in 1938. It is made up of forests, grasslands, tanks and lagoons and is divided into 5 blocks. Two of these blocks are open to the public. A thrilling safari through Yala showcases leopards, elephants, sloth bears, sambars, jackals, spotted deer, crocodiles and over 35 other mammals. The park is also home to over 200 species of birds.
The oldest national park in the country is Wilpattu. It spans over a large region in the northwest up to Anuradhapura. The park encompasses quite a few cultural heritage sites as well. The area is crisscrossed with lakes, grasslands and shrubbery and is home to elephants, sloth bear, water buffaloes and spotted deer. A few leopards are found in Wilpattu as well.
Udawalawe is Sri Lanka’s premier national park for elephants. It is located surrounding the massive Udawalawe reservoir, bordering Ratnapura and Moneragala districts. The park has an elephant population in excess of 500, along with other mammals such as sloth bear, deer and jackals. Minneriya, Wasgamuwa and Gal Oya are some of the other popular national parks in the country with the former being world famous for its ‘elephant gathering’, a phenomenon unique to Sri Lanka.
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.