Sri Lanka Wildlife

Sri Lanka is usually seen as a beach and cultural destination and, unlike its wildlife is underestimated. This is a shame as for a relatively small island Sri Lanka packs a big wildlife punch with a sizeable leopard population, plenty of wild elephants, excellent bird watching and, increasingly, great opportunities to see whales and dolphins. The best known parks are listed here:

Wilppatu

Effectively out of bounds during the civil war Wilppatu, Sri Lanka’s largest park, was noted for its thriving leopard populations. As conservation was not a priority during the troubles animal numbers were affected however it is now fully up and running and home to the full range of Sri Lankan fauna. Facilities are still basic however Wilppatu is easily accessible from a base in Anuradhapura, or elsewhere in the cultural triangle, and you are almost certain to see minimal other visitors.

043 Sloth Bear (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne Yala 2004 07 11 005 (2) - SLTB

Minneriya

Near Polonnaruwa, in the cultural triangle, you can access the Minneriya National Park. Here, during the dry season, you are likely to come across the phenomenon of the ‘gathering’ as Elephants congregate around the reservoirs, or tanks, in large numbers of up to 150 which is something pretty much unique in Asia. The peak of this is the dry months of June to September. Visitors to the park can stay at pretty much any part of the cultural triangle.

Kadulla Elephants - SLTB

Yala

Yala is the best known and most visited of all the parks in Sri Lanka. The habitat is dry forest and it is here that you are most likely to see leopards and wild elephants as well as crocodiles and sloth bears. Most accommodation is based around the eastern side however there are now some really excellent, albeit expensive, camping options with superb in house wildlife experts.

5 - SLTB

Bundala

Stretching along the south coast for about 20 km the lagoons and coastal wetlands offer superb birding, particularly of the aquatic variety. Over 200 bird species have been recorded including flamingoes (migrating from Gujarat in India), egrets, spoonbills, peacocks and pelicans. The park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is also home to crocodiles and as breeding site for turtles. Visitors can stay in the Yala area or along the coast in Hanbantota.

Aside from these there are numerous other wildlife opportunities across Sri Lanka. The upland Horton Plains have a montane & cloud forest environment, Sinharajah is a primary rainforest reserve and Uda Walawe is well known for its elephants and the excellent Elephant Transit Home helping to rehabilitate orphans. Mirissa and Galle are the jumping off points for whale watching trips off the south-coast (December to April) and Uppaveli the best base on the East Coast (March to August). Kalpitiya north of Negombo has year round dolphin viewing and there are well known, and respected, turtle watches in Kosgoda and Rekawa.

PR 0114 - SLTB

It is easy to create a stand-alone wildlife holiday in Sri Lanka but equally you can include wildlife highlights alongside other aspects of the country. Give us a call or drop us a line for advice on Sri Lanka and its wildlife.

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