The Top 10 Wildlife Destinations in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an Indian Ocean island nation situated between the Indian mainland and the remainder of Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka is a vacation through a stunning landscape of clean beaches, beautiful forests and hills, exquisite food, and magnificent animals, in addition to its 2000-year-old rich traditional legacy. Sri Lanka has several of the top national reserves in the world.

Sri Lanka is provided with an enticing environment for all types of animals because of its ideal position, which includes a secluded mainland, enormous oceans, massive rainfall, and a broad range of elevations. Over than 400 varieties of exotic birds, cheetahs, splendid elephants, water buffalos, sloth bears, toque macaques, grey langurs, purple-faced leaf monkeys, sambhurs, hogs, deers, wild boars, porcupines, ant-eaters, civet cats, gigantic squirrels, reptiles, lorises, and a diverse variety of aquatic life, along with the majestic blue whale, are among Sri Lanka’s wildlife.

Here is a selection of Sri Lanka’s top national reserves, where you can choose from several tours or even customize one to suit your needs. Through camps, you can learn about nature, explore plants and animals, and go bird observing.

10 Places to See Wildlife in Sri Lanka:

1. Yala National Park

Yala National Park is an approximately 130,000-hectare conservation area in Sri Lanka’s southeast providing a view of the Indian Ocean. It is one of Sri Lanka’s most well-known national parks, having the most diversified species. Just 2 of the park’s five blocks are accessible to the general public. It was once a hunting area under British administration until being declared a nature reserve in 1938.

Light forests, ponds, lagoons, water holes, scrubs, and grasslands make up the landscape. The park is home to 44 mammal categories and 215 bird categories.

2. Minneriya National Park

Minneriya national park is 8,889 hectares in size and is situated in Sri Lanka’s northern middle lowlands. This Sri Lankan national park is most known for its stunning seasonal elephant migrations. It has been recorded as the world’s biggest recognized gathering of Asian Elephants. Montane forests, secondary forests, scrublands, chena lands, grasslands, and lakes are all found in Minneriya’s ecosystem. The enormous Minnerya reservoir, which was constructed by King Mahasen, is another point of interest.

The park is home to 24 mammal varieties including leopards, deers, sloth bears, grey langers, 3 mongoose varieties, Indian pangolins, more than 170 bird species including sandpipers, Kentish plovers, woodpeckers, Sri Lanka green pigeons, Brown-capped babblers, and more.

3. Bundala National Park

Bundala National Park is situated in Sri Lanka’s Southern Region. In 2005, UNESCO recognized it as a conservation area. In Sri Lanka, it is the only wetland to be designated as a Ramsar area. Bundala is inhabited by 32 mammalian categories, 383 plant categories, 200 bird varieties, 100 waterbird varieties, and many reptile kinds.

The park is a popular wintering spot for migrating waterbirds from throughout the world. In a single day, you can view over ten thousand coastal birds, which is very amazing.

4. Wilpattu National Park

Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve, covers a space of 131,693 hectares. The park’s environment includes 50 wetlands known as “Villu,” which are small freshwater lakes formed with rainwater. These lakes are encircled by vast grassy plains and offer a plentiful supply of water for the majority of the year.

This Sri Lankan nature reserve is less well-known, with few tourists even during busy seasons. Wilpattu has a unique wilderness feel to it, making it excellent for safari enthusiasts.

5. Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park is 165 kilometers near Colombo and covers a total area of 30,821 hectares. It is one of Sri Lanka’s top national reserves. Udawalawe is one of the most well-known nature reserves in East Africa. It is the nation’s third-highest attended park. Udawalawe Elephant Relocation Shelter is the residence of more than 40 orphaned elephants. The calves are carefully nurtured in the orphanage once they are prepared to be discharged into their natural environment.

Udawalawe National Park is most known for its big population of Asian elephants. Elephants are almost certain to be spotted in this region.

6. Horton Plains National Park

The Horton Plains National Park, originally known as ‘Maha-Eliya Tenna’, is located at an altitude of 6,900 to 7,500 feet above the sea surface in Sri Lanka’s central region. When contrasted to other parts of Sri Lanka, it has a distinct climate, with temperatures ranging from 27 degrees Celsius throughout the day to 5 degrees Celsius at night time.

Across the year, heavy mist might accumulate as a result of constant rainfall. The Plains are noted for their breathtaking beauty and enchanting atmosphere. The plains have appealing mountains, big trees, pristine clear rivers, and fresh breezes due to their high height.

7. Kaudulla National Park

During the year 2002, the Kaudulla National Park, situated 197 kilometers from Colombo, was designated as a Nature Reserve. While Minneriya National Park is a renowned place for elephant observations, Kaudulla National Park is a better option for more cautious visitors who want to avoid getting involved in a national park congestion mess. Almost 200 elephants are living there. After consuming and grazing from the Minneriya tank during the drought period, the elephants migrate to the Kaudulla reservoir in quest of more freshwater and nourishment.

The park’s ecosystem is largely made up of dry evergreen woodlands. There’s a lot more to explore than elephants.

8. Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park, in the Uva region of Sri Lanka, is an expanse of beautiful green forest and spacious savannas covering 25,900 hectares.

The park’s Senanayake Samudra lake, Sri Lanka’s biggest internal stretch of water, contains tiny islands dispersed over its surface. Gal Oya is Sri Lanka’s sole Nature Reserve featuring boat excursions because of the lake. The Park is calm and energetic, coexisting happily.

9. Wasgamuwa National Park

Wasgamuwa National Reserve covers 39,322 hectares in Sri Lanka’s Northern Central Zone, in the divisions of Matale and Polonnaruwa. The plants here have a characteristic of a Dry Region. The park’s remnants of old Buddhist temples reflect the history of rich communities that previously existed in the area. The remains, which include a seated Monument at Buduruwagala, are said to be nearly 1800 years old.

Throughout November and May, the region is the ideal spot to see enormous groups of elephants and it is renowned because of its vast quantities of sloth bears.

10. Kumana National Park

Kumana National Park is a span of 18,149 hectares on Sri Lanka’s southeastern coastline, 391 kilometers southeast of Colombo. Kumbuk trees, Mangrove trees, the Karan plant, and extensive wetland make up the majority of the ecosystem. Elephants and leopards are among the creatures found in Kumana.

Between May and June, the ‘Kumana Villu’, a 200-hectare mangrove wetland reservoir, is a destination for a broad range of water birds, big groups of migrating birds, and strolling birds. With over 200 various types of birds, the region is one of the best bird viewing places in the world for spotting the rarest of birds.

That’s all there is to it! These 10 encounters are a must-do if you would like to view wildlife in Sri Lanka. When you’re a wildlife enthusiast, this is the location to be! The broad range of species in this nation makes it incredibly biodiverse.