Safaris aren’t just for Africa anymore. The wildlife in Sri Lanka is just as varied and plentiful. If you take a safari in Sri Lanka you’ll be able to spot iconic species such as elephants and leopards. But if you keep your eyes open, you can also see jackals, loris, wild buffalo, crocs and spotted deer. And those are just the land animals.
Check out these five parks and reserves and build yourself a top notch wildlife itinerary for Sri Lanka.
Your Sri Lanka Wildlife Itinerary
Kaudulla National Park
Kaudulla and nearby Minneriya National Parks provide a migratory corridor for approximately 10% of Sri Lanka’s elephant population. Kaudulla is sited around a very large lake which also attracts migratory birds, sloths, deer, bear monkeys and small cats. The park is located right in the center of Sri Lanka’s golden triangle, so if you’re seeing the country’s cultural sites anyway, it is easy to add on a game drive.
Pro Tip: you don’t need to visit both Kaudulla and Minneryia because the elephant population moves between the parks. Just ask the safari provider or tour guide which park is best for the time that you are visiting.
Check out these Cultural sites and to round out your itinerary.
(click on the pics below to view a full sized slideshow)
Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe is located about two hours drive south of the Nuwara Eliya and Ella tea growing areas. The park was established in 1972 and is known for having large herds of elephants. We also spotted a lot of buffalo, jackals and parrots and other native Sri Lankan wildlife. The landscape is grassland rather than forest, making the animals very easy to spot, especially along the reservoir.
You can also visit the Elephant Transit Center which is only fifteen minutes from the park. The Transit Center cares for injured and orphaned elephants. The center provides food and medical care for the animals. Their goal is to prepare the elephants for a re-introduction into the wild.
Pro Tip: Carefully time your visit to the transit center. You’ll want to go during feeding time but the center doesn’t have a website, so ask your hotel to check the times for you or get the contact info from Trip Advisor.
Check out these luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. They are each conveniently located near one of these national parks.
Yala National Park
Yala is the crown jewel of Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks. Yala was born in 1938 during the British Colonial period. It is home to over 44 mammal and 215 bird species but everyone goes for the leopards. It has the largest concentration of them in the country.
But beware, the leopards are nocturnal creatures and aren’t always willing to put on a show for the tourists. We did see a leopard when we were there, but finding it was like playing Where’s Waldo. And once spotted, we had to queue up with other jeeps to get a peek at the animal.
Pro Tip: Try to leave some space in your itinerary for multiple game drives into Yala. That way, if you don’t see a leopard on your first time out, you can try again later. There are plenty of other animals to make your wildlife safari an eye-opener.
Get inspired for your trip with these books set in Sri Lanka
Marissa Whale Watching
Sri Lankan wildlife lives in the sea as well as on land. Their waters boast blue, sperm and fin whales along with Risso’s, common, bottlenose, striped and spinner dolphins. The whales and dolphins migrate seasonally between the eastern and western sides of the island. But if you visit between December and April, you can go out on a whale watch from Marissa. It’s located about 2-1/2 hours west of Yala or an hour south of Galle. Whales make me cry. And if they make you cry as well, you really should make time for them in your Sri Lanka itinerary.
Pro Tip: You can either get onto one of the larger tour boats, such as Whale Watching Marissa or Marriott Cruise, or you can hire out a smaller panga. The larger boats are more stable but more crowded. The smaller boats are more nimble but more puke-inducing. You can check out your options and book your whale watch on Trip Advisor.
For even more pro tips, check out the Sri Lanka travel guide to help you plan your trip.
We hired a private guide/driver for our trip and he was great. If you would like a referral, contact me and I’ll connect you with him.
Muthurajawela Marsh
This wetland reserve is part of the Negombo lagoon. From within the reserve you can spot crocs, macaque monkey, monitor lizards, kingfishers, egrets, herons and ducks. This reserve is an off-the-beaten path wildlife safari in Sri Lanka.
Many people stay in Negombo at the beginning or end of their trip because of the proximity to the airport. But they often don’t venture past the beach. You can avoid the crowds of the more popular national parks and have the lagoon to yourself with a visit to Mutharajawela.
Pro Tip: You can take a tuk tuk to the reserve, but the long haul getting out there is likely to asphyxiate you with gas fumes. So unless you have a rental car, ask your hotel to book the trip for you or do it through Trip Advisor.
These five parks and reserves will give you a Sri Lanka itinerary with the best wildlife that the country has to offer. Enjoy your trip and happy trails.
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Kat | finding Malokoko says
Great post! I visited Sri Lanka back in 2000 when it was still very undeveloped in terms of tourism and i didn´tz get the chance to visit the parks – must go again soon ;). I´ve heared especially good thinhs about Minneryia!
Carol Guttery says
Since you’ve already seen the cultural sites, you could do a whole itinerary around beaches and wildlife. Awesome right?
Annie says
Aahh I want to go to Sri Lanka so badly! Your tips are super helpful, like calling ahead to find out when feeding times are, because that is truly an amazing way to experience an animal.
Carol Guttery says
The logistics in Sri Lanka aren’t always smooth as silk so having a guide or friendly hotelier is very useful. I’d also recommend buying a local SIM card. They are super cheap and make managing the logistics easier.
ellisveen says
I was In Sri Lanka last year and was amazed by all the Wildlife there. Near Kaudulla & Minneriya there is even a third park called Hurullu Eco Park. That is where the elephants were when I was there.
Carol Guttery says
Thanks for the info- very helpful
Indrani says
All the national parks sound promising in terms of experience. I wonder how they are located.
If all are included in one itinerary how much distance would that be?
Carol Guttery says
These are rough times for driving, buses and trains would take longer. Check google directions for accuracy.
Colombo to Kaudulla: 2.5 hours. But it’s very close to the Golden Triangle sites so you can do a lot in a small-ish area
Ella to Udawalawe: 2 hours. (I went from Kaudulla to Kandy then took the train to Ella. If you drove the whole thing: probably 3.5 from Kandy and 5?? from Kaudulla)
Udawalawe to Yala: 1.5 hours
Yala to Marissa: 2.5 hours
Marissa to Negombo: 2.5 hours on the toll road
Astrid Vinje says
Udawalawe National Park sounds interesting, especially with the Elephant Transit Center. And I didn’t realize you could do whale watching in Sri Lanka! Thanks for this info!
Carol Guttery says
I’m so glad to hear that. Sometimes those little tips make all the difference
Siddhartha Joshi says
Wonderful pictures and a great guide. Sri Lanka is in my neighbourhood and sadly I haven’t even been there yet…in that sense your guide is very inspirational.
I also love your pro-tips. I will use them all on my trip there 🙂
wanderingchocobo says
Love this! I already mentioned I had two friends who did a trip like this for their honeymoon and they just loved it. It looks like you were able to really see all the big animals in a beautiful. Thanks for the pro tips, they will make anyones trip a bit easier to plan.
Carol Guttery says
I hope so
Christopher says
Oh wow this is incredible. I have a work colleague from Sri Lanka and she talks about the culture all the time and she mentioned the importance of the elephants but I never imagined safaris. Sperm whales too. Wow. Great post. Sri Lanka is already on my to go to list but even more so now.
Carol Guttery says
All the more reason to go
Megan Claire (@mappingmegan) says
I would love to get to Sri Lanka for a wildlife safari – I find that for some reason people do only associate Africa with the safari experience, when Asia is just incredible and diverse in terms of landscape and wildlife. Incredible photos, I think Sri Lanka is one of those places which is going to be an up and coming hot destination very soon!
Carol Guttery says
You are so right. Tourism is on the rise there but it’s still an affordable destination
Haze says
Wow! I need to go back and check the wildlife in Sri Lanka. They got good beaches there, too. Oh, not to mention, beautiful people and delicious food! Very tasty!
Carol Guttery says
What’s not to love?
Beth says
So many amazing species on this special island … can’t wait to get out to Sri Lanka!