Wildlife Parks in Sri Lanka

This is one of the best places in Sri Lanka to go to if you wish to observe elephants in their natural habitat. The park is quite massive, covering just under nine thousand hectares and contains an ancient monument. In addition to the elephants, the park contains a massive man-made lake called the 'Minneriya tank' which was built sometime during the 3rd century. The best time to visit Minneriya is during the dry season where the animal inhabitants wander out of their solitary hiding places to more open areas where they have access to water. This phenomenon is called 'the gathering'.

This is the most popular and frequented national park in Sri Lanka, and has an incredible wide variety of animals, even more so than most of the other parks since Yala has a considerable population of bears. This park also has the highest density of leopards in the world. If you're looking for a Yala safari camping adventure then there are a couple of places that will allow you to do so in comfort such as Jetwing Tented Villas. There are also more than a hundred species of exotic birds to be glimpsed here such as Crested Hawk Eagles and Paradise Flycatchers.

The wetland nature of this park means that the conditions are ideal for various forms of life to thrive on. There are more than three hundred species of plant to be found within this park, and around two hundred species of birds to be seen, with a variety of them being only found in Sri Lanka. Bundala National Park is also home to both salt-water crocodiles and their freshwater counterparts. Out of the seven species of sea turtles, four can be found on the beaches of this park.

Situated more than two thousand metres above sea level, this national park is a spectacular cloud forest that is an essential visit if you're in Sri Lanka. Many of the captivating species of flora and fauna found here are endemic to the park due to the unique climate. The best way to enjoy this park is on foot, where you journey into the heart of Horton Plains and experience World's End, a precipice with a two thousand foot drop straight down. There's also Baker's Falls, a waterfall named after Sir Samuel Baker, an explorer who tried to create a European settlement in Nuwara Eliya.

This is another sensational park that also once held ancient kingdoms. Due to the lush forest environment, not much research was done in regards to the nature of these kingdoms. They are evidenced by large man-made bodies of water that are present throughout the park. Wasgamuwa contains about twenty three species of mammals, including crocodiles, elephants, and bears. Featuring both savannah and thick rainforest, this is an essential place to visit.