Must visit National Parks in Sri Lanka – Animals and nature in Sri Lanka

The Yala National Park is best known for spotting leopards. It is located in the south-east coast of Sri Lanka and would take about 5 hours to drive from Colombo to Yala comfortably. It is the premium national park in the island and most tend to think that it is also the best to spot mammals in Asia. You get to spot leopards, sloth bears and other animals such as toque monkey, buffalos, ruddy mongooses, langur monkeys and wild pigs in their natural habitat. The leopard which is a sub-species endemic is the most sought after sighting in this part of Sri Lanka. Tour operators are bound to include Yala in the itinerary if you mention that you would like to visit a national park.

Elephants are always a beautiful sight to see as it makes you wonder about these gentle giants and the bond between them when you see them as a heard. It is said that there are about 500 elephants in the Udawalawe national park and if you are fortunate you will be able to get several sightings of several herds roaming around or at the waterfront. Most travel agents such as Nkar Travel House add Udawalawe National Park to the itinerary when the clients request for elephant sightings at national parks, as you will get to see the elephants at this park even if you go only on one game drive.

This national park is about a five hour drive away from Colombo and one of the best locations to see elephants in herds as there are about 150 elephants that have made it their home. The park is home to some bears and leopards as well but these are rare sightings and will likely take several game drives in order to be able to see the leopards. The park is quite far away from Colombo but there are other locations for sightseeing in Dambulla, such as the Buddha cave which you can visit if you go to Wasgamuwa national park.

These two national parks are located a few kilometres next to each other and are located around two large reservoirs. There are many mammals that are living in the national parks but game viewing is known to be rather poor in these two national parks but you do get to see a wonderful seasonal congregation of elephants. These gentle giants generally come together on the bed of the Minneriya Lake, as the lake dries out creating lush grassland to which around 300 elephants gather during September and October.

Horton plains is popular not only for bird watching but also for the stunning creation in nature where you get to witness about a 800 meters drop-off what is called as World's End. The forest is thick and rich with endemic plants and trees and you get to witness birds such as whistling rush and the Sri Lankan Bush Warbler. The park is located away from Colombo so you can include other locations in the vicinity if you want to go to the Horton Plains National Park.