5 of Sri Lanka’s Best Wildlife National Parks – Remarkable Nature Sanctuaries

The splendid Yala National Park would be a great choice to commence your tour of Sri Lanka's outstanding national parks. At Yala, you will encounter an engrossing selection of wildlife that will undoubtedly appeal to the nature and wildlife lover. Taking pride of place amongst the denizens of Yala is the magnificent Sri Lankan leopard which is native to the island nation. However, this park's attractions do not end there as you will also have the chance to view other interesting creatures like the sloth bear, elephant, sambar, buffalo, mongoose, spotted deer, palm civet, golden jackal, different kinds of monkeys and more.

This is another fine national park that will draw the attention of those with an interest in the native flora and fauna of Sri Lanka. Udawalawe National Park is particularly renowned for its elephants; in fact this nature sanctuary is considered to rank amongst Asia's foremost parks to view Asian elephants within a natural setting. Here you are almost assured of spotting elephants even if you only undertake a single safari drive. Udawalawe is also reputed to be an outstanding environment for birdwatchers, as you will find interesting birds of prey like the serpent eagle, grey-headed fish eagle and changeable hawk-eagle.

Another popular park that is also considered to be an excellent setting for birdwatchers is the well-known Bundala National Park. This park consists for the most part of wetlands and coastal lagoons, which is reflected in the birds and other wildlife that it contains. In fact, Bundala may be considered to be a wonderland filled with different kinds of interesting aquatic birds. In addition to exotic birds like migrating flamingos, this national park also contains wildlife including elephants as well as crocodiles. Irrespective of whether you are a bird lover or a general nature lover, you will not be disappointed if you pay a visit to Bundala National Park.

Wilpattu National Park is another famed nature sanctuary in Sri Lanka that also has the distinction of being the biggest national park in the country. This park is renowned for its numerous lakes which can be found at various locations within its extent. Interestingly it is believed that local royalty occupied this locality many centuries ago. At Wilpattu, you may have the opportunity to observe interesting kinds of wildlife like elephants, water buffalo, leopards and sloth bears. If you would be interested in wildlife-related tailor-made tours in Sri Lanka that would take you to Wilpattu too, a travel specialist to consider would be NKAR Travel House.

Your tour of Sri Lanka's outstanding national parks would not be complete without visiting the distinctive Minneriya National Park. Situated in the part of Sri Lanka known as the Cultural Triangle, this national park is always a pleasant wildlife park to visit. The primary attraction here is undoubtedly elephants, since a corridor along which these magnificent animals regularly migrate extends through the park. A highlight at Minneriya is 'The Gathering', which is the name given to the yearly event – taking place from August through September – when hundreds of wild elephants gather together around the Minneriya Tank. In fact, this amazing event is considered to be the biggest gathering of Asian elephants anywhere on the globe.