Guide to the Wildlife National Parks

Yala

By far the most famous national park in Sri Lanka, and the busiest. Yala is famous as it is believed to have the highest density of leopards in the world. There are also sloth bears, elephants, and hundreds of endemic and migratory bird species.

The best time to visit Yala is in the dry season February to July. This is when it is most likely you will see a leopard due to decreasing availability of water. They are very shy and elusive animals so the chances are still not that high.

The busiest time of year is from December to April, coinciding with the dry season of the south and southwest of Sri Lanka. Expect queues of seemingly hundreds of jeeps. Pre-booking is essential. We've also heard many people be disappointed or upset with the sheer number of jeeps crowding around animals so tourists can see. This is an issue basically everywhere with safaris and its up to you if you feel this would ruin your experience or not.

You can get a tour to Yala to pick you up from many of the southern coastal towns, Mirissa, Tangalle, Hikkaduwa, and Galle all offer day trips. You can also get tours from Ella and as far away as Colombo! Ideally you want to be as close to the park as possible for early access so Tissamaharama or Kataragama are good places to stay.

Kumana

Kumana national park is the eastern side of the larger area that Yala national park sits in. Its around 40 minutes drive from Arugam Bay.

Kumana is more of a birdwatching haven than anything but it does also have a large number of leopards, sloth bears, and elephants.
The best time to visit Kumana is from April to September in the dry season. So you can visit Kumana if you're just out of season for Yala or aren't heading to the south coast due to the monsoon.
Kumana is also a lot quieter than Yala, though you'll still see a lot of jeeps crowded around if a leopard is spotted. This relatively more serene park could be a nicer experience than the traffic jams of Yala in peak season.

Tours to Kumana leave from Arugam Bay and this is probably the best place to base yourself for visiting the park.

Udawalawe

Udawalawe is famous for being the best place in Sri Lanka to see wild elephants. If this is your goal then Udawalawe is a much better choice than Yala as it's less crowded with jeeps and has a very large population of wild elephants.

The best time to visit Udawalawe national park in June to September and January to March. The wettest time of year in in November and December so it is best to avoid these months if possible.

Tours to Udawalawe leave from Ella and various towns along the south coast. It's pretty easy to get to from Tangalle, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa, and Galle for a day trip.

Sinharaja Rainforest Reserve

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 and is primary lowland tropical rainforest. It has a immense diversity of wildlife but is probably of most interest to bird watchers as 20 of Sri Lanka's 26 endemic species can only be found here.
There are leopards and elephants here but its very unlikely you'll see them.

The best time of year to visit Sinharaja is January to March and August to September when the drier weather makes the trails more accesible.

Its best to stay near Sinharaja and give yourself a couple of days to explore the hiking trails to get the most out the park. Its incredible density of plant life and wildlife make it a rare experience.

Minneriya

Minneriya National Park is the largest known gathering place of Asian elephants in the world. In the months of August, September and October herds up to 300 elephants can be seen near the Minneriya Reservoir. While the park does boast other wildlife, the "Great Elephant Gathering" is the reason to visit.

The best time to visit Minneriya is during the dry season, June to October, when the dry season forces the elephants out of the rainforest in Matale and into the park.
You can visit Minneriya from either Sigiriya or Polonnaruwa on a half day or full day safari. Most people recommend going later in the day, around 4pm, to beat the heat and for the best chance of seeing elephants. Our tour guide took us at Midday and we saw some amazing herds of elephants with nearly no one else around.

Gal Oya

Known for boat safaris where wild elephants can be seen playing by the water early in the mornings. Gal Oya is another national park that is very much an elephant lovers paradise. There is also an abundance of birdlife for the birders too.

The best time of year to visit Gal Oya is March to July, during the dry season. This is a much less popular national park than many of the others and can provide a more serene experience of observing the elephants.
Its best to stay very close to the park as the boat tours leave extremely early to get the elephants and other wildlife at sunrise when they're most active.

Wilpattu

Wilpattu is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka with an incredible diversity of habitats with leopards, sloth bears, elephants, crocodiles, deer, and many birds living in the park. It is also significantly quieter and cheaper to visit than many other parks.

The best time of year for visiting Wilpattu is from May to September as the drier weather forces more wildlife towards water sources. So the later in this season the better for spotting those elusive leopards.

You can visit Wilpattu from Anuradhapura on a day trip, it's fairly close to the city. We chose to stay at one of the many guesthouses nearer the entrance but that involves more hotel moving so won't be the best choice for everyone.

Pigeon Island

Pigeon Island is a small collection of coral reefs that are roped off to stop people from damaging them. Snorkelling tours here take you around the edges of the protected reefs where you can see sea turtles, reef sharks, and hundreds of types of fish. It is very busy and not all tourists are respectful of the wildlife. Several people were trying to touch turtles while I was there and the guides can't watch everyone to intervene.

The best time to visit Pigeon Island is between May and September when the seas are calmer and the visibility is superb. I went in July and the visibility was amazing though we couldn't go to the area with all the baby sharks due to a freak storm that rolled in.

You can visit Pigeon Island from Nilaveli or Trincomalee. Most tours are a half day with a couple of hours at the island to swim and see the wildlife. It's quite expensive since everyone has to pay the national park entrance fee so if you don't want to snorkel, it isn't worth going.