The biggest national park in Sri Lanka is Wilpattu; located on the west coast close to Anuradhapura and approximately 188kms from Colombo is ideally the place for the more dedicated safari-goer.
Best times for Wilpattu Safaris are between 6 AM to 10 AM and 3 PM to 6 PM.
The type of animals you will see during Wilpattu safari include Leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya), Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus), Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus), Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, jackals, Sambhur, Mouse Deer, Wild Pig, Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), Mugger Crocodiles, Reptiles and many bird varieties.
You cannot miss the wandering leopard in this jungle hovering around during any time of the day.
The unique topographical feature of the national park is ‘Villu’, which is the Sinhalese term for natural lakes. These ‘Villus’ are shallow natural lakes filled with rainwater and surrounded by open grassy plains which you will see in the deep jungle. These natural parks sustain the wildlife even during the dry seasons. Wilpattu is the home for many species of flora which is very greenish with plenty of water resources and is important for resident and migrant birds.
Bird species found here include Gargeney, Pintail, Whistling teal, Spoon bill, Ibis Heron and Painted Stork.
While February to October is the prime time for tourists, we at Earth Lanka Events get both local and foreign tourists throughout the year, booking safari rides to Wilpattu.
This park is not a new tourist attraction, it was declared as a National park in 1938.
In the Eastern part of Wilpattu are remnants of breached tanks left over from agricultural systems of ancient Sinhalese civilization and also remains of an old harbour.