Safari in Sri Lanka

Book a Sri Lanka safari for ultimate wildlife safari

Complete, Safari guide to sort out which national park to do your Safari tour in Sri Lanka like a travel pro, and Plan your wildlife holiday to Sri Lanka that includes leopards, elephants, sloth bears, whales, and many other animals. Know how to reserve your safari.

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Sri Lanka is your ultimate location for wildlife Safari experience and wildlife Safari tours & camping

Sri Lanka is a small country, yet teemed with wildlife. It has 26 national parks, The most famous ones are Yala, Wilpattu, Udawalawe, and Minneriya. Holding Eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Sinharaja Forest biosphere reserve, designated by UNESCO. It covers only a small portion of the island, 88.64 km2 to be precise, but they're home to half of all endemic and native species, including elusive cats and slender loris.

When it comes to Sri Lanka safari wildlife tours, the island nation is most famous for majestic Asian elephants and leopards, (one of the five "big cats"). This small island holds the world record for the highest leopard density in the world, here leopards are super large since they are the highest-ranking formidable predators on the island, they have evolved more like a jaguar with more muscular, more powerful maybe even more powerful than a jaguar, they roam National parks proudly with no idea of fear whatsoever. Not to mention the country has the highest density of elephants in Asia. Also, the world's largest elephant gathering happens here in Minneriya. This miracle island is not ready to stop there and push its limits to the Indian ocean and making it possible to witness the world's largest whale gathering.

If you are looking for a leopard safari, Yala and Wilpattu are the best in terms of spotting leopards mainly due to their leopard density. Yala has its prime advantage because it is more like a savanna, mostly scattered with shrubs, grasslands, and occasional big trees. If you are into elephants best parks are Udawalawe and Minnariya.

In general, Sri Lankan National parks harbor lots of animal species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and Invertebrates. so contact us, for more info. We provide all-inclusive private jeep tours with free meals and do free pick-up and drop-off from close by areas to the national park. we even can tailor-make your itinerary and we provide camping in Sri Lanka as well

Best time slots to reserve a safari

Sri Lanka

MORNING GAME DRIVE

Game Drive starts at 6 AM and will end at 10.00 am, you will be picked up from your hotel in the national park area at 5.15 am.

Sri Lanka

AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE

Game Drive starts at 2 pm and will end at 6.00 pm, you will be picked up from your hotel in the national park area at 1.15 pm.

Sri Lanka

FULL DAY GAME DRIVE

Game Drive starts at 6 AM and will end at 6.00 pm, you will be picked up from your hotel in the national park area at 5.15 am.

Yala Safari
Yala Safari

Yala is the most famous NP on the island because it is very likely to spot animals since it has more open areas and most of the plants are bush-like plants

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Wilpattu Safari
Wilpattui Safari

Wilpattu NP is most popular for its leopard density, also it's a top national park in the world for its leopard, 75% of the Wilpattu NP is covered with thick jungle

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Udawalawe Safari
Udawalawe Safari

Udawalawe NP provides Natural habitat for Srilankan elephants, Many elephants are attracted to the park because of the Udawalawe reservoir

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Udawalawe Safari
Minneriya Safari

Witness the world's largest elephant gathering, elephant herds from 150 to as high as 700 Can be seen in Minneriya NP during the dry season

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Jeep Tours In Lesser-Known National Parks In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Safari

Bundala NP

Bundala is located close to Yala, but a less-popular safari destination, if you are a bird lover this is a not to miss bird paradise and also a good place to avoid the tourist crowd, Bundala harbor not only birds, occasional leopard, elephants, reptiles, amphibians, and many other faunae. Park consists of five Lagoons providing wintering ground for migratory waterbirds, not to mention the park's harbors 197 species of birds.

Safari Sri Lanka

Kaudulla NP

If you are a bird-watcher Kaudulla is a good place to visit. Apart from the birds, you can spot elephants, Sambar deer, chevrotain, wild boar, Axis deer, sloth bear, and occasional Leopard. The centerpiece of the park is the Kaudulla tank built by King Mahasen, surrounded by lowlands, hills, scrubland, and forest. Even you can do a boat ride in the Kaudulla tank while bird watching. Best to visit from June to September.

Wildlife Safari experience

Wasgamuwa NP

The Wasgamuwa is the Best place to see sloth bears, highest density when compared to other parks on the island, Wasgamuwa park is a dry evergreen forest located in Sri Lanka's dry zone, the park holds More than 150 floral species and 23 species of mammals, including Elephants and many other faunae including 143 species birds, 15 species of amphibians 35 reptiles and lots of butterflies can be spotted. Also a very less-crowded park.

Sri Lanka wildlife Safari

Gal Oya NP

If you are a nature lover and like a peace of mind, Gal Oya Park's boat ride will give you a wonderful experience on your wildlife tour. Popular for its spectacular view of nature combined with man-made gigantic reservoirs to create heavenly beauty. Gal Oya National Park lies southeast of the island and is famous for a boat safari. 32 terrestrial mammals and more than 150 species of birds have been recorded in Gal Oya.

sri lanka safari and beach holidays

Lunugamvehera NP

The Lunugamvehera is an important habitat for elephants and water birds, also it serves as a catchment area of the Lunugamvehera reservoir and surrounding wildlife areas. Park is a vital corridor for elephants to migrate between Udawalawe and Yala. Park provides a home for 43 mammals, 12 amphibians, 21 fish species, 183 birds, and 33 reptiles. Lunugamvehera is packed with amazing views and is good for bird watchers.

sri lanka safari holidays

Kumana NP

The Kumana is famous for its birds and elephants, and the density of other animals remains low, however, it’s not rare to spot a leopard, along with crocodiles, wild buffalo, white cobras, and turtles. Tourist numbers on any given day remain extremely low throughout the eyer, even during high season. Ornithological rich mangrove swamp attracts birds, turning into a good place to do bird watching. There have been sightings of Black-necked stork, and tons of other birds.

sri lanka safari and beach

Lahugala Kitulana NP

Situated in the Ampara District and is one of the smallest parks on the island. Due to its remote location, the park has almost no visits at all. Despite its size and unpopularity park has lots of endemic birds and mammals. Rusty-Spotted cat, Fishing cat, Toque Macaque, Tufted Gray Langur, Golden Jackal, Wild boar, and Axis deer are some of them. Park's Physical features consist of flat terrain and occasional rocky outcrops, with a thick jungle.

Kalawewa safari

Kalawewa NP

Kalawewa was Declared recently as a National park in the year of 2015 and became more popular in the year 2019. A man-made humongous reservoir built by King Datusena in 307 B.C, Capable of holding 123 million cubic meters of rainwater which feedback to local farmlands, During the season reservoir attracts lots of elephants that reside in nearby vegetation. Safaris only can be done when water levels declined, the best time to visit will be June to July, however, this could vary depending on weather patterns. The park is also home to many birds which makes it a good place to do birdwatching as well.

SRI LANKA BIG 5 ANIMALS

Sri Lanka big five animals

1: The blue whale

2: The sperm whale

3: The srilankan leopard

4: The srilankan elephant

5: The srilankan sloth bear

In Sri Lanka, the big five game animals are elephants, leopards, sloth bears, blue whales, and sperm whales. The term "big five games" refers to the big five most intimidating animals that can be easily spotted in most Sri Lankan National parks and the sea of Sri Lanka. Animal and wildlife lovers around the world, travel here to witness the amazing wildlife. Mostly because you can do a game drive with less effort and cost when compared to African Safaris.
Important facts about Wildlife Safaris in Sri Lanka
When is the best time to do a safari tour?
The best time depends on the National park you are going to select. for example, February to July is the best time to visit Yala National park, but in general, Yala is a year-round destination except for drought (September to October) and weather patterns subject to change. The best time to visit Wilpattu is from February to October. Willpattu is also good to visit all around the year. The best time to visit Minnariya is from September to November. Udawalawe park is good to go all around the year. Contact us for more info.
What are the best national parks on the island for wildlife tours?
The most popular national parks are Yala, Wilpattu, Udawalawe, and Minneriya national parks
What is the entrance ticket price?
The entrance ticket price will start from USD 27 per-adult. Contact us for more info. Or you can check our national park page, for ticket price and jeep fee.
Best place to book a Wildlife tour?
You can book an all-inclusive, hassle-free wildlife tour with us

Sri Lanka Safari

By- Zanita Careem-Features editor
Featured in Sunday island newspaper

Things you need to know about Safaris, beforehand.

Sri Lanka is a must-visit Safari destination in the world. A small island nation filled with hundreds of endemic species is a big draw to do a safari. The best way to have a wildlife encounter is to take a Safari Game Drive in a National park in Sri Lanka. Below you can find some of the most valuable information that nobody tells beforehand. I am sure this will clear any doubt you having what to expect on the tour itself.

It is definitely a bumpy ride.

Well, This is wilderness, so do not expect a comfortable ride like you are on an expressway, jeeps have comfortable seats with local standards and have pretty good suspensions, however, they can't absorb a sudden jerk as high-performance vehicles handle shocks.

So hold on to something and do not forget to have a good grip on your camera, unless you want it to fly away into the wilderness.

If you are on a wildlife photography tour, let Go4safri know about it beforehand. They will make arrangements for that.

Just sitting in the front row will reduce the shocks to a great extent, and the last row will have the exact opposite reaction. The last row is directly over the wheels so you will experience lots of bouncing effects. teenagers might like it.

While you are on a narrow trail watch out for tree branches, most come with thorns.

What to wear during the Safari.

It's not like Man vs Wild appeared on the Discovery channel, you are not crawling through mud with elephants, anyway, you are not allowed to step outside of the vehicle, in most locations, unless your park ranger permits you to do so, it's park rules.

However, your clothes, hair, and face might get dusty, If you prefer to stay clean no matter what, do not forget to bring a wet wipe to clean off your face.

The big picture about what you can wear is, that you can wear whatever you want, consider the blazing sun when you select your clothes.

You may get sun sunburn.

Do not forget to have sunscreen or shades. Locals can endure the heat, but not you. most of the vehicles (jeeps) have a roof, but the sun won't stay on top, most of the time.

Other important things that you should know about.

If you want to take photographs coordinate with your driver for stopping the vehicle while it is moving or you want to get into a perfect spot for your photograph, Put your camera on sport mode and keep it ready at all times, you don't know when you will encounter amazing wildlife in its natural habitat.

You will have bathroom breaks when you have your picnic breakfast and picnic lunch, if you need any additional bathroom breaks just tell the driver, but it will disrupt the Game-Drive so only drink adequate liquids.

One more thing, you will not be the only vehicle doing the tour, popular national parks have more jeeps, having the same goal as you, so you have to take it easy about the traffic jam, for the sake of the country’s incredible wildlife, you are about to witness.

Enjoy thrill-seeking wildlife tours presented by Go4Safari that let you experience the majestic attraction of nature while resting your eyes on the wilder living beings in the world of fauna and flora.'Our wildlife tours are probably the most comprehensive nature expedition in Sri Lanka said, Sameera Gamage.

Srilanka's wildlife tours are popular all over the world. From leopard safaris in Yala National Park to walking wildlife tours in the highlands of Horton Planes National Park, the experiences will always be etched in your mind – Enjoy! – The world's best destination for rich wildlife tours. Book early and enjoy your tour.