Sri Lankan Wildlife Safari: Top 7 Encounters with Nature

Sri Lankan wildlife safaris is  the dominant economic pathway in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, both foreigners and locals are very interested in the wildlife safari. Hence, the wildlife safari help to contributes some fraction of the GDP in Sri Lanka’s economy.

Embarking on a Remarkable Sri Lankan Wildlife Adventure

What is a wildlife safari?

A component of a tourism experience or product that is based on wildlife. Accordingly. A trip to see, observe, and photograph wild animals such as mammals, birds, and whales in their natural habitat area is included in the safari.

Hence, Sri Lanka has different climatic conditions from the rest of the country. Therefore, biodiversity is different from place to place in Sri Lanka. Hence, different fauna and flora can be seen from area to area in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a wildlife safari destination.

• Wasgamuwa National Park

• Udawalawe National Park

• Yala Safari Camping

• Kadulla National Park

• Gal Oya National Park

• Minneriya National Park

• Bundala National Park

• Lunugamwehera National Park

• Muthurajawela Marsh

• Dolphins and whales in Marissa

• Srinharaja Forest Reserve

• Kanneliya Forest Reserve

• Wilpattu National Park

• Horton Plains National Park

Popular animals in Sri Lanka wildlife safari 

• Asian Elephant

• Leopard

• Sloth Bear

• Sperm whale

• Blue Whale

• Sambar

• Birds

• Red slender loris

Exploring Yala National Park

Yala National Park is a haven of breathtaking biodiversity. It is second in size among the nationals of Sri Lanka. The national park was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1990. and it is also identified as a biodiversity hotspot in the world.

location

The national park is located between the southern and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka. If so, the park is 260 kilometers from Colombo. Visitors can reach Approximal in 4 hours through the southern expressway. One side of the national park is a golden, sandy beach facing the Indian Ocean.

The national park area is 378 square kilometers. The park consists of five blocks, but two blocks are open for public exhibition. The blocks are,

1. Ruhuna National Park

2. Kumana National Park

Flora of Yala National Park

• Manikara hexanra

• Hemicyclea sepieria

• Bauhinia Racemosa

• Cassia fistula

• Chloroxylon swietenia

Fauna of Yala National Park

About 44 mammals can be seen on the national park premises.

• Leopard

• Elephant

• Slot bear

• Sambars

• Spotted deers

• Peacocks

• Jackals

Leopard Encounters

Approximately 102 leopards live in Yala National Park. Mostly, leopards can be seen from February to June. The season is somewhat dry. Therefore, leopards come out of the bushes to take a swing at the water. Hence, leopards can be observed near the water source.

Elephant Encounter

About 300 to 350 Asian elephants reside in the Yala National Parks. The animals can be observed bathing in lagoons and water holes.

Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka wildlife safari

the largest and oldest national park in Sri lanka is Wilpattu national park. The National Park is an untamed wilderness with serene landscapes. The park covers an area of 131,800 hectares. the national park Wilpattu of is handled  by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu National Park was designated a sanctuary in 1905.

location

Wilpattu National Park is located  in  the western coast of Sri Lanka. And also, in one hour, visitors can reach Anuradhapura City from the national park. February to October are the best months for visiting the national park.

Different ecosystems are included in the national park. there are,

• Dry zone

• Forest

• Natural lakes

• Open Grasslands.

Sri Lankan Sloth Bear 

Sloth bears are the star attraction in Wilpattu National Park. The animals can be found in the dry zone forest habitats. So, Wilpattu National Park is located in a dry zone; hence, the sloth bears live in the national park. The sloth bears spend considerable time on the palm trees during the fruiting seasons.

Udawalawe National Park

the one of main natural habitat for Sri Lankan Udawalawe National park  which are relatively hard to observe in its open habitats. Because of the Udawalawe Reservoir, a large number of elephants visit the park, and approximately 250 elephants live there permanently.

location

Udawalawe National Park is located in the southern parts of the Rathnapura district in Sri Lanka. the visitors easily reach to    to Hambantota district and Monaragala district from the Udawalawe nationl park. The national park covers an area of 32,315 hectares of Sri Lankan land.

Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home

Transit homes provide protection and feeding, and animals are adapted to the environment.

Another name for the Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home is the Udawalawa Elephant Orphanage. The dominant goal  of the orphanage is to rehabilitate and release isolated baby elephants into the wild.

“Ath Athuru Sevana” was established in 1995 at the Udawalawa National Park by the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation.

Accordingly. The first orphaned baby elephant of the Athuru Sevan is “kolamli”. It is a female baby elephant.

Location of the Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home

The orphanage is located on the western border of Udawalwa National Park. It covers 33,000 hectares of land. The ETH is adjacent to the Udawalawe reservoir.

Milking and feeding times for baby elephants

Visitors can witness the feeding of a baby elephant. The viewing times are daily at 10.30 am, 2.30 pm, and 6.30 pm.

Minneriya National Park – Best place for Sri Lanka wildlife safari

Minneriya Park was designated a sanctuary in 1997.

Different ecosystems exist in the national park. there are,

• Low canopy forest

• Secondary forest

• Scrubland

• Grassland

• Swamps

The northeast monsoon commences from October to January in Minneriya National Park. The rest of the year in the national park is dry. Therefore, Minneriya Tank provides food  for the elephant population living in the vicinity of Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee.

location

Minneriya National Park is located in the north-central province of Sri Lanka.. The park is located near the Minneriya tank.

Wildlife in Mineriya National Park

• Elephants

• Spotted deer

• Sambar deer

• Wild Buffalo

• Wild pig

• Grey Langer

• Purple-faced leaf monkeys

• Indian pangolin

Birds’ Spices in Mineriya National Parks

• Sri Lankan jungle fowl

• Sri Lanka’s hanging parrot

• brown-capped babbler

• Sri Lankan grey hornbill

• Crimson-fronted barbell

Conclusion

A lot of experience can be obtained through the Sri Lankan wildlife safari. Sometimes local and foreign tourists face unexpected moments such as elephant attacks, leopard attacks, etc. In addition, they can observe the animals’ habits, hunting patterns, and habitat.

Local and foreign students, local and foreign researchers, scientists, and local and eco sites do the wildlife safaris to obtain knowledge, get photos of wild animals or their lifestyles, and learn new things about the animals.

advantage of Sri Lankan wildlife safari

In addition to that, through these Sri Lankan wildlife safaris, new job opportunities are created for the Sri Lankan job market. Accordingly, the Sri Lankan wildlife safari helps contribute to the Sri Lankan economy. In addition to that, although the Sri Lankan wildlife safari is developed in Sri Lanka, a large number of foreign tourists will come to Sri Lanka in the future. It helped to improve the Sri Lankan economy further. For that, new marking ideas must be developed by the government and private sectors.

Disadvantage of Sri Lankan Wildlife Safari

Some wildlife safari activities affect the animals and plants in the national park. If that is the case, remove the plastic and polyethylene from the national park. Some humans do the hunting illegally, acquire the national park land illegally, and cut trees in the national park.

Therefore, the government created new rules and regulations for conserving our wildlife areas. If so, our ecosystem can be protected for future generations.