Sri Lanka is a paradise for wildlife lovers and offers several great parks to observe leopards and elephants in the wild, as well as excellent birdwatching opportunities.

And if you wonder why to go, Lonely Planet has nominated Sri Lanka as the #1 country to visit in 2019! Still unsure? Check our Travel Tips to Sri Lanka, Kiteboarding Kalpitiya, and Kitesurfing Mannar for more ideas on the tropical island.

Table of Content:

• Why Wilpattu National Park
• Pick Your Wilpattu Safari
• Our Experience on a Wilpattu Safari Tour
• Wilpattu Accommodation
• How to Get to Wilpattu
• Best Time to Visit
• Wilpattu Travel Tips
• Venezuela Treks

Why Wilpattu National Park?

Choose Your Sri Lanka National Park Wisely

Before you organize your Sri Lanka safari tour, you need to define which animals you want to see most. Sri Lanka is home to over 25 national parks, many with fantastic wildlife. For us, we wanted to see wild elephants and leopards, with Sri Lanka having its own species of both.

• Where to see Sri Lankan leopards:
  • Yala National Park Sri Lanka
  • Wilpattu National Park
• Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka:
  • Yala National Park Sri Lanka
  • Udawalawe National Park
  • Wasgamuwa National Park

While Yala West National Park is the most famous of all Sri Lanka National Parks, Wilpattu National Park is known for a high Sri Lankan leopard population, Sri Lankan sloth bears, and Sri Lankan elephants. The park is also a top birdwatching destination, home to Lesser Adjutants, Spoonbills, Shikras, Painted Storks, Crested Hawk Eagles, and several other species of birds of Sri Lanka.

It’s also worth noting that Wilpattu is the largest national park in Sri Lanka, as well as one of the oldest in the country. Wilpattu is indeed much larger than Yala, and only 25% of the park is open to visitors. Yala’s smaller size allows for a higher wildlife concentration, with more sightings of animals in Sri Lanka, but also of jeeps and tourists at the same time and place.

The park reopened in 2010 after being closed for over 25 years due to the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.

Leaving Kalpitiya at Dawn

So to the question Yala or Wilpattu, we decided to go to the latter. We chose Wilpattu National Park as it would give us a better chance to see elephants, leopards, as well as bears.

Not only the park was closer to our location in Kalpitiya, but it is less visited than Yala. Partly because of its remote location away from the traditional tourist path, but also due to the smaller chance of animal sightings.

Pick Your Wilpattu National Park Safari

Finding the best safari in Sri Lanka is obviously based on so many criteria. What animals you want to see. When you are visiting. And on the high expectations that you will see animals. But these are wild animals so there is never any guarantee of seeing any. So finding your perfect Sri Lanka wildlife safari depends on what you are looking for.

Wilpattu National Park Entrance Fees

The ticket for a non-Sri Lankan citizen is US$15 for an adult and US$8 for a child (6 to 12 years old)

Sri Lanka Wildlife Tours

Several tour operators in Sri Lanka offer safari tours to Wilpattu from an half-day, full day, and even an overnight glamping experience. The Wilpattu National Park management office can also organize tours directly at the park entrance.

The safari jeeps form the park cost from 6,000 LKR for a half-day safari, to 10,000 LKR for a full day.

Costs for a Sri Lanka safari packages from tour operators vary from US$100 to US$600 per night per person depending on the Wilpattu accommodation.

• Choose between morning, afternoon, or full-day safari packages.
• Even if we were incredibly lucky to see three leopards during our morning safari, this is highly unusual. During our stay at Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, we did not get to see one tiger during three half-day safaris. For that reason, we recommend at least a full-day package, which will give you more time to explore. If you can only go for half a day, go for the morning as this increases the chance of seeing Sri Lanka animals in the cooler hours.
• Even if the park is not as highly visited as Yala, the remoteness also limits the numbers of jeep available. Make sure to book your seats in the high season. Your hotel or local travel agency should be able to help you out. We booked our tour through our lodging, Valampuri Resort in Kalpitiya.
• Not private cars can go inside – only jeeps. Sections of the road are through deep sand, and even 4WDs can struggle. We wished our jeep cover was a bit higher – we had to bend our necks to see under the rolled sides, and we saw many other jeeps with taller roofs that made viewing easier.

Wilpattu National Park Accommodation

There are no Wilpattu hotels per se, but if you are looking for a Wilpattu safari camp, many bungalows and camping options are available inside the park, owned and managed by the department of wildlife.

Spending a night will increase your chance to see one of the elusive leopards. Make sure to book your Wilpattu accommodation in advance to secure your preferred location.

Wilpattu National Park Bungalows and Lodges:

• Luxury Hotel Thamaravila By The Elephant Stables: Splurge for a night
• Wilpattu Tree House: Find the best prices
• Wilpattu Nature Resort Thimbiriwewa: Find the best prices
• The Backwaters Wilpattu: Check the top offers

Wilpattu Safari Camp and Guesthouse Options:

• Big Game Camp Wilpattu: Click here for the latest deals 
• Base Camp Wilpattu: See the best offers
• Wilpattu Camping at Go Outdoor Caravan Park: Find the latest specials
• Wilpattu Dolosmahe Guesthouse: Check the latest deals
• Wilpattu Homestay Ceylon: Best offers here

Most of the hotels near Wilpattu national park but there are different road access points. The closest towns are Nochchiyagama, Puttalam, Kalpitiya, and Anuradhapura. Verify where your prospective accommodation might be before booking.

Our Experience on a Wilpattu Safari Tour

We went for a morning tour and departed Kalpitiya by boat at 6 am. The ride across Dutch Bay took us about 30 minutes, a smooth ride over calm waters while we watched the sunrise. We reached a local eco-lodge where we met our driver and guide Binura. We were pleased to see we were the only ones in the jeep. The perfect condition for a wildlife safari.

Sunrise across Dutch Bay, Kalpitiya

Ready for our Wilpattu wildlife safari

Another 30-min ride on dirt roads took us to the park entrance. Our guide took care of the tickets, and soon we were driving and searching for wildlife.

The red dirt road of Wilpattu National Park Sri Lanka

Spotting Sri Lankan Elephants

We saw our first herd of elephants in the open clearing almost immediately after. They were a bit far, but we could not believe we just arrived and found elephants right away.

Elephant herd just minutes into Wilpattu

We got even more excited as our guide pointed to a larger male Sri Lankan elephant with two large tusks further up the road. Binura stressed that elephants with tusks were a rare sight, so we were quite excited about this. We drove closer and stopped for a while to admire the gentle giant swinging his trunk left and right, pulling and eating grass as he went.

Elephant with rare long tusks

Birdwatching at Wilpattu Wilas

Binura pushed the jeep deeper into the park, driving by lakes, dry woodlands, sandy patches, open fields, and thick forests.

Wilpattu, whose name is formed of “Will” - lakes in Sinhala, and "Pattu" - 10 in Tamil, is aptly describing the landscape of forests patches with lakes. Each lake was filled with birds - little and great cormorants, different types of egrets and herons, white ibis, sandpipers, and more.

Two hornbills

Lesser Adjutant

Black-headed Ibis

Grey Heron

First Sri Lankan Leopard Encounter

We were of course in search of the famous Wilpattu leopard. As we were leaving the Panikkar Wila (or Wilu, lake in English), several wild pigs sped away, running for their lives. And a loud roar. We all froze. We searched the woods, but the high density made it hard for us to see anything. Until a large form became visible at the edge of the forest.

First glance at a Sri Lankan leopard

Moving along, the big cat made his way out the trees and onto the path. This happened very fast, but we did glance at a leopard! Wilpattu did not fail us! Though we did not get a great view of the infamous wild cat, we were thrilled.

Second Leopard Encounter

Lazy Leopard in tree

Let alone did we know that soon after, we would see another leopard. This time the animal was perched high on a tree, lazily resting and barely paying attention to us. Sometimes moving its tail. Sometimes lifting the head, listening to a faraway sound. Mostly just laying there in perfect peace.

Enquiring leopard

We stopped there, close to the Thala Wila area, for a long while, enjoying the opportunity to watch the animal relatively close without bothering it. Our Jeep, as well as another, were the only two vehicles present, alone on the narrow sandy path of the thick forest. This made for a rather intense experience, feeling alone in the jungle.

Life is hard, leopard-style

First Leopard Encounter - Take Two!

As we finally left this spot, we retrieved our way to the Panika Villa. Suddenly a leopard jumped in front of the jeep, dragging a small white animal in its wake. It quickly disappeared into the trees, but we decided to stop and wait. Given we had already seen that leopard at the same location not long ago, the chances of seeing it again were high.

A walk in the forest

Our patience paid off, as the leopard soon returned. And then we were treated to the best five minutes of our trip. The leopard walked around, checking trees, sniffing the ground, looking up at the treetops here and there. Going left, going right, coming toward us, moving back.

Looking up the tree on the left

And to the right

Maybe in the middle?

A few times it looked straight at us, making me feel so small. I was hoping the leopard wasn’t considering us as a tasty option for its lunch.

Or maybe in front of me?

Alone for the whole time, Bruno and I were both mesmerized by the scene in front of us. The leopard moved deeper into the wood, and we could hear cracking sounds, probably as he fed on its dead prey. Being able to see the wild animal was incredibly lucky, seeing two was imaginable, but seeing one hunting and moving around was a lifetime experience.

And because you should always look up like our leopard did, we spotted that Crested-Hawk Eagle just above our jeep...

Crested-Hawk Eagle

Third Leopard Encounter

And because it was the luckiest of the luckiest day, we stumbled on another leopard on another tree deep in the dark vegetation, hidden behind thick foliage. We initially thought it was the same one we saw earlier on, but our guide confirmed it was another one. In fact, Bruno briefly saw another leopard going down the tree, which made us realized two leopards had been relaxing there a moment ago. The remaining cat displayed the same lazy behavior, though this time it kept moving on the branch. Standing up, turning, stretching. We could not believe our eyes.

Third Sri Lankan Leopard

Observation Treehouse by Nelum Wila

We continued our circuit around the park and made our way to Nelum Wila and its famous Wilpattu tree house, an observation platform. The lake is teeming with birds, and the settings with the trees were beautiful and peaceful.

Nelum Wila

A viewing platform is built high up a tree, that is somewhat rotten but seemed ok when Bruno climbed the metal ladder. Of course, this is at your own risk so while he went up to check out the view, I stayed behind as I was not feeling confident enough and did not think it might be sturdy enough. But Bruno was braver than me and enjoyed his time perched high up from the ground.

Bruno on the viewing platform

Ladder up to the observation treehouse

Wilpattu National Park - Thick Forest, Sand, and Lakes

We drove back on the same sandy road, passing through thick forests, defined as jungle locally. It is worth mentioning that most of the ride is done among these dense vegetations. This limits the visibility, though this is, of course, prime leopard territories, so better keep your eyes open!

Thick forest and sand track

Termite in the forest

Passing by one of the ten wilas

One of the Wila of Wilpattu

Sri Lankan Wildlife of Wilpattu National Park

The rest of the morning flew by quickly. We saw other Wilpattu National Park animals like the barking deer, iguanas, hawk eagles, painted storks, Lesser Adjutants, and Brahmani kites as we headed to the exit. We did not get to see the elusive Sri Lankan Sloth Bears - for another time!

Iguana - Monitor Lizard

Spotted deer

Wild Pigs and Egret at the Panikkar Wila

We did see monkeys as well - purple-faced leaf monkeys that disappeared quickly in the forest, and grey langurs that hung by the side of the road, not shy at all.

Grey Langur

The morning Wilpattu safari has to be out of the park by 11:30 am so our driver kept a fast pace on the way back. When I asked him about the reason, he said these were Wilpattu park regulations with late drivers potentially fined if they overstay their time.

As we parted from our guide, Binura could not believe how lucky we had been to see three different leopards, even Bruno getting a glimpse at a fourth one. He was excited for us, which says something given he gets in the park regularly.

Boat Ride through Mangroves and Dutch Bay

Our boat was waiting for us, and we headed out the backwaters towards Dutch Bay. Our guide had told us that sometimes elephants crossed the rivers, so we were keeping an eye out. Wouldn’t have been another lucky moment?

Fishermen between the bay and the mangroves

Mangroves along the backwaters

The captain of our boat took us next to see “Ali Gaha,” or the Elephant Tree. The tree is a giant baobab of many centuries old. Its wrinkled skin looks like elephant skin, hence the name. Though the tree itself is not necessarily much to see, though yes it is rather large, the boat ride through the green mangroves and small fishing villages make it worthwhile visiting.

“Ali Gaha,” or the Elephant Tree

Bark from the “Ali Gaha,” - fitting for an Elephant Tree

How to Get to Wilpattu National Park

• Overland to the main Hunuwilgama Entrance:
  • You can access the park by minivan or private car.
  • The main entrance is 7 km from the turn-off on the road from Puttalam to Anuradhapura
  • Tickets can be purchased at the park office there
• Kalpitiya to Wilpattu by boat:
  • This boat ride is the fastest option and allows to discover Dutch Bay and the mangroves on the shores. Note that the return ride might be rough due to swells on Dutch Bay created by the afternoon winds.
• By Road
  • Kalpitiya to Wilpattu: The drive lasts about 1 ½ hour from Kalpitiya.
  • Puttalam to Wilpattu: About 30 km
  • Anuradhapura to Wilpattu: about 50 km from the ancient capital city
  • Negombo to Wilpattu: A 3-hour drive from the airport at Negombo
  • Colombo to Wilpattu: The ride takes about 4 hours from Colombo, about 190 km away
• Park hours:
  • Opening hours: 6 AM to 6 PM
  • Best time for animal watching: 6 am to 10 am, and 3 pm to 6 pm

Boat ride through the mangroves

Wilpattu National Park: Best Time to Visit

Though the park is open all year-round, it is best to travel between February and October.

Wilpattu National Park Information & Travel Tips

• The park is open from 6 am to 6 pm.
• Bring water and snacks as there is no food available anywhere close to the park.
• If you book a full-day, make sure lunch is provided or bring your own.
• Sunscreen, insect repellent, and a scarf against the dust are must-have
• Don't forget to charge your batteries ahead of time as you won't be able to charge. Unless you have a portable battery.
• A pair of binoculars will come handy
• Bring cash to pay for the park entrance

[amazon_link asins='1786572575,0241311748,1841621749,B006U0Z3BA' template='ProductCarousel' store='zewanfro-20' marketplace='US' link_id='5105905f-8e15-4518-8b82-1f06e40d6ad5']

So overall, we had a great morning in Wilpattu and felt it was probably the best National Park in Sri Lanka for leopard spotting.

Interested in other wildlife encounters? Find out about searching for elephants in Udewalawe National Park in Sri Lanka, watching Orangutans in Borneo, or seating with Moutain Gorillas in Rwanda.

Stay tuned for more adventures
from our travel around the world!

Follow us now on
Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.