Wild Sri Lanka: Leopards, Elephants, Blue Whales and Turtles

Sri Lanka’s wild side, from the leopards of Yala and Wilpattu and the elephants of Udawalawe and Minneriya to blue whales off Mirissa, turtles on the west coast and the waterbirds of Bundala and Kumana, with an honest word on orphanages and hatcheries and a directory of the national parks in our guide. Facts from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka Tourism and the parks’ own rules.

Few islands pack so much wildlife into so little space. In a single week in Sri Lanka you can watch a leopard stretch out on a granite boulder in Yala, see wild elephants graze the shores of a reservoir built in the third century, and follow the blow of a blue whale off the south coast. Painted storks wade the lagoons, monkeys crash through the canopy, and turtles haul themselves up the western beaches to lay their eggs.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation manages the national parks, and safaris are made in jeeps with licensed drivers and a park tracker. The joy of the island is how close together it all is, and how easy it is to see the animals wild. This guide also gives an honest word on the orphanages and hatcheries, so you can choose the places that put the animals first.

Leopards on the rocks of Yala, hundreds of elephants on the shores of an ancient reservoir, and the largest animal on earth surfacing off the south coast.

Leopards and sloth bears

Yala, in the far south-east, is Sri Lanka’s best-known national park: a mosaic of scrub jungle, lagoons, rocky outcrops and beaches, famous for leopards and also home to elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles and more than 200 species of birds. The western part, Block I, is the most visited, and parts of the park close for a period in the dry season, so check the open blocks before you book.

For quieter game drives, go north-west to Wilpattu, the largest of the national parks, where dense forest is dotted with “villus”, natural lakes that draw leopards, sloth bears, elephants and sambar deer in the dry season. On the east coast, Kumana shares a border with Yala and has leopards and elephants of its own.

Elephants, wild and in care

Sri Lanka is one of the easiest places in Asia to see wild elephants. Udawalawe is reliable almost all year, and next to it the Department of Wildlife Conservation runs the Elephant Transit Home, which raises orphaned calves and returns them to the wild when they are old enough; there is no contact with the calves, and visitors watch the feeding times from a viewing area. In the north-central plains, herds move between Minneriya, Kaudulla and the Hurulu Eco Park as the reservoirs drop, so safari drivers in Habarana choose the park each day by where the elephants are.

Two places keep captive elephants. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, run by the Department of National Zoological Gardens near Kegalle, was set up for orphaned and injured elephants and now keeps a large herd, including elephants born there, which walks daily to bathe in the Maha Oya river; animal-welfare organisations have raised concerns about conditions and captive breeding. Nearby, the Millennium Elephant Foundation cares for captive elephants, many retired from work, and runs a mobile vet service; rides have been offered there in the past, so ask what a visit involves before you book, and do not ride.

On the water: blue whales, reefs and turtles

The deep water off Dondra Head, Sri Lanka’s southern tip, is one of the best places in the world to see blue whales, and boats leave Mirissa harbour early in the morning in the season when the south coast is calm. Off Trincomalee, on the east coast, the continental shelf drops away close to shore, and whales and dolphins are seen in the east’s own calm season, from about March or April to August. Whale-watching boats need an annual licence under the Sea Mammals Regulations of 2012, which require them to keep about 100 metres from whales.

Off Nilaveli, Pigeon Island National Park protects coral and reef fish, and blacktip reef sharks are sometimes seen. Several species of sea turtle nest on the beaches around Kosgoda on the west coast, where hatcheries line the road. Practices vary: the best keep eggs in natural conditions and release hatchlings promptly at night; avoid any that keep adult turtles in tanks for handling or photographs. Seeing turtles in the sea, at Hikkaduwa or Rekawa, with distance and respect, is the gentlest way.

Birds and wetlands

Bundala, a park of coastal lagoons and scrub near Hambantota, was the first wetland in Sri Lanka to be named a Ramsar site, and is rich in waterbirds, from painted storks to the migrant flamingos that arrive in some winters. On the east coast, Kumana’s swamp lagoon is a famous bird-nesting site, and Minneriya alone has registered more than 170 species of birds, according to Sri Lanka Tourism.

In the hills, Horton Plains National Park, part of the UNESCO-listed Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, is a cool plateau of grassland and cloud forest; start the walk to World’s End at dawn, before the mist rolls in. Above Kandy, the Udawattakele Forest Reserve, once the royal forest of the Kandyan kings, has paths through tall trees full of birds and monkeys.

Feature: the Gathering at Minneriya

Each dry season, as the waters of the Minneriya reservoir recede, lush grass appears on its banks. Small herds of elephants travel in from the surrounding parks and come together in very large herds, and visitors are often treated to the sight of many hundreds of elephants feeding on the shore. Once the rains set in, the elephants disperse into the jungle again. Sri Lanka Tourism counts 35 native mammal species in the park, from sloth bears and leopards to the endangered Indian pangolin.

Did you know? The reservoir at the heart of the Gathering is not natural: the Minneriya Tank was built by King Mahasen in the third century AD, and the national park protects the catchments of three ancient irrigation tanks.

Our advice

Our advice: book safaris through your lodge or a reputable operator, with a licensed jeep and driver, and ask for one who keeps to speed limits, does not chase or crowd the animals and switches off the engine at sightings. Go at dawn or late afternoon, when the most wildlife is about, and check open blocks and seasonal closures with the Department of Wildlife Conservation. For whales, ask to see the boat’s licence and check for life jackets, shade and a toilet, since trips often last four hours or more. Say no to elephant rides, shows, bathing with elephants and handling turtles, and never feed wild animals.