Sloth Bear - Shutterstock / Martin Mecnarowski
Wilpattu National Park
sri-lankawilpattuleopardsloth-beardry-forest
Sloth Bear - Shutterstock / Martin Mecnarowski
Sri Lanka|Asia
sri-lankawilpattuleopardsloth-beardry-forest
Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lanka|Asia
84
Wildlife
58
Access
58
Stay
64
Safety
82
Photo
72
Crowds
66
Cost
72
Birding
Wilpattu National Park is Sri Lanka's largest national park and a strong leopard, sloth bear, elephant, and dry-zone birding destination, known for forest tracks, natural villu lakes, and a quieter feel than Yala. It is particularly useful for photographers seeking Sri Lankan big mammals with more space.
32°
Partly cloudy
Gallery
Wildlife Species
Sri Lankan leopard
UncommonMammal · Best time: Morning and late afternoon
Sloth bear and Asian elephant
UncommonMammal · Best time: Dry season
Spotted deer, sambar, mugger crocodile, and monitor lizards
CommonMammal or Reptile · Best time: Villu lakes and tracks
Dry-zone birds and raptors
CommonBird · Best time: Morning
Geography
- Terrain
- Dry evergreen forest, villu lakes, scrub, grass openings, coastal-influenced woodland
- Elevation
- Low dry-zone plains
- Climate
- Tropical dry-zone monsoon
- Area
- Large national park in northwestern Sri Lanka
Weather
- Best Months
- FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptember
- Avg. Temperature
- 22-34°C
- Rainfall
- Dry months are best for track access and mammal sightings
- Humidity
- 55-95%
Getting There
Nearest Airport
Colombo with road transfer via Anuradhapura or Puttalam
Moderate road access, with long game drives inside a large forested park
Transport
- Leopard and sloth bear safari
- Sri Lanka dry-zone wildlife circuit
- Lower-crowd alternative to Yala
Where to Stay
Wilpattu safari lodges and camps
Mid-range to PremiumLodge or Camp · Best park access
Anuradhapura and Puttalam hotels
Budget to Mid-rangeHotel · Regional bases
Location
8.4500, 80.0500View larger map
