Jeep Safaris in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka being a small island in the Indian Ocean, is not just known for its exotic beaches and historical monuments, but also for its wildlife. For you to bask in the beauty of nature in Sri Lankas wildlife, we have some amazing National Parks that you would love to see, and we have jeep Safaris for each one of them. Situated in Sri Lankas South-East hugging the panoramic Indian Ocean is the Yala National Park. Yala is Sri Lanka’s most known National Park and is popular for elephant, leopard, bear, crocodile and wild boars. With 98’000 hectares in extent, this is the second largest in Sri Lanka’s National Parks.
The park was once famous for elephants due to its terrain having a rippling effect and also open environs, however in recent times when the National Geographic and Discovery TV channels carried out research projects which focused on leopard conservation and identification, it was revealed that Yala National Park consists of the world’s highest concentration of leopards per square kilometre.
Its vegetation is primarily grassland and shrub jungle with patches of dense growth while several salt and fresh water lagoons are a haven for a large variety of resident and migrant birds. One of the best wildlife attractions, the Leopard, when not seen out and about, is generally hidden in rocky areas amongst the shrubs and bushes.
Home to picturesque surroundings and rare wildlife, the Udawalawe National Park is another treasure located in the South-Central region of the island. Nourished by the Udawalawa reservoir, stretching over 30,000 hectares, it is most popular for elephant sightings as the verdure shelters close to 500 elephants. The riches within the park do not end there: flocks of sambar deer, wild buffaloes, bandicoots, foxes, water-monitor lizards, crocodiles, sloth bears, the occasional leopards and a wealth of reptiles and birds can also be observed in their natural habitats. Bird-watching and camping arrangements are available at the park and the ideal time to visit, when one can enjoy the scenic views and wildlife without being interrupted by the monsoons is between February – April.
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Wilpattu National Park comprises of thick foliage interwoven with shrubbery, streamlets and tanks that expand during the monsoons and contract during the dry season. Spreading over 1085 sqkm with a dense forest makes it the largest National Park in Sri Lanka and perfect abode for diverse wildlife species. The park is mostly popular for its sightings of the Sloth Bear and also other animals such as Elephants, Leopards, Spotted Deer and gigantic crocodiles. It is equally interesting for Birdwatching with stunning flocks of Peacocks, Painted Storks, Jungle Fowls as well as Mongooses. If you’re looking for a Game Drive within the park the entire day, the ideal time to visit would be between January and May.
The final National Park accessible through a jeep safari is in Minneriya, located in the backwoods of the North Central Province, which is also home to the famous Minneriya National Park that shelters some of the greatest wildlife treasures of this paradise isle. An ancient man-made tank cultivates the park and acts as a sanctuary for Elephants, Sambar Deer, troupes of toque monkeys, Leopards and vibrant flocks of birds. It is also renowned for the ‘Sixth Greatest Wildlife Spectacle of the World’, the amazing phenomenon of the ‘Minneriya Elephant gathering’ that occurs annually during August to September. The best time to visit the park is during June to September as the low water levels of the tank expose grass in the tank-bed, which attracts herds of grazing animals.
Photo by Vasim Memon