Sri Lanka is a wildlife lover’s paradise. It has over 26 national parks, a tremendous thing for such a small island. This makes Sri Lanka be among the world’s top 5 most biodiverse countries. Sri Lanka is one of the best places in Asia for a wildlife safari and it is also one of the best all round wildlife destinations the world has to offer. There also many wild life safari operators whose services you can choose from in Sri Lanka. There is marine life and a varied selection of landscapes, and it is all located very close to many other points of attraction in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a great variation in climate, because of its monsoons, and wide range of altitudes, this makes it have the kind of diversity that you would normally only expect to see on a continent. Sri Lankans are very proud of their natural heritage. Minhintale, the world’s first reserve, was created as early as the third century BC. Today there are much larger national parks to which you can go to see some of the most exciting wildlife in Sri Lanka. From bears, leopards, elephants, deer, to birds, whales and crocodiles, Sri Lanka has a gamut of big game and exciting animal life that will give you your holiday thrill. About 6 hours drive from Colombo, Yala National Park is one of the best parks to see leopards in Sri Lanka. You can get to Yala by taking the Southern Expressway. Camping in Yala is also a very popular thing to do in Sri Lanka. There are about 30 of them here and they are very bold and love to pose for photos. It is also close to beautiful beaches like Yala and Arugam Bay where you can also find world class surfing. Yala boasts some of the most luxurious resorts from which to experience your wildlife safari. Choose from the Wild Coast Lodge, Chena Huts by Uga Escapes, Jetwing Yala, Cinnamon Wild or Wild Trails Yala. Located close by, Bundala National park, about an hour away, is a great place for birdwatching in Sri Lanka. If you want to see the famous Sri Lankan elephant, you should go to Udawalawe National Park, about four hours drive from Colombo. Udawalawe also has plenty of good hotels to stay at. There are more than 500 wild elephants in this park. Near Udawalawe you can also access beautiful tea plantation covered hillsides. Minneriya National Park is also fantastic to see elephants at, but only during September and October, during their famous seasonal gathering. Wasgamuwa National Park is also a great place to see elephants in the wild in Sri Lanka. It is close to Dambulla, the famous rock cave temple. If you are lucky you might even catch sight of a bear at Wasgamuwa, though they are known to be very elusive animals. If you like rainforests, Sinharaja is the place to go to, about 5 hours away from Colombo by car. The tops of the trees reach upto 45 metres in some places and the reserve plays host to some of the most diverse flocks of birds to be found anywhere in Sri Lanka and the world. Another great place for birdwatching is Horton Plains, with its stunning 880 metre drop off that boasts a mindblowing view. You can also find plenty of sambhur deer at Horton Plains. Wilpattu National Park is the place to go to if you want to sight the elusive sloth bear. It is also a good place to see leopards in Sri Lanka, though not as good as Yala. It is very close to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s premier site for ancient ruins and Buddhist infrastructure. Of course one cannot forget the abundance of sea life in Sri Lanka. Go to the ‘whale watching triangle’; Mirissa, Kalpitiya and Trincomalee to see blue whales, sperm whales and schools and schools of dolphins. Bring a twist to your safari by taking exclusive wildlife photography tours, work with some of the best wildlife photographers in Sri Lanka to capture the perfect souvenir from your holiday. Hiring safari jeeps and other tours is a breeze, simply talk to us, your wildlife tour operator.