Sri Lanka Safari Destinations

Our Safari Destinations in Sri Lanka

Wild regions with heart, soul and no shortage of spectacle

Wilpattu National Park: The Land of Lakes – solitude, serenity, and the elusive leopard

On Sri Lanka’s quiet northwestern edge lies Wilpattu, where jungle gives way to a network of shimmering “villus” – natural rain-fed lakes that draw in wildlife like a magnet. It’s one of the island’s oldest and largest national parks, yet also one of its most quietly magical.

Here, leopards roam with the kind of stealth that rewards patience. Sloth bears snuffle among the undergrowth, and elephants move with a stillness that belies their size. Waterbirds – egrets, whistling teal, painted storks – decorate the lakeshores, and ancient ruins whisper stories of civilisations long gone.

Less visited than its southern counterparts, Wilpattu offers a safari experience with space to breathe. You’re more likely to meet a mongoose than another jeep. This is the safari for purists – unhurried, unspoiled, unforgettable.

Gal Oya National Park: Elephants that swim. Forests that speak. A safari like no other.

Tucked into Sri Lanka’s unspoiled eastern reaches, Gal Oya is quite possibly the island’s best-kept wilderness secret. Centred around the vast Senanayake Samudraya reservoir, this is the only place in the country – and one of very few in the world – where you can watch elephants swim from island to island on a private boat safari.

Yet the elephants are just the beginning.

This off-grid Eden is home to sloth bears, wild boar, water buffalo, and leopards, all thriving in the park’s untouched forests and savannah. Birdlife dazzles overhead. And for those who venture deeper, hikes with the indigenous Vedda tribe reveal a way of life in perfect harmony with nature – a chance to learn about medicinal plants, tracking techniques, and a culture rooted in the land itself.

This is safari at its most immersive. There are no fences, no crowds, and no phone signal. Only the rustle of the jungle, the sweep of a paddle, and the occasional trumpet across the water.

More Than a Safari – A Journey into Sri Lanka’s Wild Identity

Wildlife in Sri Lanka isn’t a bolt-on. It’s in the country’s bones. Whether watching spinner dolphins dance off the Kalpitiya coast, spotting blue whales in Mirissa, or finding elephant herds in Udawalawe and Minneriya, the natural world is never far from view.

We don’t sell ‘safari holidays’ in the conventional sense. Instead, we curate tailor-made itineraries that ebb and flow through the island’s most remarkable wild spaces – often blending remote lodges, national parks, ancient forest trails and coastal ecosystems.

These safaris are for those who prefer experience over expectation, silence over showmanship, and muddy boots over manicured lawns.