Sri Lanka
Safari time @ Sri Lanka
With its many (over 20!) beautiful national parks, Sri Lanka is one of the world’s best places to go on a safari besides Africa.
Yala National Park
Yala is located on the southeast constant and is the most popular national park in Sri Lanka. It’s mainly known for its high leopard population. Despite this, keep in mind it’s not guaranteed to actually see a leopard. The best time to see leopards is between February and March. Yala has various landscapes, from bushlands, lagoons to grasslands, which makes it perfect to see lots of other wildlife such as elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and the sloth bear. Overall there are around 50 species of mammals and over 200 species of birds. Note that Yala can be crowded as it’s Sri Lanka’s most popular NP. The park is divided into 5 blocks and is doing its best to preserve nature and wildlife, therefore only a few parts of the park are open to the public safaris.
Udawalawe
Udawalawe is the smaller neighbour from Yala NP and is the best place to visit if you are focussed on elephants. The chance to see some from a very short distance are very high. Another plus of Udawalawe is that the park is open grassland which makes it easier to spot animals and enjoy beautiful views across Sri Lanka’s landscape.
Camping & campfire dinner
When you’re spending some days on safari, it’s nice to get the full experience by staying on a campsite and get up close with nature. You can even have a campfire dinner under the stars. There are plenty of options for accomodation near or inside the parks, going from a jungle chalet to glamping.
