Excursion 2 - Jeep safari in Wilpattu, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Maduru Oya national parks

Jeep safari in Wilpattu, Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Maduru Oya national parks

Day trip with the opportunity to see hundreds of wild elephants, leopards and other animals

What we will see during the excursion:

Many wild elephants

Opportunity to see many other animals: leopards, crocodiles, giant squirrels, porcupines, pelicans, monitor lizards, monkeys and others.

The jeep ride itself across rugged terrain through jungles and ditches is also a very memorable adventure.

Yala National Park:

Yala is the most famous and most popular park in Sri Lanka. It has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. It consists of five blocks.

25 individual leopards are estimated to reside in Block 1.

Yala received 350,000 visitors in 2013 and the number continues to rise, making it Sri Lanka's most popular national park.

There are many elephants in Yala - around 300. However, they can be surprisingly difficult to spot as they are scattered over a large area, unlike, for example, Udawalawe or Minneriya where you can see many elephants in one place.

Advantages: There is a high chance of seeing leopards.

Disadvantages: Yala is located quite far from all major settlements and popular tourist resorts.

If you go on a half-day safari, you may still not see any elephants or leopards. A full day safari gives you more chances.

Conclusion: If you are not going specifically to look at leopards, but want to go on a regular safari, you should consider other national parks, for example Udawalawe.

Udawalawe National Park:

Udawalawe is considered to be better than many African national parks for elephant viewing.

There are more than 250 resident elephants in the park, dozens of which are easy to spot due to the park's open savannah terrain, especially when the animals go to water.

Udawalawe Park is an ideal safari choice for those staying on the southern coast of Sri Lanka - in resorts such as Unawatuna, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa.

Advantages: proximity to major popular resorts.

You are almost guaranteed to see dozens or even hundreds of wild elephants.

As well as wild crocodiles, a large number of rare birds and other animals.

Disadvantages: There are few leopards in the park.

Jeep Safari in Habaran: Minneriya, Kaudulla and Khurulu National Parks Eco Park

Habarana town is close to several large national parks such as Minneriya, Kaudulla and Khurulu Eco Park. These national parks are home to several hundred elephants who go out to the lakes to drink in the morning and evening.

The largest congregation of elephants occurs between May and September and is the largest gathering of elephants in the world.

During the rest of the year, huge numbers of elephants still live in the parks, making visiting these parks possible at any time of the year.

There is usually no question of choosing one of the three parks (Minneria, Kaudulla and Khurula). Since elephants migrate from one park to another, the jeep driver simply finds out by phone which park the elephants are in today and takes you there.

Advantages: The parks are located in close proximity to Sigiriya and Dambulla. If you are going on an island tour that includes a visit to Sigiriya, it will be very convenient to include a Habaran safari.

Moreover, the parks are close enough to Negombo, Colombo, Chilaw and Trincomalee, making day jeep safaris excursions from these localities possible.

You have a high chance of seeing hundreds of elephants, giant squirrels, porcupines and other animals.

Disadvantages: no leopards.

Wilpattu National Park (Wilpattu):

Wilpattu is the largest national park in Sri Lanka and the second largest for leopards. Despite this, it is the least popular and well-known.

Visitor numbers remain low, making it an attractive destination for the most authentic safari experience possible.

According to some claims, the park is the best place for observing leopards in Sri Lanka, however, the animals here are more timid than, for example, in Yala.

Advantages: Easily accessible from Negombo, Colombo, Chilaw, Marawila, Trincomalee. Visitors can expect to encounter elephants and leopards and bears. Along with Yala, an excellent place to spot leopards.

Disadvantages: Few elephants.

Maduru Oya National Park:

The park is located 288 kilometers (179 miles) northeast of Colombo. Maduru Oya serving as the catchment area for the Maduru Oya Reservoir. In the national park you can see leopards, elephants, monkeys, jackals, deer, hares, porcupines, wild boars and a huge variety of birds.

What you need to know if you are going on a safari to one of the national parks in Sri Lanka

Apart from elephants and leopards, bears, birds and other animals such as wild buffalos, giant squirrels, porcupines, huge monitor lizards and crocodiles can also be seen in these national parks.

The safari usually takes 2-3 hours. The tour starts early in the morning or in the evening around 16:00 when the weather is not too hot and animals come to the lakes to drink, so you have a better chance of spotting them.

All parks have two options: a half-day package (2-3 hours) and a full-day package (essentially two half-day safaris, morning and evening).

If you're a wildlife lover and want to see as many animals as possible, it's worth going on a full-day safari or even staying overnight near a national park.

Before going on safari: tips and frequently asked questions

How the safari takes place: in special jeeps. Regular cars are prohibited from entering national parks. It is prohibited to get out of jeeps except in specially designated places.

Can I get to the national parks on my own: Unfortunately, there is no public transport to the parks. You can either drive to the nearest town and take a taxi from there, or book a full-day excursion that includes pick-up and drop-off from your hotel. We provide transfers from any location to any park in Sri Lanka and also provide jeep booking. Keep in mind that you need to book a car or taxi both ways because it is extremely difficult to get a taxi from the national parks.

Can I order only a jeep safari from you without a transfer: You can, but it is unlikely that you will save on this. To get to the park, you will still have to order a car or taxi. Also, we book a jeep in advance, buy tickets to the park, agree with the ranger on which entrance to the park is best to start from (where there are currently the most animals), plan the best time and the most favorable route (to see more animals). If you only book a jeep, then you will have to organize all these issues yourself.

Can I order a Russian-speaking safari guide: By default, the trip takes place with an English-speaking ranger - a jeep driver. A Russian-speaking safari guide is not needed. If you still want to order it, then this will require a separate additional payment ($150).

When is the best time to go on a safari: The safari takes place in the morning or evening. During the day, animals hide from the heat and there is a low probability of seeing them. Different parks have different best times for safari: for example, it is best to go to Yala in the morning, to Minneriya in the evening.

What clothes to bring: Choose clothes that you are comfortable in. Keep in mind that there is a chance that it will get dirty (it might rain, there is a chance that pieces of dirt will get on your clothes when you drive through puddles on rough terrain), so you may want to bring spare clothes.

Don't forget to charge your camera and clear your memory: For those rare moments, your camera needs to go with you, be charged, and have enough memory for hundreds of photos.

Whether to bring food: There is no need to bring food due to the short duration of the tour. You can bring some water.

Yala or Udawalawe, which park is better to go on a safari: The main advantage of Yala Park is that you have a chance to see a leopard there. In Udawalawe you can see a large number of wild elephants. Thus, if you want to photograph a leopard, you should definitely go to Yala. Among the disadvantages of Yala: it is very large in area, the animals are scattered over a vast territory and it depends on luck whether you see anyone there. Also, it takes a long time to get to Yala from the main resorts (which means you will have to start early in the morning or even at night). If you want to go on a regular elephant safari, we recommend going to Udawalawe or Minneriya, whichever is closer to you.

Conclusions:

In terms of location, if you are in the north of Sri Lanka, in places like Colombo, Negombo, Chilaw, Marawila, Trincomalee, you will conveniently visit Wilpattu National Park (for leopards) and Minneriya National Park (for elephants);

If you're on a multi-day island tour visiting Kandy and Sigiriya, Minneriya National Park and Eco Park will be on the way and it would be logical to go on a safari before or after visiting Sigiriya.

If you are planning a safari trip from hotels in the south of the island, from Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Mirissa, Tangalle, it is better to visit Udawalawe National Park (to look at the elephants) or Yala National Park (to look at the leopards).