National Parks of Sri Lanka

National parks are a class of protected areas in Sri Lanka and are administered by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. National parks are governed by the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of 1937 and may be created, amended or abolished by ministerial order.

Sri Lanka has many National Parks and some National Parks are busy and densely populated. Among them Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya and Kaudulla are special.

Visiting all of Sri Lanka’s national parks on a single trip is the preserve of career naturalists, so we’ve whittled down the list to a few favorites for nature-loving travelers with a tight schedule.

  • Maduru Oya National Park is situated by Kuda Sigiriya, a great eco location yet to be explored. Maduru Oya is well known for its elephant habitat.

    Maduru Oya National Park 
  • Lahugala National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Sri Lanka. The park is an important habitat for Sri Lankan Elephant and endemic birds of Sri Lanka.

    Lahugala Kitulana National Park 
  • Yala National Park is Sri Lanka's 2nd largest park. This park is reputed as the national park with the highest concentration of leopards in Sri Lanka.

    Yala National Park 
  • Wilpattu National Park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka. The park that lies on the northwest coast spans the border between North Central national-parks and North Western national-parks of Sri Lanka.

    Wilpattu National Park 
  • Kaudulla National Park is located in the Polonnaruwa Dictrict. It is a dry evergreen forest that spread over an area of 6656 hectares is connected to the corridor between nearby Minneriya Wildlife Park and Kaudulla.

    Kaudulla National Park 
  • Minneriya National Park is located in the Polonnaruwa Dictrict. Elephant Migration between Minneriya, Kaudulla and Hurulu Eco Park because of Minneriya National Park gives the opportunity to see herds of Elephants throughout the year.

    Minneriya National Park 
  • Wasgamuwa National Park is located in the center of Matale and Polonnaruwa districts. The center of the attraction is herds of elephants up to 150. The best time to enjoy the sight of large herds is during November to May.

    Wasgamuwa National Park 
  • Udawalawe National Park, the sixth largest sanctuary of Sri Lanka is located 180 km from Colombo in south-central sector of the island. Udawalawe is undoubtedly the best place in Sri Lanka to see wild Asian Elephants throughout the year.

    Udawalawe National Park 
  • Bundala National Park is located city of Hambantota in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Bundala national park is famous for the birdwatching. Each and every species of waterbird found in Sri Lanka is believed to visit Bundala National Park.

    Bundala National Park 
  • Gal Oya National Park allows the visitors to enjoy its beauty and wild life by Boat safari as well as by Jeep safaris. Boat safari affords the opportunity to land in an island within the reservoir called “Bird Island” swarming with birds.

    Gal Oya National Park 
  • Kumana National Park provides excellent feeding and resting habitats for a large number of threatened wetland species, including three turtle species. Sri Lankan records more than 430 bird species comprising endemic and migrant birds.

    Kumana National Park 
  • Hurulu Eco Park is a thriving ecosystem with a variety of creatures in Sri Lanka. The Hurulu forest reserve represents the dry-zone dry evergreen forests in Sri Lanka. Also, this forest reserve is a very important habitat of the Sri Lankan elephant.

    Hurulu Eco Park 
  • Horton Plains in Sri Lanka, is the coldest and windiest location in the country. It consists of ecosystems such as Montane evergreen forests, grasslands, marshy lands and aquatic ecosystem. The most frequent site of wildlife at Horton Plains are herds of Sambar Deer.

    Horton Plains National Park 
  • Sinharaja Rain Forest (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the last viable remnant of Sri Lanka’s tropical lowland rainforest spanning an area of 18900 acres is located within Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces of the south-west lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka.

    Sinharaja Rain Forest 
  • Adding another national park to Sri Lanka’s protected areas, the government declared the wilderness around Kalawewa and Balaluwewa a sanctuary.

    The Kalawewa reservoir was built by King Dhatusena who ruled the country in the fifth century.

    Kalawewa National Park 
  • Lunugamvehera National Park in Sri Lanka was declared in 1995, with the intention of protecting the catchment area of the Lunugamvehera reservoir and wildlife of the area. The national park is an important habitat for water birds and elephants.

    Lunugamvehera National Park 
  • Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province, encompassing a total area of 471.429 hectares.

    Pigeon Island National Park 
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