Sri Lanka Leopards & Wildlife

Fly from wherever you are to Sri Lanka. From the UK the best option is overnight with Sri Lankan Airlines.

We will be waiting to greet you on your arrival in Colombo. Meet your chauffeur guide who will be with you for your entire trip in Sri Lanka. Your first stop is a nearby hotel on the coast near the seaside town of Negombo, where you can freshen up and relax after your journey. Settle in to laid-back Sri Lankan life or pop out to the nearby beaches and markets.

Today’s interesting journey up north to Wilpattu National Park starts with a three-hour drive to Kalpitiya, after which you can hop in the boat for a beautiful ride across the lagoon to your hotel or camp.

Wilpattu is one of the best places for wildlife in Sri Lanka, and in recent years we have heard more reports of leopard sightings here than in the more popular (and busier) Yala. Today you can have as many as three daily game drives inside the park, but the best times for wildlife spotting is generally early morning and late afternoon.

Enjoy a final safari inside the national park before setting off on the two-hour drive to Sigiriya. Check into your hotel and relax.

Overnight in Sigiriya

Get up early to avoid the crowds climbing the spectacular Sigiriya rock, and explore the ruins of this fascinating and incredibly beautiful 5th century citadel. The painted frescoes in the caves are stunning.

Later on we will take you for a game drive in Minneriya National Park, where elephants gather together to drink by the ancient royal reservoir. If you’re lucky you might also catch a glimpse of a sloth bear or a leopard.

Today’s six-hour drive to Nuwara Eliya can be broken up with a train journey through the hill for the final part – the trip from Kandy from Nuwara is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world, passing through green hills, forests and tea plantations.

Today you can also visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy and also stop at a tea plantation.

Head out of town today for a walk in Horton Plains National Park, a beautiful area of grasslands and cloud forests. High in the hills this is a completely different side of Sri Lanka to what you have already seen. Watch out for herds of sambar deer.

From Nuwara Eliya it’s a 3.5 hour drive to Gal Oya National Park on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast. The huge reservoir here is a very special place for wildlife, and the only national park in Sri Lanka where safaris are done by boat. Here you can see wild elephants swimming across the lake, and various other animals coming to the shore to drink. You can enjoy an evening safari on the reservoir after checking into your hotel, the wonderful Gal Oya Lodge.

Spend a couple of days enjoying the serenity and beauty of the Gal Oya Lodge and surrounding areas. There are plenty of activities organised by the hotel, including bird walks of various lengths, a morning walk up Monkey Mountain, and setting up camera traps in the evening as part of the lodge’s animal monitoring program. Or try a jungle cooking class, foraging for food and learning how to cook local dishes with the chef.

Start your journey home with the 6.5 hour drive to Negombo, an interesting seaside town close to the airport for the next day’s flight home.

Check out of your hotel before 12 noon, and we will drop you at the airport for your flight home.