Sri Lanka Leopards & Wildlife

Head to your nearest international airport and board your overnight flight to Sri Lanka. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime!

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 the Regal Reseau Hotel, 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 hotel Cloud Nine where you will stay for two nights.

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. Upon arrival in Sigiriya you will be taken to Habarana Village hotel, your accommodation for the next two nights. The evening is yours at your leisure.

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. You will check in to St Andrews Hotel where you will stay for the next two nights.

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 where you will be wild glamping for the next three nights.

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 game drives, 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 3.5 hour drive to Negombo, an interesting seaside town close to the airport for the next day’s flight home. Check into the Regal Reseau once more for your final night in Sri Lanka.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and you will be transferred to the airport for your international flight home.

Land back into your home country with wonderful memories of your exciting Sri Lankan adventure.