Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka

Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka

Wilpattu National Park Sri Lanka

Wilpattu National Park is on the island of Sri Lanka and is best known for its “willus” – natural, sand-rimmed lakes that fill with rainwater. The park lies in the north‑west coastal lowland dry zone, about 30 km west of Anuradhapura and 26 km north of Puttalam (around 180 km north of Colombo). Covering roughly 1,317 square kilometres, it stretches from sea level up to about 152 metres in elevation and contains close to 106 natural lakes and man‑made tanks scattered throughout the landscape. Wilpattu is both the largest and one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. It is world‑renowned for its population of Sri Lankan leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya). A remote‑camera survey carried out by the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust between July and October 2015 photographed 49 individual leopards in the study area, with core area densities comparable to those recorded in Yala National Park’s Block I and Horton Plains National Park. The park was closed from December 1988 until 16 March 2003 due to security issues linked to the Sri Lankan Civil War, reopening to visitors 16 years later. Today, visitors can access roughly 25% of the park; the rest remains dense forest or scrub. The main visiting season runs from February to October, although private eco‑tourism operators offer safari trips all year round.
Recommended airport
Sigiriya Airport (GIU)
Nearby destinations
  • Anuradhapura a 41.62 km
  • Kalpitiya a 39.58 km