This is a luxury wildlife holiday for people who want to see Sri Lanka's animals properly. Over two weeks you work your way round the island's national parks, from the lakes and forests of Wilpattu in the north-west to Yala in the south-east, with a private driver-guide and a game drive or boat safari almost every day. Leopards, sloth bears, wild elephants and hundreds of bird species are all on the cards, and the whales off Mirissa make a fitting finale.
The stays are as much a part of the trip as the parks. You sleep in chalets with plunge pools beside Wilpattu, in a pool villa near the ancient city of Anuradhapura, in a rustic jungle lodge at Gal Oya, in a tented camp on the edge of Kumana and in a cabin by the beach at Yala, before two nights in a 17th-century building inside Galle Fort. The price is land only, so you can fly from any UK airport and we will add the flights that suit you.
7 stops · 13 nights · by road with your driver-guide
Garden hotel near the airport
Leopards, sloth bears, lakes
Ancient cities, elephant safari
Boat safari, jungle lodge
Tented camp, birdlife, leopards
Leopards, beach-side cabins
Galle Fort, whale watching
Priced with these hotels. Want a different hotel? Your Travel Designer will re-price it for you.
Kotugoda is a quiet village a short drive from Colombo's international airport, close to the wetlands of Muthurajawela. It makes an easy first night after the long flight, before you head north into the parks.
Wilpattu is Sri Lanka's largest national park, a mosaic of forest and natural lakes called villus. It sees far fewer jeeps than Yala, and its leopards, sloth bears and elephants are the reason to come.
Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka's first great capital, and its giant stupas and monastery ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From here you also reach Polonnaruwa and the elephant herds of Minneriya and Kaudulla.
Gal Oya surrounds Senanayake Samudraya, Sri Lanka's largest reservoir, and is one of the few places where you explore by boat. Elephants sometimes swim between the islands, and the park is far off the usual tourist trail.
Kumana sits on the south-east coast next to Yala, with lagoons and mangroves that draw huge numbers of water birds. It is quiet and remote, with leopards, elephants and sloth bears as well as the birds.
Yala has one of the highest densities of leopards anywhere in the world. You explore both the main Block 1 and the quieter Block 5, and stay where the jungle meets the Indian Ocean.
Galle Fort is a walled old town built by the Portuguese and Dutch, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of cafés, churches and colonial houses. It is a short drive from Mirissa, the south coast's whale-watching harbour.
Guide price per person, two sharing, land only: hotels, driver-guide, safaris and activities as listed. International flights are not included; we can add them from any UK airport.
Available all year, subject to availability; prices vary by season and your Travel Designer confirms the price for your dates before you book.
Best time to go: The dry months, roughly February to September, give the best game viewing across these parks, and Yala usually closes for a few weeks in September and October. Whale watching off Mirissa runs from about November to April. The trip runs all year, and we adjust the order of the parks to the season.
A suggested plan. Change anything.
A fast-track service meets you on arrival at Colombo airport and takes you through formalities to your driver-guide. It is a short drive to The Wallawwa. In the early evening, take a boat out on the Muthurajawela marsh to watch the birds come in at sunset.
Drive north to Wilpattu, about four hours, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon you head into the park on your first game drive, looking for leopards around the lakes.
Morning and afternoon game drives through Wilpattu's forest and villus, with the best chance of sloth bears early in the day. Between drives, cool off in your chalet's plunge pool.
A short drive to Uga Ulagalla. Late in the afternoon a local historian leads you by bicycle along the back roads of Anuradhapura, past the great stupas of Ruwanwelisaya, Jetavana and Mirisaveti.
Explore the ruined royal city of Polonnaruwa, another UNESCO site, then take a private jeep into Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, wherever the elephant herds are feeding at that time of year.
Drive east to Gal Oya Lodge. In the afternoon go out by boat on Senanayake Samudraya, looking for elephants on the shores and islands, and sometimes swimming between them.
Forage with the lodge chef and cook a Sri Lankan lunch in an outdoor jungle kitchen. You can also add a jeep drive and walk in the Nilgala forest, or a guided hike with a naturalist.
Drive south to the tented camp on the edge of Kumana National Park. In the afternoon your hosts take you on a game drive past lagoons busy with storks, pelicans and herons, and old ruins in the forest.
An early-morning and an afternoon game drive in Kumana, looking for leopards, elephants and sloth bears as well as the birds. Evenings are spent round the campfire.
A long drive round the coast to Uga Chena Huts, arriving for lunch. In the afternoon take a private jeep into Yala's quieter Block 5.
An early start for a game drive in Yala's Block 1, where leopard sightings are frequent. The rest of the day is yours, with a sundowner arranged by the lodge.
Drive to Udawalawe National Park for a private game drive among its large elephant herds, then continue to Galle and check in to Amangalla inside the fort walls.
Leave early for Mirissa harbour and a private yacht trip in search of blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins, with breakfast, lunch, swimming and paddleboarding on board. Back in Galle, a resident shows you round the fort at sunset.
Drive to Colombo airport, about two and a half hours, for your flight home.
Nothing in the wild is guaranteed, but Yala has one of the highest leopard densities in the world, and Wilpattu and Kumana add more chances. With ten game drives across five parks, most guests see at least one.
No. Sightings depend on the season and the sea. Blue and sperm whales are most often seen off Mirissa between about December and April, and the boat trip may be moved or cancelled in rough weather.
Kumana's camp is comfortable but simple: large tents with beds, fans and solar lighting, bucket showers with hot water on request and no air-conditioning. Gal Oya Lodge is also rustic, with no Wi-Fi. The other hotels are luxury properties.
Yes. The price is land only, so we can add flights from your nearest UK airport, and a few nights on the beach or in the Maldives fit well at the end.
Change the hotels, the nights or the order, or add a third stop. A Travel Designer replies within a few hours.
Start planning
