National Parks
Sri Lanka is famous for its wildlife. There are many National parks and sanctuaries where one can see animals in their natural habitat. Major animals that roam in National Park include elephants, leopards, sloth bears, deers, monkeys, wild buffalos, wild boars, porcupines, civet cats, jackals, mongooses, several varieties of lizards, squirrels, reptiles and amphibians.
Yala (Ruhuna) National Park
Yala (Ruhuna) National Park
Yala National Park with an area of 1259 sq km is the biggest National Park in Srilanka. The Park is located 309 km south of Colombo on the southeast of the island. The national park is divided into Yala West (also called Ruhuna) and Yala East. Yala West or Ruhuna National Park is one of the best parks in the world to observe and photograph leopards. There are about 35 leopards in the park, which probably is the highest density anywhere in the world. Other animals that can be seen in the park are elephants, sloth bear, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, toque monkey, mongoose and crocodiles. Yala East contains a large variety of water birds.
Uda Walawe National Park:
Situated 170 km southeast of Colombo, the Uda Walawe National Park lies within the Ratnapura and Monaragala districts. It is largely inhabited by elephants, spotted deer, sambhur, water buffaloes, mongoose, bandicoots, foxes, water monitor lizards, crocodiles, wild boars, toque monkeys, grey langur, leopards and various varieties of snakes.