Tiger and Leopard Safari in India or Sri Lanka – Best Parks to Visit?
Published on: July 15, 2021
Sri Lanka Leopard Safari – which to choose, Wilpattu or Yala?
Sadly when we first visited Sri Lanka back in 2002, the civil war that had torn the country apart for decades was still very much ongoing and national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the North of the island were very much off-limits. While travelling around Sri Lanka I spoke directly with naturalists and leopard researchers who told me about the ‘golden days’ of Wilpattu national park; when it was the ‘go to’ place for seeing the biggest leopards in Asia. Yala national park they scoffed was just a place to see a few Asian elephants and have a picnic, Wilpattu was the true star and it was here that photographers came on their Sri Lanka leopard safaris.
We now have Sri Lanka wildlife holidays which visit Yala national park, Wilpattu national park and the relatively unknown but upcoming destination for Leopard Safaris, Kumana national park
Wilpattu National Park – From War Zone to Wild Leopards roaming again.
Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest national park, famous for its leopards, Villus (water bodies) and infamous for the militants who used this park as a base to launch their attacks. I remember being horrified to hear a few years after my first visit that a tourist jeep had hit a land mine inside the park and killed most of the occupants. You can expect many things on a leopard safari in Sri Lanka but surely not to lose your own life.
The longer the conflict went on the more damage to the wildlife; although that in itself is hard to judge because there was a complete lack of information from researchers of tourists for many, many years. However the general consensus – even after the conflict ended in 2009 – was that Wilpattu would take a generation to recover. Infact, yet again, we have seen the resilience of nature come to the fore and a quite astonishing return to the glory days of its past. As many of you will know, the health of an eco-system can often be judged by the number of its Apex Predators and the increasing sightings of leopards in Wilpattu shows there is now a decent prey base for this big cat to once again thrive.
In the last few years wildlife photographers and leopard lovers have returned to Wilpattu. It is still far from attracted the number of tourists which Yala does year round, but in a way that is a good thing, It also makes its ‘come back’ at a time when there is a lot more focus on the quality of your wildlife safari, rather than just a rushed visit at the weekend to tick off a leopard. Wilpattu national park has therefore attracted safari specialists specialised in low impact camps or small lodges and because it is a much bigger park than Yala, you can truly get lost in its large interior.
Allan’s Top tips
If you head to Wilpattu national park shortly after the rains you will have a great chance to see multiple Sloth Bears. These characterful bears with their long, shaggy black coats and nose alays to the ground, benefit from the soft ground as it is then easier to dig for ants and termites.
Check out our beautiful combination Sri Lanka wildlife holiday visiting Wilpattu and the Dolphins of Kalpitiya.
Can you really see Leopards in Uda Walawe national park?
Because a visit to Wilpattu was not possible when we took our first Sri Lanka wildlife holiday in 2002, we knew that our best chance was to head east on the coastal road to Yala national park. As you drive from Colombo to Yala, there are several interesting national parks and reserves you can stop at to view wildlife, including Bundula national park for birds and Uda Walawe for large herds of Asian Elephants
I was very lucky on that first Sri Lanka wildlife tour, to catch a glimpse of a female leopard in Uda Walawe national park. We had only been on safari for around 30 minutes when we entered an area of the national park with many larger rocks surrounded by scrub forest. The sun had only emerged a few minutes earlier and the top of these rocks were bathed in a golden light. Suddenly our guide shouted for our vehicle to stop and there she was, a magnificent female leopard, enjoying the warm rays of that early sun and looking down at us with a mixture of indifference and regal power. Wow, I had never expected to see a Leopard in Uda Walawe national park so this was a huge bonus to start a trip like this and I felt truely blessed that we were the only vehicle watching.
Allan’s Top Tips
Include a 2 night stopover near Uda Walawe national park as you make your way east to Yala national park for your leopard safari. You can also spend a morning at Bundula national park en route, which is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. The focus at Uda Walawe would still be viewing Asian Elephant but with an early start in the morning you might just get lucky like me with a leopard warming itself up from the cold winter night on a sunny rock mound.
Where you will see Mountain Leopards walking through the mist?
Horton’s Plains national park is a very popular tourist destination about a 45 minute drive from the famous hill station of Nuwara Eliya. What remained hidden for many years despite the number of human visitors, was the fact that Horton’s Plains had a healthy leopard population and their appearance was different from the leopards found in the grasslands and coastal forests of Wilpattu and Yala.
I was first told about the Mountain Leopards of Horton’s Plains back in the early 2000’s, but it was only on a recent trip to the Island that I saw some incredible photos taken by the park director at Horton’s. A female leopard and her cubs had walked right past his house and he was luck enough to have his camera with him at that point. It’s always a joyful moment when you know the habitat and the prey density is such that female leopards can establish their territories and raise their young successfully.
Allan’s Top Tips
Leopard movement at Horton Plains are normally at sunrise and sunset so it’s super important that you stay at hotels or lodges which are as close to the entrance gates as possible. Although they are often booked months in advance, there are some forest bungalows inside of the park which can be reserved. Staying here would not only give you amazing early morning access and the best chance to photograph the leopards, it also means less crowds, as most of the walkers and tourists will not arrive until mid-morning.
Check out our unique 4 wild cats of Sri Lanka wildlife tour which includes 3 days at Hortons Plains looking for the elusive Mountain Leopard.
Yala Leopard Safari: Where the big males get their swagger on
Back in the early 2000’s Yala, was the Bandhavgarh or Ranthambhore of big cat reserves, where the male leopards have the same confidence and swagger of legendary tigers in India, such as Charger in Bandhavgarh or Bamboo Ram in Ranthambhore. So I was very keen to see up close what the magic in the air around Yala. On our very first evening leopard safari we came across a large male leopard, who as I had hoped appeared completely relaxed around the safari vehicles and allows us all to enjoy his evening territorial walk.
A Leopard safari in Yala national park was always a special experience and one of the reasons for that is the stunning landscapes these beautiful cats call home. Huge stone monoliths dot the park, some in the shape of elephants and for sure there are small caves amongst these rocky areas which provide safe areas for a female leopard to bring up her cubs. Sometimes as the sun rises in the morning we can see a family of leopards enjoying the warmth and comfort of the sunshine before finding a shady spot to escape the heat of the day.
There is no doubt that the popularity of Yala has grown and grown and because of this we have returned to the Island many times to understand the changes and create new Sri Lanka wildlife holidays which avoid the busy gates on the Tissa side of the national park.
Our preferred entrance gate is now Kataragama, located to the north of Yala national park as it allows you to access different zones compared to Tissa and generally these areas receive far fewer visitors. It is important to note that there is currently no jeep limit at Yala national park, so we have a few tips for you to ensure a better quality Yala leopard safari for your wildlife holiday.
Yala Camping Safari: Why everyone is talking about Kumana national park
Another option you can consider if you are used to more basic accommodation and camping is a budget Sri Lanka leopard safari in Kumana. Kumana used to be known as Yala East and during the war this was where the Tamil Tigers used to have their hideouts. When ‘peace’ finally came to the Island nature also returned and Yala East was renamed Kumana national park. Although formely known as a top spot for birding, it now also has a healthy population of leopards and because of its isolated position (nearest town, Arugum Bay, famous for surfing), a leopard safari here is a much more peaceful affair with far fewer vehicles present.
Allan’s Top Tips
Always give yourselves a minimum of three nights at your Yala Hotel or Wildlife Lodge, because this will allow you to have a minimum of 5 to 6 jeep safaris inside the park. Although the Leopards are the dominant big cat on the island they can sometimes be elusive especially if you visit after very heavy rains and the trails they normally walk on are flooded.
Also, on at least one of those safari days make sure to include a full day Yala safari with packed lunch as this maximises your time on safari, and the lunch itself in one of the beautiful designated rest stops will be very memorable. You do have to stay at these rest stops until the park re-opens but it does avoid ‘dead time’ travelling back from the park entrance to your accommodation.
If you want to avoid the crowds then either head to a Yala wildlife lodge in Kataragama or try out our budget Yala camping safari in Kumana
