Udawalawe delivers what some parks make you wait for - large wild elephant herds in open terrain, visible throughout the day, at the reservoir edge in golden hour. The Elephant Transit Home adds an encounter with orphaned calves at scheduled feeding times that is genuinely affecting rather than staged.
Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lanka’s largest national park - villu lakes, dry forest and almost no other visitors
Wilpattu is defined by its villu lakes, natural circular water holes in the forest that hold water through the dry season and attract wildlife throughout the day. Far fewer visitors than Yala, a very different atmosphere, and a quality of photographic light that serious wildlife photographers often prefer. Leopard sightings are possible but not promised.
