Wilpattu National Park
After breakfast, journey north to Wilpattu. On arrival you are welcomed with a cool drink and a comprehensive briefing from the in-house naturalist, covering the park's wildlife, its ecology, and what to anticipate over the next two days.
Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lanka's largest and oldest national park, and one of the most rewarding for the patient traveller. Wilpattu covers 1,317 square kilometres of dry-zone forest in the northwest, bisected by over 50 "villus" — sand-rimmed natural lakes that fill with rainwater and concentrate extraordinary wildlife. Unlike Yala, which receives enormous visitor numbers, Wilpattu remains unhurried, intimate, and genuinely wild. Leopards, sloth bears, Asian elephants, mugger crocodiles, barking deer, water buffalo, and over 200 bird species inhabit this park. The park has profound historical significance too: this is where Prince Vijaya, the legendary founding figure of Sinhalese civilisation, is said to have landed in the 6th century BC.
LATE AFTERNOON · 3:00 PM — First Game Drive into Wilpattu. The afternoon drive is when crocodiles bask, deer feed, and the first leopards emerge between villus as the temperature drops. Your expert guide knows the park's terrain intimately — its circuits, its productive water bodies, and the individual animals that hold territories here.
EVENING — Campfire Dinner Under the Stars. Return to camp for sundowners at the jungle bar, followed by dinner — Sri Lankan and international cuisine served al fresco beneath old-school kerosene lanterns. Stories, sightings, and the sounds of the forest, with a fully stocked bar throughout.
Your Stay · Leopard Trails Tented Camp, Wilpattu
Six air-conditioned safari-style canvas tents sit just inside the park, each with a king bed, en-suite and outdoor shower. The intimate, six-tent camp is fully all-inclusive—meals, game drives, park fees, and a stocked bar—led by expert guides including chief ranger Malmi. Nights are silent, punctuated only by the jungle.
