Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka

Wilpattu national park is a park in Sri Lanka forming a part of the island. The exclusive feature of the National Park is the presence of the “Willus”. The park forms the north – west shore lowland which experiences a dry season. It lies in the dry zone of the country. Thepark is situated on the western side of the Anuradhapura at a distance of 30 km from Puttalam. The word Wipattu means “Land Of lakes”.

The park occupies the area of 131,693 hectares and ranges between 0 to 152 meters above the sea level. Initially this park was a sanctuary but later on it was converted in to a national park in 1908. The climate experienced by the national park is monsoon oriented. It rains only during the months of February and March. Because of the amount of rainfall received here the park is full of greenery.

There are lots of plants and animal species fund in the Wilpattu national park. There are 31 species of mammals out of which the elephants are the most cherished and admired by the tourist. You can also come across various other species like the mouse, shrew and mongoose. Also you can find colorful bird species that includes eagles, owls, kites buzzards etc.

It is also the home for the different varieties of reptiles. These embrace the monitor lizard, crocodile, cobra, rat snake, turtles etc. it is the largest park of Sri Lanka that is known for the exotic animal species including the leopards, bears, pigs and many more.

Initially it was the most visited amongst all the parks but due to the deterioration it had to be closed down. Later on it was open again and then a large number of animals were brought in. Till then the number of visitors has been increasing every year. It is very mush a spectacular view to watch the animals and their activities. Visiting it is more like being apart of any festival.

Though January to May is the peak season when this national park is most visited but it can be also visited in the months of October even. There are special tours organized by the government who takes the visitors for exploring the wildlife of the Wilpattu national park.

So if you love animals and wish to see them you can definitely visit the Wilpattu national park. Therefore plan your trip and go ahead to make your trip a life long experience for you and your family.