Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to create a wildlife reserve.

Safari in Sri Lanka

Here’s Talalla House’s rundown of the best safaris to adventure on in Sri Lanka. Our in-house concierge service will organize transfers, guides and jeeps for your safari.

Three National Safari Parks near Talalla House

Sri Lanka is one of the best places in Asia for seeing wildlife, and a private safari offers you the chance to see some of Sri Lanka’s 91 mammals, 16 of which are only found on the island. Our in-house concierge service will organize your safari, including transfer, entree fees, guides and jeeps.

Sit back, and keep your eyes peeled for elephants, leopards, sloth bears, Sāmbhar, spotted deer, hogs, wild boar, ant-eater, civet cat, and monkeys — lots of monkeys. From Talalla House, we offer safari trips to the following parks, that you can on a day trip. Prepare yourself for an experience of a lifetime.

1 – Yala National Park (Distance 94 km from Talalla House)

A private safari in Yala offers the chance to see some of Sri Lanka’s 91 mammals. This is leopard country, and they are the lords of the jungle! With a leopard density that’s higher than anywhere on this planet, these menacing predators prowl majestically in Yala. You may also see elephant, sloth bear, Sāmbhar, spotted deer, wild boar, ant-eater, civet cat, giant squirrel, and a lot of monkeys.

2 – Udawalawe National Park (75km from Talalla House)

Udawalawe is the third most visited park in Sri Lanka and a major ecotourism destination, most famous for its more than 500 elephants and hundreds of buffaloes. During a visit, it is not unusual to see whole herds of elephants feeding or playing in the water. Many say that for elephant-watching, Udawalawe surpasses many of the most famous East African national parks. The only way around the park is by four-wheel-drive vehicle. Combine this trip with a visit to the Elephant Transit Home.

3 – Bundala National Park (Distance 80 km from Talalla House)

Less visited than nearby Yala, Bundala National Park is a fantastic maze of waterways, lagoons, and dunes. This wonderland is home to 197 species of colorful birds, the highlight being the Greater Flamingo, which migrate in large flocks; up to 2000 have been recorded here at one time. Bundala National Park also has a small but very visible population of elephants, as well as civets, giant squirrels, and crocodiles.

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The Worlds oldest wildlife reserve from 300BC

Sri Lankans care a lot about animals — their festivals include them and traffic stops if an animal is passing by. Not surprisingly, Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to create a wildlife reserve when King Devanampiya Tissa created Mihintale in the third century BC.
Despite its relatively small size, Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world: 16% of the fauna and 23% of flowering plants are native only to the island. The island’s isolation from the mainland, the heavy rainfall of the two diagonally blowing monsoons, and the country’s wide range of altitudes have given Sri Lanka a variation in climate and biodiversity normally found across an entire continent.