Sri Lanka is a small country, yet teemed with wildlife. It has 26 national parks, The most famous ones are Yala National park, Wilpattu National Park, Udawalawe National Park and Minneriya National park. Holding Eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Sinharaja Forest biosphere reserve, designated by UNESCO. It covers only a small portion of the island, 88.64 km2 to be precise, but they’re home to half of all endemic and native species in Sri Lanka, including elusive cats and slender loris.
When it comes to wildlife tours, Sri Lanka is most famous for majestic Asian elephant and leopards, (one of the five “big cats”). Sri Lanka holds the world record for highest leopard density in the world, here leopard are super large since they are the highest ranking formidable predators in Sri Lanka, they have evolved more like a jaguar with more muscular, more powerful may be even more powerful than a jaguar, they roam National parks proudly with no idea of fear whatsoever. Not to mention Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia. Also World largest elephant gathering happens here in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lank attractions include :
Sigiriya (‘Lion Rock’) is an ancient citadel built atop a rock, named for the large lion paws flanking the entrance to the palace. Built by King Kashyapa in the late 5th century, who usurped the throne from his father, this pleasure palace was built on top of this fortified rock in fear of the return of the rightful heir to the throne, his brother, Prince Moggallana. With sprawling, immaculately designed gardens, colorful frescoes and brilliant architecture that baffles even the most sophisticated engineers today, Sigiriya has been named as an UNESCO World Heritage site and is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Located in Kandy, Sri Lanka’s ancient hill capital, the Temple of the Tooth is considered to be the very heart of the nation. Wars had been fought for the possession of the Sacred Tooth Relic as it’s believed that whoever holds the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha holds the power and the right to rule the country. Being a predominantly Buddhist country, the Temple of the Tooth is the most sacred place of worship for Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Visit between July and August to witness the spectacular Festival of the Tooth (Kandy Perahera), a vibrant religious procession complete with beautifully adorned elephants, drummers, fire eaters, energetic dancers and stilt walkers.
The main attraction is Wilpattu National Park, i visited it with help from go4safari.com, a travel experts agency specialized in Sri Lanka tours,
Wilpattu National Park is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” – Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka.
The largest of Sri Lanka’s national parks at 1,085 square kilometres, Wilpattu National Park (Land of Lakes) is now enjoying a renaissance following the declaration of peace in the country; opening its doors to visitors again after 16 years of closure, with a new visitor centre established in 2003. Before visitor numbers fully return to Wilpattu (it was at one point the most visited of all Sri Lanka’s parks), it remains a relatively uncrowded and unhurried park filled with a network of ‘Villu’ reservoirs, dense scrub jungle and grass-covered clearings.
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