Best places: National parks in Heeressagala, Sri Lanka

👍👍 😊 Historical contex of Ritigala The chronicle Mahavansa Mentions that King Pandukabhaya established his garrison at this occasion to fight his uncles. Prince Aritta who was ordained as a monk in the Buddha Sasana for the first time in Sri Lanka after embracing theBuddha Dhamma During the reign of K...

Large preserve on a plateau featuring cloud forests & montane grasslands, plus rivers & waterfalls.

Forested mountain considered sacred, carved with thousands of steps & dotted with shrines.

This 30,821-hectare nature reserve features native wildlife, including elephants & water birds.

Undeveloped wildlife sanctuary & nature reserve known for its natural lakes & leopard population.

👍👍 This is a real beauty. Unlike its much more famous cousin, the Yala park, this one is much less visited by tourists but its attractions are really worth the visit. Full of beautiful birds but also elephants, crocodiles and other animals this is a must see whilst in Sri Lanka.We went on an afternoon...

Rich national park & bird sanctuary on nearly 45,000 acres of tropical forest & mangrove swamp.

This sprawling preserve features a large 3rd-century reservoir, plus elephants & other wildlife.

Protected natural area harboring native elephants, leopards & bears, plus diverse plantlife.

👍👍 A place with a different soil structure. It has it's own beauty with red coloured soil all over the place. However,it's quite difficult to spend more time there in day time due to dry weather and no shade to cover. No entrance permission or tickets needed. Parking also available. Few of food stalls...

Trails & views in forested hills around a valley reservoir, with native birds like cuckoo-shrikes.

Wildlife viewing is popular within this large forest with hiking trails & interpretive information.

Jungle park with a vast reservoir & elephant herd, popular for camping, boat rides & jeep safaris.

👍👍 We thought this place was excellent. Getting up in the morning was worth it, as we managed to see one of the rare black bear’s in the park. Although we didn’t see the leopard, but I guess you can’t have it all. This is not a zoo, and you are not guaranteed to see the headliners, so anyone writing a...

👍👍 Wow! See colorful fish from your eyes. Boat services are available in Nilaveli beach. It will take around RS. 8000 for one ride. NICs are required for adults. They also supply goggles 🥽. They will guide you to see live coral which is amazing.

👍👍 Went on a tour at sunrise - saw quite many beautiful birds, guide could notice birds from far away quickly and treated us with coconut and bananas 😁 If you love birds this place is a must!

Wildlife refuge with catered safaris that take in elephants, sloths, leopards & rich birdlife.

👍👍 Less jeeps early in the morning. It's better this entrance

National park with lagoons & marshes, an important refuge for migratory water birds like flamingos.

Massive forest & grasslands with elephants, leopards, crocodiles & abundant bird life.