Wilpattu National Park

Wilpattu National Park


At 1317 sq km, Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest national park. Hidden in the dense, dry woodland, you'll (hopefully) find an array of wildlife that includes leopards (this is the second-best park after Yala for leopards, with 16 leopards per 100 sq km), sloth bears, spotted deer, wild pigs and crocodiles. Birders in particular will love Wilpattu with its abundance of dry forest, water and even coastal birds.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wilpattu National Park attractions

1. Padhanagara

15.8 MILES

Beyond the main Abhayagiri site are the scattered ruins of the western monasteries, set up by ascetic monks. With a bike you can track down some of these…

2. Tissa Wewa

16.07 MILES

The 160-hectare Tissa Wewa is the southern tank in the old city. The dirt road around the lake makes for a nice bike ride. It's easily accessed from the…

3. Vessagiriya

16.52 MILES

South of the Isurumuniya Vihara are the faint remains of the Vessagiriya cave monastery, a series of evocative, gravity-defying boulder overhangs etched…

4. Isurumuniya Vihara

16.61 MILES

This charming rock temple, dating from the reign of Devanampiya Tissa (r 307–267 BC), is set around a lovely lotus pond, the corner of which is carved…

5. Mirisavatiya Dagoba

16.64 MILES

This huge dagoba was the first built by King Dutugemunu after he recaptured the city in the 2nd century BC. The story goes that Dutugemunu went to bathe…

6. Royal Pleasure Gardens

16.66 MILES

Known as the Park of the Goldfish, these extensive 2000-year-old royal pleasure gardens cover 14 hectares and contain two ponds skilfully designed to fit…

7. Basawak Kulama

16.85 MILES

The oldest tank in Anuradhapura, probably dating from around the 4th century BC, is the 120-hectare Basawak Kulama (the Tamil word for tank is kulam).

8. Sandahiru Seya

16.93 MILES

Two thousand years after the first of the great dagobas was constructed, a huge new stupa, the Sandahiru Seya, is rising on the south side of Anuradhapura…