Sri Lanka's largest and one of its oldest national parks, Wilpattu is named for its unique "willus" — natural sand-rimmed lakes that fill seasonally with rainwater and draw wildlife to their edges. It's renowned among safari-goers as one of the best places in the country to spot leopards moving unhurried across open terrain, away from the vehicle density of Yala.
180 kmDistance from Colombo
~3.5 hrsTypical drive time
The park's dry-zone forest and scrubland also support elephants, sloth bears and abundant birdlife, with a quieter, more spread-out safari experience than its more famous southern counterparts.