Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest national park and one of its most rewarding, a vast and genuinely untouched wilderness shaped by a landscape found nowhere else on the island. Its defining feature is the ‘villu’, natural, lake-like water basins scattered across the dry-zone forest that draw wildlife in with quiet, dramatic concentration. Leopards, sloth bears, spotted deer and an impressive array of bird species are regularly encountered during game drives through this ancient, unhurried terrain. Wilpattu’s relative seclusion makes it particularly prized by wildlife photographers and those seeking a safari without the crowds.
