The best national parks to visit in Sri Lanka for a family safari

The wildlife is one of the biggest draws when you’re planning a Sri Lanka family holiday. The only country in the world where you can see both the largest land and sea mammal in a single day – elephants and blue whales – a visit to one of Sri Lanka’s national parks for a family safari is an unmissable part of any trip.

And while you’ll (unsurprisingly!) have to head offshore if you want to spot a blue whale, you’ll find plenty of chances to see elephants, as well as leopards, sloth bears, water buffalo, macaques and birds galore across the country, plus some spectacular scenery.

If you’re not sure where to start, our pick of the best national parks to visit in Sri Lanka for a family safari includes what to see and what ages they’re best for, to help plan your Sri Lanka adventure with kids.

Home to the highest concentration of leopards in the world, Yala National Park is Sri Lanka’s most famous national park – as well as one of the busiest, with visitors drawn here by the possibility of spotting one of the elusive big cats.

That’s not all there is to see though, with 215 bird species and almost 50 different mammals, including elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and sambar deer, not to mention Sri Lanka black bears and jaguar if you’re very lucky.

You can even combine it with a visit to the Elephant Transit Centre, where orphaned or injured elephants are cared for before hopefully going back into the wild. The infrastructure and location means it’s also a great option if you’re travelling with younger kids, as it’s not far from the beaches of the south west coast, including Unawatuna.

Another of the main national parks in the south of Sri Lanka, Udawalawe is only around an hour from Yala National Park so it’s possible to fit both into a single visit if you wanted. And if your kids love elephants, this is one not to miss as hundreds of Asian elephants live in the reserve, so you can often spot herds roaming across the flat grasslands.

In total, around 700 elephants live within the national park, often spotted in groups of up to 50, which makes for an unforgettable memory. A sunrise or sunset safari is often the best way to catch a glimpse of these majestic animals, outside the heat of the day.

If you’re lucky, you may spy leopard in the national park as well, although it’s much less likely than in Yala, but you’ll almost certainly see crocodile, toque macaques and birds while you’re visiting, and the park is also home to sloth bears, wild boar, water buffalo and spotted deer.

Save time for a visit to the nearby Elephant Transit Home, a fun bonus on Sri Lanka family-friendly holidays, where orphaned elephant calves are cared for, helping support one of the island’s most ethical elephant orphanages, as well as letting you see the ridiculously cute jumbo babies. It’s also a short journey from Udawalawe to Ella and onward to Kandy.

Minneriya National Park is famous for the annual spectacle of over 300 elephants congregating together at the park’s reservoir in an event known as ‘The Gathering’. The largest meeting of Asian elephants anywhere in the world, the animals migrate across the country to arrive here during the dry season to make the most of the water in the 3rd century Minneriya tank, as well as the grasslands and forest.

You can expect it to be very busy during July and August when most of the elephants gather, so if you prefer a quieter experience, it’s better to visit outside these months. You won’t get the dramatic sight of hundreds of elephants coming together but you’ll still get to see some of them roaming along with sambar and spotted deer, monkeys, mongoose, birds such as cormorants and painted storks, and possibly leopards and sloth bears.

Not far from the Cultural Triangle, including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla, it’s a good option for a Sri Lanka holiday with kids who love history as much as animals – you can also team it with a stop at another national park, Wilpattu, on an itinerary which visits both coasts.

If you’re looking for a quieter national park, it’s worth casting your eyes north to Wilpattu. Off limits during the country’s civil war, Sri Lanka’s largest national park still attracts fewer visitors than the more popular reserves and has a wilder feel.

The luckiest visitors might spot a leopard or sloth bear, although these shy creatures do tend to stay hidden away in the undergrowth where possible. Home to elephant and water buffalo as well, the park has a different feel to others across the country with over 50 lakes and wetlands within its boundaries – in Sinhala, Wilpattu translates to ‘natural lakes’.

It’s another national park that’s easy to combine with the ancient sites of the Cultural Triangle, as well as with an itinerary including Minneriya National Park, for a family trip to Sri Lanka which mixes history and animals.

The only national park in Sri Lanka where you can take a boat safari, Gal Oya National Park is perfect if you’re looking for family holidays to Sri Lanka which head well off the beaten track. This park is far less visited by tourists, which means you’ll have to share the animals with far fewer others, but it’s also more of an adventure to reach and explore – better with teens and older kids.

With the Senanayake Samudra Reservoir at its heart, one of the highlights is spotting Asian elephants bathing at the edge of the water, and sometimes even swimming from island to island, often using their trunks as snorkels.

As well as getting to explore from the water, cruising across the mirror-still lake, there are 32 mammal species to spot and around 30% of all bird species in Sri Lanka are found here. For another less visited corner of the country, you can end your Sri Lanka family adventure on one of the east coast beaches, such as surf favourite Arugam Bay a few hours away.

Sinharaja National Park is unmissable for bird lovers, as well as containing Sri Lanka’s last area of primary tropical rainforest. A visit here should be on any list of what to do in Sri Lanka with kids who are fascinated by smaller animals, with butterflies, reptiles, insects and rare amphibians, plus more than half the country’s endemic mammal species.

The rainforest itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as important for its plant life as for the wildlife. It’s easy to feel like you’re heading into the unknown as you set off along trails through the jungle, spotting lizards and birds flitting through the lush vegetation. You’ll spot 50m trees towering above and tiny carnivorous plants hidden away to entrap insects, with guides leading you along trails ranging from 4km to 14km depending on what’s the best fit for your family.

Not all of the national parks in Sri Lanka are focused on wildlife spotting. If you’re travelling with older kids and teens, there’s fantastic trekking and hiking in Horton Plains National Park. Set over 2,000 metres above sea level, on the country’s highest plateau, there are some astonishing views out onto the countryside below which are perfect for Sri Lanka active family holidays.

The trail from the entrance to World’s End passes rivers and waterfalls and leads you through unspoiled cloud forests, with some great birdwatching along the way, finishing with the sight of sheer cliffs and spectacular gorges so dramatic that you can understand how it inspired the name World’s End. The six-mile round trip takes around three hours, so it’s best with older kids (unless you have experienced mini hikers or are happy carrying a baby in a carrier).

Nor far from the hill station of Nuwara Eliya, known as ‘Little England’ for its colonial-style buildings and often cool, misty weather, surrounded by some of Sri Lanka’s tea plantations, you can also attempt the challenging climb to Adam’s Peak if you’re based in the town – visible from Horton Plains National Park, though outside its boundaries.

For families with younger children who’d love to include some hiking in their Sri Lanka family adventure, look at walking through the hills of Ella as an easier alternative.