Sri Lanka is an incredible place. I needed to be there this year as I’m rounding up a whole bunch of pictures on Asian elephants that I require, and spending a few weeks hitting some of the lesser-known national parks proved enormously successful. It had been 21 years since I’d last worked in the country, when I’d visited just three months after the tragic tsunami to see how it had affected Yala National Park, and I was a little apprehensive as to what I might find there. I needn’t have worried! I am lucky enough to have maintained a good network of guides over the last couple of decades, and therefore my trip around the island was seamless as a result. With multiple elephant, sloth bear and leopard sightings it was highly productive.
The great thing about the country is the entire array of parks and prime wildlife areas are all within relatively easy striking distance and that means it is perfectly plausible to tailor an itinerary that really ticks each and every box. And it’s not just the designated parks where wildlife is going to be seen! You never know what might be around the next corner in some parts of the country.
So what I’ve done is put together an itinerary that covers some of the most prominent wildlife zones, but avoids the over-populated ones!, and gives you the chance to experience this fantastic destination. Rather than have set departures, I thought the best thing to do was offer you the ideal “range” of months to go (which can then be narrowed down if there is something in particular that you want to witness), and keep it as open as possible by gearing it for groups of 1-4 people. So whether you are a solo traveller, a couple – or indeed a couple of friends – or a group or family that want to see what Sri Lanka has to offer, then the itinerary listed below here can give you a head start, and be adapted if need be. It should be noted that this is available in 2026 also.
