Lahugala National Park Safari

Tour Highlights

• Observe herds of elephant around the Lahugala reservoir
• Admire a famous species of the big cat family, the leopard
• Witness some of Sri Lanka’s rare and endemic species of birds

Tour Description

Even though it’s regarded as one of the tiniest national parks in Sri Lanka, its size is not a hindrance to maintaining an important wildlife scene consisting of Sri Lankan elephants and birds that are native to the island. Labeled as a National Park in 1980, the 1,554 hectares of evergreen forests punctured with satinwoods encloses the Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa reservoirs within its territory. The Lahugala Tank is a major feature of the Park where you can see herds of elephants congregated around it. A rather comical site is the stark contrast of snow-white against brown; egrets riding on the backs of elephants. The northeast monsoon between November and December transform the park into a lush land blanketed with green. The park doesn’t allow vehicles in and is dotted with many viewpoints throughout the park. Although famously known for its elephant population with herds of up to 150 elephants, the park also promises chances of spotting varying species of deers and members of the cat family like the Sri Lankan leopard, fishing cat, etc. The park was only recently opened to the visitors and has refused many development ideas that would have resulted in the scattering of the elephant population. The last recorded viewing of the knob-billed duck was in the territory of the Lahugala National Park.

Wildlife that can be viewed at Lahugala

• Toque Macaque
• Tufted Gray Langur
• Sloth Bear
• Golden Jackal
• Rust-spotted cat
• Fishing cat
• Sri Lankan leopard
• Wild boar
• Indian muntjac
• Sri lankan Sambar deer

Wetland Birds that can be viewed at Lahugala

The parks landscape, especially the Lahugala reservoir and its surrounding plants are a huge magnet for birds, most of which are endemic to Sri Lanka.

• Common Kingfisher
• Stork-billed kingfisher
• White-throated kingfisher
• Great White Pelican
• Purple Heron
• Lesser Adjutant
• Painted stork
• Grey-headed fish eagle
• White-bellied sea eagle

The safari from Arugam Bay to Lahugala National Park is equally picturesque as the safari within the park’s territory. This safari will surely steal your breath away with a fascinating display of Sri Lanka’s wildlife.

Tour Details

• Start Time- 9.00 am
• Duration: – 2 1/2 hr
• Good For:  Couples, Families, Singles
• Languages: English, Sinhala
• Difficulty: Easy
• Tour Participants:  2 to 6 per group and if more than two persons the price per head will go down