Gal Oya Valley National Park

Amazing place. Thick with nature but bit less wildlife though.

Gal Oya Lodge arranged our excursions into the park. The lodge has a range of excursions available, including an early morning bird walk, a jeep safari and a boat safari. We did the half day boat safari which is on a nearby huge reservoir. It took about 20 minutes to drive to the reservoir. There is a toilet you can use before you get on the boat. The boat itself is small and without shade, so you need a hat and protection from the sun. There were only the 2 of us with our guide (provided by Gal Oya Lodge) and 2 boat-men on board. During our 2-3 hour trip we only saw one other visiting boat. However we did see lots of wildlife. The place is teeming with birds and we saw crocodiles and elephants, including the fascinating site of an elephant swimming across open water using its trunk as a snorkel. We also did a half day jeep safari. The jungle at Gal Oya is fairly dense and so it is more difficult to spot wildlife compared to other parks. However the guide (again from Gal Oya lodge) educated and informed us about the trees and plants, and we did see a lot of different birds. There is a basic toilet available in the park if you need one. Our trip also included a walk down by the river, with an optional swim. This is a fantastic insight into the truly wild jungle of Sri Lanka - without all the man-made roads that you see in the other parks. However it may not suit you if you are only interested in spotting leopards!

Experience the thrill of both jeep safari and the boat safari in the Gal Oya National Park of beautiful natural scenery and varied wildlife. Dominated by the largest reservoir of Sri Lanka Senanayake Samudraya the park area expanses over 25,900 hectares. The topography consists mainly of grasslands, forests and scrubs. Though the park shelters leopards and sloth bears, they are an elusive sight. Instead, you can see some of the largest herds of elephants in this park. Other commonly sighted species are endemic Toque Macaque, wild boar, common langur and water buffalo. The park also offers great sight for birdwatchers. Best for: Swimming elephants from boat safari. Location: Mainly Badulla district with a part reaching to Ampara district. Best time to visit: March to July. Price: Full Day Safari price is LKR 11,000 per jeep. Ticket price is LKR 2,000/LKR 1,000 per adult/child. Timing: Full Day Safari 5.30am to 06.00pm

Nothing to beat the Boat Safari in the Senanayaka Samudra. Boat safari is carried out by Wild Life Dept. If you are lucky you will see elephants swimming.

Beautifull and natural