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Sri Lanka Gal Oya National Park crocodile
Sri Lanka Gal Oya National Park leopard
Sri Lanka Gal Oya National Park elephant

Gal Oya is the most untouched of all of Sri Lanka’s national parks and is the only one where you can take a boat safari. Take to the water on Watawanna Lake to see elephants swimming, crocodiles hunting and birdlife up close.

Hidden gems in Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park

See the swimming elephants of Gal Oya

Vidya Balachander
Vidya Balachander
Experience

Just outside the town of Ampara in the south-east of the island, Gal Oya National Park’s remoteness – and bumpy connecting roads – have kept it a relative backwater, usually overlooked by visitors. Built around Sri Lanka’s largest man-made reservoir, the Senanayake Samudraya, Gal Oya’s chief attraction is its population of wild elephants (and leopards, although in smaller numbers). Having adapted to the local ecosystem, Gal Oya’s elephants have learned to swim from island to island in search of food. The best way to spot them is on a leisurely boat safari – this is the only national park in the country to offer one – especially between the months of March and June. The circuitous but scenic drive from Colombo to Gal Oya takes six or seven hours, factoring in a pitstop in Kandy. The Central Expressway linking Colombo to Kandy should ease journey time but won’t be completed until 2020. Travelling by 4x4 or a car with high ground clearance is recommended. There aren’t many accommodation options inside the park. A decent bet is Gal Oya Lodge, an eco-lodge that was thoughtfully designed to blend in unobtrusively with the surrounding forest. Stay at least three nights to make the most of Gal Oya.

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Gal Oya National Park tours

Nature and wildlife explorer
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Nature and wildlife explorer

The best of rural Sri Lanka
17 days £3,150£3,900 pp
Off the Beaten Track Sri Lanka Tour
Sri Lanka

Off the Beaten Track Sri Lanka Tour

17 day tour exploring the Sri Lankan outskirts
From $3,275 pp
Sri Lanka Wildlife Wonders
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Wildlife Wonders

21 day tour exploring the national parks of Sri lanka
21 days From £3,800 pp
Family Summer Holiday Sri Lanka Tour
Sri Lanka

Family Summer Holiday Sri Lanka Tour

14 day family friendly summer holiday tour in Sri Lanka
14 days From £2,900 pp
Birds of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Birds of Sri Lanka

Natural wildlife and birdwatching in Sri Lanka
17 days £4,000£8,000 pp
Sri Lanka Uncovered
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Uncovered

2-weeks Sri Lanka off the Beaten Path Itinerary
15 days From £2,348 pp

Gal Oya National Park travel companies

South Asia, Southeast Asia

Yonder Travel

Tailor-made journeys to Asia
Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia

Experience Travel Group

Immersive Holidays That Give Back
South Asia

Bespoke India Travel

Making India incredible!

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