Gal Oya National Park
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
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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See the swimming elephants of Gal Oya
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