Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota (හම්බන්තොට රිදියගම සෆාරි උද්‍යානය)

55 years ago4 months ago05 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(15 votes, average: 3.80 out of 5)

Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota - හම්බන්තොට රිදියගම සෆාරි උද්‍යානය — Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota – හම්බන්තොට රිදියගම සෆාරි උද්‍යානය

Ridiyagama Safari Park is a 500 acre safari park, zoo in the Ridiyagama area of Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. The park was opened to the public on 28 May 2016. Although the park reservation is 500 acres in size, only about 200 acres are currently been developed and is been gradually enlarged. The plan has envisaged nine zones for separate wildlife and at present four zones are operational.

The park was developed to give the freedom of movement to animals as much as possible and the visitors to be caged. The 80 acre mammal zone comprises a large variety of grazers and some flightless birds from the Americas, Africa and Asian countries. These include rare mammals such as Cape Buffalos, Zebras, camels, antelopes guanacos and Ostriches.

The elephant zone is 54 acres in size. There are a number of small elephant groups as well as an African Elephant with a pair of majestic tusks roaming the ground. This African elephant has been moved to this park from the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens.

There are six Balali Tigers in the 5 acre Bengal Tiger Zone. All are quite used to humans and walk up to vehicles without fear. Next is the Lion Zone. There are 14 lions in this zone. Seven lions were initially brought from various countries at the initiation of the park. The balance 7 have been born in the park itself and another male lion born at the site has been donated to the Ambepussa Sinha Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army as their mascot.

One major disadvantage at this site is that personal vehicles are not allowed to enter the safari grounds. Therefore a visitor has only 2 options, use some of the few buses with meshed windows or hire one of the few jeeps available. Unfortunately, busloads of visitors come here on weekends and on holidays thus you may spend a good half a day under the dry sun waiting for your bus ride or waiting for a jeep to be vacant.

Site information

Open Days	all 365 days
Opening Hours	8.00 AM –5.00 PM

Entrance Fees for Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota (2021 Update)

Description	LKR
Local – Children	12
Local Adults	350
Foreign (SAARC Countries) Children	400
Foreign (SAARC Countries) Adults	800
Foreign Children	1500
Foreign Adults	3000

With the highway developed up to Hambantota, this is one of the latest attractions of Hambantota has been a popular destination for those who travel to Kataragama.

To reach this site from the highway, you need to exit from the Sooriyawewa Exit. From Sooriyawewa, you need to take the gravel road for 6 km along the Madunagala Sanctuary to reach the Safari Park. Alternatively, you can exit from the Barawakumbura Exit (one before the Sooriyawewa Exit) and travel through Padalangala Road which is a much better road. The total distance from the exit to the site on this route is 15 km.

Also See

Bird Park Hambantota (official site)

Map of Ridiyagama Safari Park

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Ridiyagama Safari Park

Route from Colombo to Ridiyagama Safari Park

Though : Mattala Highway – Sooriyawewa
Distance : 220 km
Travel time : 3.5 hours
Driving directions : see on Google map

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Allekattu Gal Amuna across Kalaru River (කල්ආරු හරහා අල්ලෙකට්ටු ගල් අමුණ)
Parker in 1909 describes an ancient amuna known as "Allekattu" in Tamil, located across the Kalaru River, which originates from the Pavatkulama Wewa reservoir and serves as one of the main tributaries to the Malwathu Oya in the Northern Province. The dam is situated approximately 2 miles (about 3 km) upstream from the Kalaru bridge on the Mannar-Medawachchiya road. Brohier refers to this weir as "Allekattu Tekkam." […]
Degaldoruwa Pitiye Devale (දෙගල්දෝරුව පිටියේ දේවාලය)
Pitiye Deviyo is a powerful protector deity of Dumbara who had once defeated the deity Natha Deviyo who had fled in fear of him after a brief battle. The people of Dumbara fear and respect him as he is believed to protect the land, the crops, and the people who live in the area. He provides the rain on time for cultivation and dry weather for harvesting. […]
Tissamaharama Uduvila Gangarama Viharaya (තිස්සමහාරාම උඩුවිල ගංගාරාම විහාරය)
Despite the Uduvila Gangarama Viharaya temple's recent developments, there are still a few relics of the monastic complex from the Pre-Christian era. Near the stupa, you'll find a cluster of undressed stone pillars that once supported an ancient building. Additionally, the top portion of a massive Yupa Gala, and Gal Chatra is found nearby […]
Archaeological Ruins at Tissamaharama Poththewelagala Aranya Senasanaya (පොත්තේවෙලගල ආරණ්‍ය සේනාසනය)
The Poththewelagala Ruins are located in a scrub jungle, 2 kilometers southeast of Tissamaharama. The site can be reached from a gravel road 3.3 km down the Kirinda-Sithulpawwa Road. A black archaeology board by the roadside marks the direction of this gravel road. After driving 1 kilometre along this road and passing a model village, you will arrive at the ruins. […]
Tissamaharama Uddhakandara Rajamaha Viharaya (උද්ධකන්දර රජමහා විහාරය)
Uddhakandara Rajamaha Viharaya is a new temple in Tissamaharama built on an ancient monastic site going back to the pre-Christian era. The original temple is believed to have been built by regional king Mahanaga, the brother of King Devanmpiyatissa (250-210 BCE) who fled the Anuradhapura kingdom. […]
Thambarawa Wewa & Pre Historic Burial Site (තඹරව වැව හා ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික සුසාන භූමිය)
Thambarawa is a small ancient reservoir situated 8 km southeast of Tissa, on the western border of the Yala National Park. The area is partly paddy fields and covered in forest on the southern side. The reservoir was restored for the last time in 2023. The bund of the Thambarawa Wewa is 640 meters long with spills on both sides of the bund. […]
Handapangala Wewa Reservoir (හඳපානාගල වැව ජලාශය)
Handapangala Wewa is a picturesque and peaceful haven located in the Wellawaya area popular among the travellers and photographers for the abundant elephants in the area especially during the dry season. The bund of the Handapanagala Wewa is 3600 feet (1.1 km) long and 19 feet (5.8 m) high. At full capacity, the water covers 450 acres and holds 5000 acre feet. […]
Empilipitiya Chandrika Wewa Reservoir (ඇඹිලිපිටිය චන්ද්‍රිකා වැව ජලාශය)
Empilipitiya Chandrika Wewa Reservoir, located in the Ratnapura District bordering Hambanthota District, is one of the largest reservoirs constructed after Ceylon gained independence. Chandrika wewa today is a magnet for the tourists and pilgrims to Kataragama seeking the scenic route rather than than the Southern Expressway. […]
Udawalawe Reservoir and the Dam (උඩවලවේ ජලාශය සහ වේල්ල)
The Udawalawe Reservoir, located in the Ratnapura and Hambantota Districts of Sri Lanka, is one of the country's largest and most significant water bodies. It was constructed in 1963, primarily to support agriculture and irrigation in the surrounding regions, which include Udawalawe, Embilipitiya, and Hambantota. […]
Hurulu Wewa Reservoir (හුරුළු වැව)
Hurulu Wewa ancient reservoir, originally known as Challura Vapi, was one of sixteen reservoirs constructed by King Mahasen, the renowned Sinhalese monarch who ruled over Lanka from 276 to 303 CE. The reservoir lies on Yan Oya in the remote village of Yakalla, between Anuradhapura and Habarana off Ritigala. […]
List of Adhigars of the Kandyan Kingdom (උඩරට රාජධානියේ අධිකාරම්වරු)
The title of Adhigar (Adigar) in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka referred to a high-ranking official or noble who held significant administrative and judicial authority. In Sinhala, he is called the Adhikaram. The position was one of the most powerful in the Kandyan court, second only to the king himself. Adhigars were entrusted with overseeing various aspects of governance, including implementing laws, administering justice, and managing royal affairs. […]
Diyawadana Nilames of Kandy Dalada Maligawa
Diyawadana Nilame’ has the custody of the key to the first casket out of the seven golden caskets where the Sacred Tooth Relic is enshrined, as he is the lay custodian of the Sacred Tooth Relic. This position is recorded in the ‘Dathuwansa’, the chronicle of tooth relic, as ‘Dhathurakkadikari’. […]
Wendaruwa Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya (වෙඬරුව කිරිවෙහෙර රජමහා විහාරය)
The image house of Wendaruwa Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya is a rectangular Kandyan-style building with a verandah supported by 16 evenly spaced wooden pillars. The pillars are carved with alternating square and cylindrical sections, though these sections are plain and lack any decorative design. The pillars rest on a wooden frame constructed with large wooden beams placed atop the half-height outer wall of the image house. […]
Dimbulagala Dewagala Archaeological Ruins (දේවගල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
These ruins are scattered across a rocky hill that stretches approximately 800 meters from north to south. The hill is surrounded on all sides by farmland. An irrigation canal and a paved road run along the eastern slope, making the western slopes the most accessible route to approach the rock by a vehicle. […]
Weligama Agrabodhi Rajamaha Viharaya (වැලිගම අග්‍රබෝධි රජමහා විහාරය)
An ancient temple which dates back to times of King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BC). According the Bodhivamsa, the chronicle of the Holy Bodhi Tree, the very first of the Bodhi saplings out of the first thirty two saplings from the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi was planted on this temple grounds during the time of King Devanampiyatissa. […]
Omalpe Purana Tampita Viharaya
The Tampita Viharaya at the Omalpe Purana Viharaya is similar in structure of the Walalgoda Tampita Viharaya which lies few kilometers away. The structure is built on nine 6 feet 6 six inch high granite stumps. The lower area is built as a ground floor creating a two storied building. The complete structure is house is 65 feet 7 inches long and 40 feet 8 inches wide. […]
Dapane Sri Jayasumanaramaya Purana Tampita Viharaya (දාපනේ ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
Dapane Sri Jayasumanaramaya Purana Viharaya is an ancient temple with a Tampita Viharaya built during the Kandyan era. This temple lie 8 km from Urubokka and 9 km from Kella junction on the Suriyakanda - Empilipitiya road. […]
Handagala Kanda Ancient Cave Temple (හඳගලකන්ද ලෙන් විහාරය)
A lesser known place that lay mostly in ruins today is situated in a serene forest-clad area in a village called Ratmalgahawewa 22 miles north-east of Anuradhapura. This sacred site called Handagala cave temple could be reached by proceeding about two miles from Ratmalgahawewa junction on the Kebitigollewa road and continuing westwards for another two miles. […]
Fort Ostenburg at Trincomalee (ඔස්ටන්බර්ග් බලකොටුව)
Fort Ostenburg is believed to be the fort buit by King Rajasinghe II who ruled this country for 52 years (1635-1687) to attack the Portuguese at Fort Fedrick. […]
Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee (ත්‍රිකුණාමලය බලකොටුව)
Fort Fredrick is a fort built by Portuguese at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1624. It is said to built from the debris of an ancient Hindu temple that was destroyed by the Portuguese. […]
Batticaloa Fort (මඩකලපුව බලකොටුව)
The Fort in Batticaloa lies on a one of the many small islands of Batticaloa in the east coast of Sri Lanka. It was built by the Portuguese in 1628 after a Dutch fleet landed in Batticaloa in 1603 with a fleet of six ships to take part in a joint effort to oust the Portuguese from the island after an initial agreement with then King of Kandy. This infuriated the Portuguese who had a firm holding in the Island and built a small fort 1628. […]
Arippu Fort in Mannar (මන්නාරමේ අරිප්පු බලකොටුව)
Arippu Fort is a small two bastion fort built by the Portuguese just before the causeway at Arippu. This fort was handed over to the Dutch in 1658 after the fall of Mannar. This fort again changed hands to the British. […]
Dutch Fort of Galle (ගාල්ල කොටුව)
The Dutch Galle Fort is a rare historical jewel protected by dark, thick stone walls - with the endless ocean on one side. […]
Negombo Fort : Exploring the Historic Legacy of the Colonial Past
The Portuguese fort that stood where the current Negombo Fort is situated was mostly destroyed by cannon during the Dutch siege in 1644. The Dutch fort was built on its ruins, not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks. The fifth one was never bui […]
Jaffna Fort (යාපනය බලකොටුව)
Situated on the south side of the Jaffna peninsula at the water’s edge of the lagoon, the ancient Jaffna Fort is the second largest existing fort in the Island. Originally built by the Portuguese in 1619 and re-built and expanded by the Dutch during the second half of the 17th and the 18th centuries. […]
Mannar Fort (මන්නාරම් බලකොටුව)
Built on the island of Mannar in Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in 1560, Mannar Fort surrendered to the Dutch on 22 February 1658 and was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1696. On 5 October 1795 the Dutch surrendered to the British. […]