Wilpattu National park | AmazingLanka.com

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Wilpattu National Park - විල්පත්තු ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය — Wilpattu National Park – විල්පත්තු ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය

Size	131,693 hectares
Main attractions	Leopards, Elephants, Spotted Deer, Sambur, Wild Bow, Crocodiles, Water Buffalo, Peacocks, and many migratory birds.

Situated 180 km from Colombo and about 40 km from Anuradhapura, Wilpattu National Park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Declared as a sanctuary in 1938, and subsequently a national park, Wilpattu Reserve is a popular attraction for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.

This park is packed with over 50 ‘Villus’ or lakes, and sandy tracks. Villu is defined as a natural depression, generally circular with gently sloping banks of sand—a natural pool. Ancient man-made reservoirs, mostly now in a ruined state, supplement the natural pools to create a unique ecosystem found nowhere else on the island.

Entrance Fees to Wilpattu National Park

If you want to hire a jeep, you need to get one from the turnoff point along the Puttalam-Anuradhapura Road.

Description / Category	Price
Local – Adults	LKR 150
Local – Children (6-12 years)	LKR 100
Local – Student	LKR 20
Local – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Local – Group Fee (per vehicle)	LKR 400
Foreign – Adults	USD 25
Foreign – Children (6-12 years)	USD 15
Foreign SAARC Countries – Adults	USD 20
Foreign SAARC Countries – Children (6-12 years)	USD 10
Foreign – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Foreign – Group Fee (per vehicle)	USD 10
Taxes on total cost	18%
Entrance Fee per vehicle	LKR 300

Ticket Price Schedule for 2025

For example, 2 foreigners with 1 child between 6-12 will have the cost of

Description	Cost
2 adults	USD 50.00
1 child	USD 15.00
Group Fee	USD 10.00
Total	USD 75.00
Tax (18%)	USD 13.50
Total	USD 88.50

The above calculation applies only to individual entry tickets as gazetted in 2022 and remain valid for 2025. The vehicle entry ticket, as listed separately, must be purchased in addition to the personal tickets.

Foreign visitors may make payments in USD or the equivalent amount in LKR. For the most up-to-date ticket prices, the Government Information Centre can be contacted on 1919. If a private safari jeep is hired for a land safari, rates generally range from LKR 7,500 to LKR 10,000 for a half-day excursion of about four hours, depending on the national park. A full-day safari is typically charged at twice the half-day rate.

Visiting Hours

All national parks in Sri Lanka operate daily throughout the year, remaining open from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Entry ticket counters open at 6.00 a.m. and close at 4.00 p.m., and all vehicles are required to exit the parks strictly by 6.00 p.m.

Fees can be paid in USD or in equivalent LKR

Flora of Wilpattu National Park

Some 605 flowering plant species belonging to 108 plant families have been recorded inside the Wilpattu National Park. 33 of these plants are endemic to Sri Lanka.

Habitat Diversity of Wilpattu National Park

Although tropical dry mixed evergreen forests dominate the landscape of Wilpattu, many other diverse subsystems can be found within its boundaries.

Forest Echo Systems
1. Tropical Dry Mixed Evergreen Forests – This is the dominant ecosystem in the park. It is a haven for valuable timber and shows 4 distinct vegetation layers. 20-30 meter high tree canopy, a 15-meter high sub-canopy tree layer, shrubs up to 5 meters, and herbaceous plants up to 1 meter.
2. Tropical Thorn Forests – Areas of thick, thorny, impenetrable plants growing up to 4-6 meters. With tall large Burutha, Palu, and other similar trees scattered randomly. These forests have 2 layers with thorny bushes growing up to 4-6 meters and herbaceous plants up to .5 meters.
3. Riverine Forests – Found along the banks of many water streams and banks of rivers that flow through the Wilpattu National Park. These range from a few meters in length up to 10 meters, depending on the size of the water flow. Due to the abundance of water throughout the year, these show characteristics of evergreen rainforests. An almost-covered tree canopy that is up to about 15-25 m, a sub-canopy at about 10 m, and a shrub layer that reaches 0.3-0.5 meters are the characteristics of these forests. Towering gigantic Kumbuk trees are the most prominent trees in this ecosystem.
4. Dry Grasslands – Dry grasslands are common in the western parts of Wilpattu National Park. These are patches of land void of forest cover due to human habitation in the ancient past. This is evident by the archaeological remains going back to the Anuradhapura era found on such grasslands. A grass cover of .1-1 meter in height, isolated scattered trees growing up to 20 meters, and shrubs up to 3 meters are the dominant features of this vegetation.

Villu based ecosystem in Wilpattu Naional Park

Wetland Ecosystems
1. Floodplains – These border the Kala Oya River and are created by the annual flooding of excess water Kala Oya. Floodwater silt deposited on the ground is the main source of nutrients for plants. The vegetation is similar to riverine ecosystems except for large patches of grass interspersed in the floodplains. Swamps—Unlike floodplains, swamps are waterlogged land favourable for water-loving plants
2. Ancient Tanks and Ponds – Ruins of ancient human habitation. Stagnant shallow tanks with small outlets with a belt of vegetation. Marshland borders most of these tanks which probably have been paddy fields in the past. Uru Wee, a wild rice, has been found growing in these areas
3. Villus – This is the most prominent feature of Wilpattu National Park. Shallow pools of all sizes with a sandy rim are spread all over the park. Moving inwards, you find dry grassland, marshy habitats, and then aquatic habitats. There are about 50 villus with varying diameters of 300 m to 2 km.
Coastal Ecosystems
1. Mangrove forests – The largest and the most diverse mangrove habitat in Sri Lanka is associated with the Kala Oya which borders Wilpattu National Park. The mangroves lie in the area the Kala Oya reaches the sea and the woody trees in the mangroves are adapted for salty water.
2. Salt Marshes – Salt marshes lie along the Wilpattu coastline, seasonally get submerged during high tides and are high in salt content. Only a few plants can survive these extreme conditions but play a vital role as feeding and nesting grounds for many resident and migratory birds.
3. Beaches and Sand dunes – The beach along the Wilpattu consists of mangroves, steep cliffs, and sand dunes. The most well-known sand dunes are at Kudiramalai Point, where the winds are very strong due to the high elevation.
4. Sea Cliffs – In Kudiramalai Point is an uplifted limestone rock cliff rising up to 20 meters above the sea level. This cliff stretches almost 2 km from the Kudiramalai Point. This massive limestone rock with scattered caves is full of fossils of branching corals, limestone layers, and red layers of earth.

The Wilpattu National Park was closed in 1985 after LTTE Tiger Terrorists brutally murdered 23 of its employees. The park once again opened to the public in March 2003 after 18 years. During these 18 years, the jungle was a haven for terrorists, poachers, and illegal timber traders.

During this period, the leopard population dwindled, with poachers having free passes to the jungles. There has been no leopard population count done in the recent past. But in 1978, when we visited Wilpattu, we saw no less than 7 leopards in 2 days. 2 visits after the reopening in 2003, no leopards were spotted. Even the deer population has thinned due to poaching. Another reason for this is the animals in this park are not used to vehicles and run into the jungle at the first sound of a jeep. But the leopard and the other wildlife populations are now gradually increasing. But with time passing, spotting leopards and bears has been more frequent.

This national park is open to visitors from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. All the bungalows inside the park were been destroyed or burned down during the terrorist period. Currently, Panikkawila, Manawila, Thalawila, Kokmote, Lunuwila, Manikkapolauththu, Weewewa, and Maradamaduwa Dormitory bungalows are operating within the wildlife park. These can accommodate 10 adults and cost approximately Rs. 6150/- (all charges and taxes included) per night. These bungalows have to be booked through the Department of Wildlife Conservation. There are some good eco-type bungalows around the park, but for some luxury, the closest is Anuradhapura which is about 50 Km away from Wilpattu.

A spotted dear at the Kokare Vila in Wilpattu National Park

A spotted dear at the White sandy roads of Wilpattu National Park near Kokare Vila

Roads under water near Kokare Vila @ Wilpattu National Park

@ Borupan Vila in Wilpattu National Park

Beautiful roads @ Wilpattu National Park

A Hog Deer near Kumbuk Vila — @ Wilpattu National Park

birds @ Percybendi Wewa in Wilpattu National Park

A crocodile at Humbas Wala water hole in Wilpattu National Park

Current Crisis at Wippatu National Park

Houses of one of the alleged illegal settlements in the Wilpattu region
Source : nation.lk

Between 2010 and 2015, more than 3,000 hectares of forest were illegally cleared on the western boundary of Wilpattu National Park, with valuable timber removed to establish unauthorized Muslim settlements in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces. These actions violated the Forest Conservation Act and represent a significant breach of national environmental protection laws.

Despite continued appeals from environmental groups urging the government to intervene and halt the destruction of the Wilpattu forest, no substantial or decisive action has been taken to address the issue to date.

On a more positive note, following a 15-year legal campaign led by conservationists, the road running through Wilpattu National Park—from Eluwankulama to Mannar—was officially closed to public traffic in May 2005, marking a key victory for forest preservation efforts.

see

See the map or the list of markers below for the water bodies inside the Wilpattu National Park. The primary source of this information is the incredible Google Earth KMZ map of Wilpattu shared at Lakdasun here

Also See

Map of Wilpattu National Park and Other Places of Interest

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Travel Directions to Wilpattu National Park

The park can be reached through Puttlam and is approximately 180 km from Colombo and Approximately 50 km from the ancient city of Anuradhapura. From Puttlam turn left to the Anuradhapura Road. The turnoff to the Wilpattu Entrance is close to the 43rd km post on this road. From this turn you need to travel about 10 km on this road to reach the entrance to the park.

If you are coming from Anuradhapura you need to travel almost 40 km on the Anuradhapura – Puttlam road to the turn-off.

Route from Colombo to Wilpattu National Park Entrance	Route from Anuradhapura to Wilpattu National Park Entrance
Distance:40 km Travel time : 45 minutes. Driving directions : see on google map	Distance:40 km Travel time: 45 minutes. Driving directions: see on Google map