Wilpattu National Park Jeep Safari From Negombo / Waikkal (All Inclusive)

Amazing day. Didn’t see the leopard but nevertheless didn’t feel that we missed out as the guide was so hawk eyed we saw more than we could have ever hoped for.

The Sri Lankan government have a nature reserve and not game park attitude to safari experiences. Huge queues of cars to enter the park, limited access - roads open to the public heaving with safari jeeps. You have to start queuing at the park gate at 4:30 am to be one of the first jeeps in the park at 6 am if you have any chance of seeing any wildlife when it crosses one of the few roads briefly. The Sri Lankan park authority do not allow radio contact so the guides cannot coordinate when there is a rare sighting either. The park is predominantly wooded so if you are lucky you may spot one of their big three early in the morning crossing a road. For safari lovers don’t bother. You will see beautiful landscapes and very few animals. Safari’s in Africa are on another league both in terms of organization, hospitality and above all wildlife you can see during a 2-3 day trip.

There are lots of parks in Sri Lanka, Wilpattu came up as one that people said was less busy and very peaceful. I choice to do a full day Safari it was an early 4am start as I was coming from Negombo but the driver was really good and we got there in 2hrs. It was a long day but the time flew. I got to see a lone male elephant that was having fun in the water, 5 water buffalos, family of deers, amazing different birds and some new animals too! Not to mention the beautiful landscapes in the park. I had a home cooked Sri Lankan lunch by a lake and watch butterflies all around me it was really magical. All day we tried to see the famous leopards, a few other jeeps that day said they had seen them but many said they haven’t. On our way back to the entrance we stopped by a water pond as there had been a baby crocodile in there in the morning, the next minute the driver said I think there is a leopard up in the bush! It had been sitting there watching us by the time I got my phone out to take a picture it was running away a 4 second view lol 😂 but the guide got a picture of it watching us. So you really never know what’s lurking 👀 in the jungle. As I was traveling on my own the day trip was expensive but I had the opportunity jeep to myself and the driver asked me what things I wanted to see. It was a different experience and it was wonderful to be with nature so if you want a relaxed day watching nature take this tour. We should remember the park is the animals home so we can’t expect them to just show up because we want to see them. Go to the park with the view to explore nature and you won’t be disappointed. Seeing the Leopards and the other big animals is a bonus. Thank you Abeyrathne for getting the final picture of the day you can see it was watching us 🥰

We had an incredible experience on our Wilpattu safari from Negombo. Our guide was exceptional – knowledgeable, friendly, and really made the wildlife experience come alive. The day was long, starting with a 4 AM hotel pickup and returning around 7 PM, but it was absolutely worth it. The drive from Negombo to Wilpattu took over 3 hours, and our driver was excellent – safe, smooth, and very accommodating. The highlight? Spotting not one, but two leopards in the wild! The park itself is stunning and less crowded than other national parks, which made the experience feel truly special. If you’re considering a safari from Negombo, this is the one to do. Incredible wildlife, a fantastic guide, and a memorable adventure from start to finish.

We stayed 2 nights at the Leopards trails, a very upmarket camp site about a mile outside the entrance to Wilpattu National Park. The accomodation, food and the staff service were all excellent. Unfortunately we didn't see any leopards but we saw four bears , including a mother and her cub, amongst other wild life.

Fantastic well organised knowledgeable and great fun. Speed boat across lagoon then tuk tuk to park then jeep safari. Great day out for all.

We would highly recommend this experience. We were picked up from our hotel in Kandy by Charith. He got us safely to the safari and the car was comfortable and bottled water was in the vehicle for us. Which was appreciated on the long journey to Wilpattu. Our driver/guide was very friendly and had an excellent knowledge of the park and the animals. He provided us a delicious breakfast and lunch as well as snacks and drinks throughout the day. The highlight of the day was a very hungry Sloth Bear.

It was an amazing experiance in wilpattu and the tour was well organized from negombo to wilpattu within 3 hours.jeep and included a well knowledgable guide and the breakfast and lunch was fantastic.it was a memorable day and thanks for organize a successful safari and highley recomonded for a full day tour

This is a very well organised exceptional if very long day out! The day we had originally booked we got up and were ready for our 4.25am pick up but at 4.23 we got a message to say the car had broken down. I was given an immediate refund and was asked if we had any days left to fit it in. The next day was our last so we booked in and were given a discount for the previous days inconvenience. The experience itself is superb, we were given a really highly skilled guide in the park who spotted so many interesting animals and birds to see. We saw an elephant, crocodiles, water buffalo, a rare sighting of a sloth bear close up and a glimpse of a leopard. One thing to be aware of is that there is only one toilet block in the park and there is no toilet roll or soap, so given you are out for about 16hrs and will probably need to visit it I strongly suggest bringing your own supplies and hand sanitiser. Really memorable trip highly recommend.

This is not an appointment with the elephants or the leopards. If someone wants a definite encounter, it is better to visit a zoo. That said, the experience is great. We left our hotel at 6 a.m (we modified the standard time) arrived at the park entrance at 10 a.m. and we were driving through the park till dawn. Our driver and the modified four wheel drive truck were appropriate for the task. The terrain was muddy in places, since it rained earlier and during our tour, but the driver and car coped perfectly. The nature is stunning and the wildlife was really impressive in the natural environment. Totally worth the money, time and energy, highly recommended. Five star rating to our driver for the comfortable ride (8 hour in total) from/to our Colombo hotel. Special thanks to our Agent who coordinated everything smoothly.

Highly recommend this tour. Transfer to and from the national park in a private car was comfortable and punctual. I was looked after well throughout the day by my guide, who did his best to get me to any area of the park where an animal had been spotted. We managed to see elephants, leopards, water buffalo, a sloth bear, crocodiles, as well as many other birds and smaller creatures. The food was great - breakfast and lunch supplied, as well as numerous snacks and drinks throughout the day. The park didn’t feel overcrowded, as I’ve heard can be a problem at some of the other parks. Overall a great day!

Amazing experience. We were lucky enough to see a leopard, an elephant and a bear (apart from amazing birds and monkeys!). The most important thing- guys were really looking after us through the journey and kept us well fed! We will be using their services in our next trips to this beautiful country.

We had a wonderful time in the park with our guide Nuwan (whose mother had prepared us a super yummy lunch!). We unfortunately only saw the tail end of one elephant, but we DID get to see a leopard which was very exciting! We also saw plenty (PLENTY) of spotted deer, water buffaloes, macaques, crocodiles, and many different bird species. Breakfast and lunch (with drinks) were included. Pick-up and drop-off from/to Negombo went smoothly. Only downside was the lack of bathroom breaks. In a perfect world, there would be more toilets, but it’s a national park so it was expected (if you know beforehand that you have a small bladder, it’s better to make up a plan with your guide on when to get back to the resting area. The bumpy ride was really a trigger…). Also worth noting that there are proper bathrooms with plumbing at the resting area, but there was NO running water (and no paper) for flushing (however, there is a manual water pump outside where we could rinse out hands). Plan accordingly.

I was picked up at my home stay and tranfered flawless to the Wilpattu national Park. There the tourguide/driver waited for me and the exoerience was great! Seen 3 times the SriLankan Leopard! And various other animals.. Its was a long but with meals perfectly served (breakfast/lunch) in between all worth it. Great day!

Went on a day trip to Wilpattu with Wondrous Tours. We had a 4am pickup at a hotel in Waikkal, an early start at the park and finished close to 6pm. Then got drop off around 9pm at the hotel. Everything from start to end was organised including food, water, and tickets so it was really convenient to not stress about the details. The tour guide at the park was super friendly too. Overall we had a lovely day out :) If you find a full day a bit too full on, the tour company is super flexible so you could arrange something suitable. We also used the same tour company to book another signseeing transfer by van.

Fantastic all day experience Our guide driver,was super enthusiastic , had eyes like a hawk We started at 0730 and stopped in front of a watering hole for breakfast. We later stopped for lunch at a secluded area We saw so many birds, lizards and animals including all types of deer, sloth bears, and a leopard Well worth going though it is a long day, left hotel at 4 am and got back at 1030 pm

It was a very good day and we saw a lot of very nice animals. Also both drivers are very friendly. The driver at Safari show us nice places at Nationalpark und driver to the hotel was very carefully. It was very a nice trip and we can recommended it🤗

We had an amazing day in Wilpattu Park! We had arranged pickup from Sigiriya which went super smoothly and our driver was very friendly and had a calm driving style. Our tour guide at the park was great as well, very knowledgeable and had eyes like an eagle! I think we would have missed at least half of the animals we have seen without him. He made sure we got to see as much as possible and we even saw a leopard on the hunt. On top of that, we were provided with an amazing lunch, which was completely vegan as we had asked for. All in all, i would definitely recommend this safari, it was 100% worth the money.

Very well organised trip. Driver on time and friendly. Transferred to safari jeeps, guide was interesting and informative. We saw Elephants, a leopard, sloth bear, water buffalo and various other animals and birds. Very long day, but we were regularly given drinks and served breakfast and a lovely lunch. Great communication from company for this trip( I booked it before we came) Would recommend.

This safari was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, all in a single day. KaNe, the driver who brought me from Colombo to Wilpattu National Park, and back to Colombo was professional and courteous. Upon arriving at the Park I met Jothipala Herath, the guide. Mr. Herath spent the day showing me the park and so many beautiful animals and plants. We saw lots of birds- storks, peacocks, and even a plover- to name only a few. And monkeys, water buffalo, an elephant, a gorgeous leopard, and a sloth bear. Reptiles included two species of turtles, a crocodile, and a cobra. Beautiful butterflies and plants too! As a biologist, the biodiversity within all the regions of the park was breathtaking. Mr. Herath drove the jeep like a pro, and finding the animals seemed to bring him as much joy as it did me. The day was long. With the drive from Colombo to and from the Park, the adventure lasted from 0400-almost 2200, but definitely worth it. Highly recommend this experience!

Very well organized trip, we enjoyed wilpattu park. We were able to find Leopard and saw a lot of different birds in the park.

Wilpattu is extraordinarily beautiful and Nuwan was a terrific guide . We were lucky to spot a leopard , a sloth bear and her cub, a bathing elephant , a crocodile sunning itself and several stunning birds . I strongly recommend the experience - the forrest is a real beauty .

Seen the lopped .elephant .bear and moo animals visit wilpaththu natural park. Enjoy Full day and hurf day booking ❤️❤️❤️

What a fantastic day we had so well organised Hiran made everything possible for us in Sri Lanka 10 of 10 would definitely recommend their excursion to anyone. Look forward to visiting again.

We had an amazing day! Our guide was very nice and prepared a lovely lunch for us. Unfortunately we did not see any elephants but, of course, it's wildlife. However, we managed to take a glimpse of a Leopard and observe two sloth bears among many other animals.

We had a nice time at wilpattu national park. We went in a march 2025. Atmosphere is incredibly amazing. We spend all the day at the national park. Can’t wait to come back!

Amazing day out!! Saw leopards, sloth bears and so much more. Really loved experiencing it, and felt much less busy than yala!

Wondrous Tours provided excellent communication and service. We were picked-up promptly at 0400 and taken to Wilpattu National Park. We were fortunate to see a sloth bear up-close and watched him forage for termites. The sound sloth bears make while eating is almost comical. We also saw leopards, mongoose, peacocks, elephants, monkeys, and a variety of birds. The prepared lunch was also delicious. While the entire trip took over 12-hours; it was time well-spent AND incredibly worth it! Thanks, Hiran-Kiran and Abey (our safari guide) with Wondrous Tours!

Amazing experience. Abi picked me up promptly at 7am and we set off for a full day, breakfast already made for me. Really lovely lunch (Sri Lankan Chicken curry, Rice, Beans, Dahl, Potatoes, Poppadom) We saw lots of colourful birds, leopards, sloth bear, no elephants. The scenery was stunning too. Big thank you to Abi who was very kind and patient in the afternoon which resulted in us spending more time seeing the leopards with no other jeeps around (amazing!!)

We had an excellent experience on this tour recently. We were picked up on time and enjoyed the full day safari. Highly recommend going for the full day. We saw 5 leopards with 3 being very close plus lots more. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable with all the animals and the best places to see them.

This tour should be on everyone's to-do list in Sri Lanka. The park itself is beautiful, and the wildlife is abundant. One of the few places to see peacocks in the wild, large crocodiles (I mean BIG), water buffalo, deer, and many beautiful bird species. There are leopards (about 300 in the park area) so your chances of seeing one here are pretty good. Be ready for a wild ride when one is spotted as the guides let everyone know to give us all the best chance to see one of these big cats in the wild. Wondrous Tours did a superb job organizing our safari from start to finish. We were picked up at our hotel in Negombo and driven to the park where we met our outstanding driver and guide. We did 2 drives (morning and evening), were fed breakfast and a superb lunch made by our driver's wife. After our safari, we were returned to our hotel precisely at the time promised. 5-star organization for sure.

Wonderful experience. Our guide knew all the good spots. We got to see so much. Can't recommend this tour enough. Thankyou!!

Our driver picked us up from Habarana at 5:00 and we arrived Wilpattu around 7:00 and started our safari. It is an extraordinary place, dense jungle, several lakes and we've seen our first leopard in the morning and then the second one after lunch. We caught a glimpse of sloth bear but it quickly disappeared. Besides, there were so many water buffalo, jungle fowl, peacocks, monkeys, crocodiles, mongoose, monitor lizards, etc... I was amazed with the diversity of birds. Our tour was all day long. We had the breakfast on jeep, then had snacks and then lunch around 13:00. The tour finished about 18:00. Everything was well organized, the meals were good, our driver tried his best to take us to the locations where the animals are usually seen. He had a bird book with him and whenever we saw one, he immediately showed us the species in it. I loved the experience and so glad to do it.

We had an amazing safari in Willpattu National Park. We booked quite last minute and yet had prompt and excellent communication with Wondrous Tours. Everything was arranged for us including a friendly and punctual driver, Kannadasan, from our accommodation in Anuradhapura and a delicious lunch cooked by the wife of our guide, Abbey. Abbey is truly a fantastic guide, he has been working in the park for many years and was constantly doing his best to ensure we had maximum opportunity to see as much as possible. He has an excellent eye for spotting even the smallest and well camouflaged of animals as well as being incredibly knowledgeable. We were lucky enough to see leopards on 2 different occasions and Abbey also seemed to know some quieter spots where we got to have some incredible bird viewing. Thank you so much for all the effort you made for us yesterday, Abbey, we appreciate your skills and good humour and commitment to keeping us safe, well fed and blessed with all the animals we saw!! We highly recommend booking Wondrous Tours, it was a smooth process with wonderful results and we appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in our trip to Willpattu National Park.

Safari was wonderful, we had wonderful moments among the wild nature. The park is huge and we did not feel the crowd of visitors. The trip was well organized as described in the advertisement. We loved out driver, he was very nice, helpful and did a real off-road tour for us😉

Really great experience. Managed to see leopards and a sloth bear on top of jackal, crocodiles, and dozens of types of birds.

We were bit hesitant about the price, since all the stuff we’ve done in Sri Lanka so far was more on budget. But this was worth every penny! We had a great driver dedicated to show as as many animals and beautiful park views as possible. The offroading was also super fun, at first the roads are ok and and you can see the other jeeps, but then most of the time we were alone in the wilderness going through mud, sand and water. The highlight for us was having a lunch while watching leopard resting in a shade across the lake. 10/10 after this, all the ZOOs we have been in so far seems lame, safari is a way to go!

I really recomended this experience . We were there with our son. He was excited. Guides were very kind and friendly. They have prepered a lot of food for all day. They show to us leopards, elephants, crocodiles and explain all interesting “funfacts” about animals and Wilpattu park. Thank you very much 😉

Wilpattu safari is a good experience if you go without very high expectations of seeing leopards. The safari is very expensive compared to the safaris in India. It’s about 4 hours of safari covering a lot of area. We saw lots of deers , wild buffaloes, monitor lizards , sloth bear , one leopard who was just chilling. In birds we saw peacocks , serpent eagle , stork , crane. It was definitely a good experience and like I mentioned earlier it’s very expensive.

It was an amazing experience, we got to see the Big 5 animals of Lanka up close, including a leopard with her cubs, a sloth bear with her cubs, alligators, water buffaloes, elephants, peacocks and so so much more. Our guide Nuwan was both informative and very kind! We were picked up and dropped off at our location on time. Breakfast, lunch and snacks were included in the pacakage too. I was a little hesitant as we were doing this safari with a 4 year old, but we all had an amazing time and would definitely use wondrous tours again!

We recently booked the Wilpattu National Park Jeep Safari from Negombo and had a mixed experience. While the shuttle driver and safari driver were both professional and skilled—we were disappointed by some aspects of the tour logistics. The main issue was the inaccurate travel time stated in the advertisement. The listing mentioned a 3-hour trip to the park in the morning and a 3-hour return trip. However, it took 5 hours to return home after a long, bumpy, and exhausting 10-hour safari. Speaking with local Sri Lankans, we learned that evening traffic is consistently bad, so the extended return trip is a normal occurrence. And for the ladies out there, be careful because there are no western toilets with toilet paper. Luckily we planned ahead and brought tissues. We kindly ask the organizers to update their advertisement to reflect the actual travel times. This would help travelers make an informed decision about whether to choose the full-day or half-day option, especially since such long travel times can significantly impact the experience. While the safari itself and the staff were good, the unexpected delays made the day much longer and more tiring than anticipated. With better communication and realistic travel time estimates, this tour could easily be a 4 or 5-star experience.

Wow, what an epic day of adventure. Wilpattu NP was incredible and so worth the long day. If you have a day spare and want some incredible wildlife and nature viewing opportunities, I can highly recommend this day tour. It was a long day, but well worth it. Picked up at 4am and dropped home again around 11pm. Breakfast and lunch were provided, but not dinner so if you're like me and get hungry, take a few snacks. Breaky was fruit, sandwiches, and a drink. Lunch was a big spread of Sri Lankan curries and rice with water and a bottle of coke provided. It's a fair drive to and from the NP from Colombo, around 4 hours each way. But with the length of the day, I still got to experience around 8 hours of safari in Wilpattu. Of course no particular sightings can be guaranteed but my safari drivers was wonderful and accommodating, offering me the option to continue viewing or look for other wildlife. I got to see crocodiles, buffalo, deer, lizards, so many birds I lost count of the different types, leopards, and sloth bears. So thankful I took this day tour, it will be a long lasting memory. Enjoyed it so much I hope to return again soon.

It was very fun! Despite the rain the tour guide was good at managing it and showing up as many animals as possibl!!!!!!!’

The safari was great, we got to see so many animals and all of Sri Lanka’s 5 big ones!! It is a long day, we were picked up from our Colombo hotel at 4am and dropped back off at nearly 10pm, but it is an adventure and made quite enjoyable by the super lovely staff. Our driver went to lengths to make sure we saw as much as possible for the day. However always bear in mind that there is no guarantee of seeing specific animals, and always a degree of luck. If you have this attitude, it is truly a great time.

Had a great day at Wilpattu! Within the first 15 minutes we had spotted at least 10 different animals, and our jeep driver Tharindu was able to provide identification and details about each. The catering for both breakfast and lunch took care to look after our gluten free dietary requirements and was tasty, and more than ample. Plenty of cold bottled water was on hand for the whole trip. It was a long day from Colombo (16 hrs total travel & safari combined) but in our opinion worth it!

Long day full of wonderful sightings of animals. Though it rained night before, all animals came out in view. Water buffalo,crocodiles, jackal. birds,elephants,leopards,monitor lizard, even saw a cobra in a tree. Driver and safari driver were both professional and enjoyed the efforts. Box breakfast,water,and lunch provided. Good contact with tour company for coordinating times, pickups,and veg meals. Felt this was a good safe tour company. We thank hiram and wondorous tours for their efforts.

Excellent hospitality, staff very cooperate and helpful . Rooms ok.nice swimming pool. Nice view from entrance towards thissa wawa.

Fabulous safari with great guides. Saw some amazing animals would highly recommend to anyone visiting Sri Lanka . Thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. The Sr Lankan people are gorgeous hosts

Really appreciate being able to do this special safari with Wondrous Tours. The staff are super accommodating, being willing to adjust the start time around our delayed flight. We did the full day tour and it’s a really long day. We were super taken care of the whole time with plenty of water bottles/drinks available as well as breakfast, snack and lunch. Hats off to the drivers since a full day tour is long for everyone involved. Our transfer driver was great at making sure we stopped at facilities that had Western washrooms and took us to a good spot for us to buy dinner on the way back. Our safari driver was super expert at navigating the park and you can tell he had a lot passion and care for the job with how he totes his own camera with high zoom lens. Seeing such a wide range of animals was really more of a bonus to all of this since it’s not something anyone can directly control. If you come with the mindset of experiencing a great drive through a beautiful and somewhat untouched national park with expert drivers then you’ll have a great time. The safari drivers want to show you the animals as much as they can, but the animals can be elusive sometimes and no one can control that. We were lucky to see just about everything except elephants on our tour day.