If you have even the faintest hope of seeing large mammals on your safari in Sri Lanka you will be most pleasantly surprised. The largest land mammal, the elephant can be seen in abundance in Sri Lanka. In fact you have the best chance of seeing the Sri Lankan elephant here than anywhere else in the world! There are about 2500 – 3000 elephants in Sri Lanka and can been seen throughout the island in most wildlife parks, taking part in colorful festivals like the Kandy Perahera as well as in other places such as the Pinnawela Orphanage, which happens to be the largest elephant orphanage in the world caring for and protecting captive elephants.

If you’re an elephant lover, something you should definitely not miss is the seasonal movement of elephants at the Minneriya Lake called ‘the gathering’ which is a congregation of about 300 elephants traveling from as far off as Wasgomuwa and Trincomalee. Lured by the lush grass exposed by the diminishing waters of Minneriya Tank, the dry season from June to September is the best time to see this awesome spectacle. A unique opportunity and an absolutely awesome experience to see such a close-up of so many elephants.

Another animal to watch out for is the shy and elusive Sri Lankan leopard, one of currently 8 recognized subspecies of leopard and unique to our island. Rarely spotted, Sri Lanka is probably the best place to catch a glimpse of this big cat. Its home is both in the dry lowland hills and in the forested hills. Yala National Park has arguably the highest density of leopards in the world and is popular place to watch and photograph Sri Lanka’s top predator.

Other mammals you could sight in Sri Lanka’s national parks to name a few include the Asiatic Wild Buffalo – known as the Water Buffalo when domesticated, the Grayish Fishing Cat which searches for prey in marshes and on the edge of streams, the Sloth Bear, Deer including the Spotted Deer and the small and shy Barking Deer whose bark is herd more often than they are seen, the magnificent Sambar which is seen in wooded hillsides, the Wild Pig – easily identified by its affinity to the domestic pig, and the interesting Purple Faced Langur found only in Sri Lanka.

Apart from the animals that truly live in the wild others have adapted to village and town life and are often seen. The most widespread of the monkeys is the Grey Langur – another long-tailed monkey with a black face, The Tocque Macaque a much more solid animal with shorter limbs, the Flying Fox – fruit eating bats found throughout the island except in the driest areas and the Ruddy Mongoose and the Brown Mongoose.

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