Luxury holidays in Gal Oya National Park
Set in more than 25,000 hectares of unspoilt evergreen forests and open savannahs, Gal Oya National Park is the only place in Sri Lanka where you can take a water safari. Board a boat on the banks of Senanayake Samudra lake, binoculars in hand, and keep your eyes peeled for animals drinking, or diving into, the water. From big beasts like leopards, wild boars and water buffalo, to smaller species such as sloths, and langur and toque macaque monkeys, Gal Oya is home to 150 types of bird and 32 species of mammal. However, one attracts attention more than any other, and not just because of its size; people journey here from all over the world to join a water safari and witness Asian elephants swimming between the islands.
When to go
To avoid the worst of the monsoon season, visit between July and March; although there are a few light showers between July and September. Temperatures remain constant throughout the year at around 26 to 30 degrees; the hottest months being April to May. Tourists tend not to visit between September and December, which makes this period one of the best times to view elephants in their undisturbed environment.