Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park is famous for its boat safaris on the impressive Senanayake Samudra reservoir. Nowhere else in Sri Lanka can you see wildlife from a boat. At the same time, the park is still little known and almost untouched by human hands. Above all, the large herds of elephants are one of the park highlights, which move through meadows and bush steppe as well as through forests.

Things to do in Gal Oya National Park

The reservoir is both the centre and main attraction of the park, embedded in a backdrop of tropical trees and green hills. Many safari activities take place here and small fishing boats typical of the country take tourists to the most beautiful places of the waters in two to three hours of safari tour.

On the way, in addition to waterfowl such as cormorants, unusually large herds of elephants and water buffaloes pass by the shore. In the reservoir itself there are numerous islands, between which elephants even swim back and forth.

Other nice things to do in Gal Oya National Park :

Explore the forest on foot with a native guide on one of the many hiking trails and go birdwatching

Take a jeep safari, for example to the hidden Nigala sector to Makara Kata (Dragon Mouth)

Be on the road with a native Vedda from an ancient hunter-gatherer tribe and let him show you the original home and learn more about life in the forest

A guided walking safari to the Makara estuary to spot wildlife in the rainforest there

1.5-hour morning hike to Monkey Mountain with a panoramic view of the rainforest canopy and sunrise

Take a mountain bike tour to Kiri Oruwa Lake or Namal Oya Reservoir

Animals in Gal Oya National Park

In addition to kingfishers, kites and eagles, the aforementioned herds of elephants, sloth bears, four species of deer such as axis and sambar deer, water buffalo, muntjacs, jackals, leopards, the Ceylon hat monkey and swamp crocodiles also live here. At Gal Oya, however, the landscape is in the foreground, not the animals.

Best time to visit Gal Oya National Park

The Gal Oya National Park is hit by the north-east monsoon in the European winter months. The best time to travel is the months in and at the end of the dry season from March to August. The period is ideal for boat safaris because the water level is low, which enlarges the islands. This increases the chances of watching elephants bathing. They are more active during this time because they are looking for the last green to eat.

Interesting travel time for ornithologists : From December to April, migratory birds breed on the waters.

Overnight stays in Gal Oya National Park

This park, dominated by a huge reservoir, is somewhat secluded in the east of the island and can be reached via the Ampara/ Inginiyagalla road. The nearest town is Ampara (about 20 km away), you can also spend the night near the park entrance at Inginiyagala, where public transport also stops.