Sri Lanka prides itself as Asia’s no 1 destination to experience wildlife varieties.
With an unfathomable cluster of untouched habitats, Sri Lanka is remarkably one of the top mainstream locations for natural wildlife. Despite being a small Island in the heart of Indian ocean, Sri Lanka is home to numerous wildlife attractions like Rain Forests, Big Games Parks, and Staged Forests & Mountainous Reserves. From the North to the South, to the East and to the; you are bound to have an experience of a lifetime as you tour through some of the world’s most beautiful heritage sites.
The biological diversity in Sri Lanka is unbelievable. You get to encounter a large number of wildlife species ranging from different animal groups like mammals, birds, aquatic animals, amphibians, insects and a whole lot more. Right there in the Island’s oceans you get to witness its great splendor in the displays of some of its aquatic life like the dolphins, reef fish, deep-sea fish and even its Whales. Also get to experience the magnificence of the second biggest terrestrial mammal still walking the face of the earth today – Sri Lanka’s wildlife Elephant.
Likewise it’s amazing solitary leopard, usually seen at sunrise or sunset when they come out to hunt food. Other predatory animals that can be found in Sri Lanka include; the sloth bear, the mongooses and the golden jackal, Crocodiles and there are over 400 varieties of Birds where about 200 of them are resident and about 26 of them are endemic. Different species of monkeys like the shaggy bear monkey, the purple faced leaf monkey or the endemic macaque can also be seen displaying their remarkable stamina as they swing in large groups from tree to tree. These fascinating animals and many more could easily be sighted in most of Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks and the Island boasts of a significant number of these parks scattered all over the place.
There are about sixty National Parks and Reserves located in different parts of Sri Lanka, some of which have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of her wealth of biodiversity, each one, exclusively dedicated to specific species of flora and fauna. The Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Rain Forest Reserve which is believed to be one of Asia’s finest tropical ecosystems is indeed a diamond in the rough that is yet to be uncovered. The Reserve plays host to about 140 endemic trees, over 20 endemic species of birds and over 50% of its butterflies, amphibians, fish and reptiles are also endemic.
Sri Lanka is also a paradise for birds. It is home to about 439 different species of birds of which 33 of them are endemic, 68 of them are endemic sub species, 236 are breeding residents, 203 are migrants and there is a large number of birding sites which makes it easy to observe these beautiful creatures in their natural habitats doesn’t matter in which part of the country you are located.
Visit Sri Lanka today; Asia’s number one wildlife destination and maybe the best outside Africa. More recently, the Island country has been recognized to be among the world’s top ten bio diverse locations in the world. Situated in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is indeed blessed with some of the world’s most fascinating natural treasures that is beyond compare.
