Address
Inginiyagala,
Ampara 32000,
Sri Lanka
Directions: Google Maps
Support
Phone: 1912 or +94 112426800 (tourism dept)
Phone: +94 11 2 888 585 (Wildlife conservation dept)
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About Gal Oya National Park
Voted as one of the top 5 places to visit in Sri Lanka, the Gal Oya National Park is a popular ecotourism destination near the capital city, Colombo. Established in 1954, as a protected nature reserve, Gal Oya is a hotspot for ecotourism, and home to the Veddhas, an ancient tribe of Sri Lanka. Today, the National Park is home to 4000 elephants, 1000 leopards, 400 bird species, and 32 mammal species, thriving along the biggest man-made lake reservoir in Sri Lanka, the Senanayake Samudraya. A major landmark and attraction of the island, Gal Oya is one of the best places to experience the best of wildlife in Sri Lanka.
The park is rich in exotic tropical varieties of flora and fauna, and makes up for 45% of evergreen forest and 33% of Savannah grasslands, spread over 25,900 hectares of land. A highly protected area, the National Park is popular for its Sri Lankan elephant herds, spotted all-round the year, and other wildlife such as Sloth bear, Axis deer, Water buffalo, Sambar deer, saltwater crocodile, Toque langur, and many others. Other than wildlife, the National Park welcomes Buddhist pilgrims every year to its Dighavapi Stupa, a historical site built during the 2nd century.
One of the best ways to explore the hidden gems of Gal Oya National Park, is by foot, boat safari and jeep safari. The boat safari rides are best during sunrise at 6:00am and sunset at 3:00pm, and best time to visit Gal Oya National Park is from March-July, and for bird watching from December, and the busiest days for safari rides are Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Visitor’s typically spend 2-3 hours at the park, and prefer the evening rides from 4:00pm-5:00pm to watch the elephant herds in action.
The entry fee at Gal Oya for Sri Lankan residents is LKR 40 and for groups LKR 300, and for international visitors, the fee is USD 10 and for groups USD 8, along with 15% Vat. Payment is accepted in USD or LKR (Sri Lankan currency), and entry fee for children aged 6-12 is USD 8 with 15% Vat, and below 6 have free entry. The boat safari ride costs around LKR 20,000, for a group of 5 people, for 3 hours and may vary based on the tour operators. Jeep safari is much cheaper than boat rides, but is great for spotting birds, land mammals, and leopards.
