Wilpattu National Park
An exile from the Indian mainland sailed to the Northwest coast of Sri Lanka in 543 BC, met a local tribal queen and married her. They, King Vijaya and Princess Kuveni, founded the race Sinhala, the history says. The historical sites where Vijaya landed on and subsequently met Kuveni are still protected in the Wilpattu National Park. Today they are identified as Kudiramalai and Kali Villu respectively.
Wilpattu National Park is the largest protected area in the country and was declared in 1938. The name Wilpattu literally means the land of lakes or villus. A villu is a characteristic circular waterhole. In the dry season, the villu is seen as a flat depression on the ground fringed by a ring of sand and is generally surrounded by grass.  Villus are frequent attractions of thirsty mammals in the dry spell. 
 

 Located about 180km from Colombo and spanning over 13,690 ha (1080sq km), Wilpattu protects diverse habitats like mangroves, salt marshes, swamps, floodplains, sand dunes, scrublands, dry evergreen forests, riverine forests, grasslands, and unmistaken villus. Point Kudiramalai is a limestone coastal cliff and has unique red soil which supports a distinctive vegetation of scrubland-sand dune mixed dwarf species.  
The park is world famous for the illusive big cat- leopard. One may see a lazy, big, spotted-cat walking along sandy jeep roads; or a shade of a big cat disappearing to the understory around dusk and dawn. Asian elephant, sloth bear, spotted deer, sambur, wild boar, water buffalo, gray langur and crocodile are other animals next to the leopard which attract visitors to the park.
Wilpattu is an ideal place for bird watching. Fifty odd villus and other wetlands of the park nurture a great diversity of aquatic birds including ibis, herons, storks, bitterns, ducks, plovers, and sandpipers. The park is a destination of migrant birds too.
Park bungalows are being renovating and for reservation visitors should contact the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Several tour groups organize private safari camps inside Wilpattu. One should keep in mind to visit the unique historical and geological sites of the park, without damaging them.
A 4WD will be more suitable to ride the sandy and muddy roads. Rainy season usually lasts from October to December. Visitors are advised not to harass wild animals; silence is precious when watching birds.  Driving off road is not allowed inside the park.  
 
(Content Source : Deepani Jayantha)
(Image Source   : Deepani Jayantha,bikinginsrilanka.com, wildceylon.com, hemtours.com, zero3images.com)