Minneriya National Park
- Wilpattu means "Land of Willus" – a name referring to the dozens of natural lakes and water-filled depressions scattered throughout the park.
- Unlike artificial reservoirs, these shallow villus are natural basins that collect rainwater and become vital sources of life during the dry season.
- Wilpattu is Sri Lanka's largest national park, covering more than 1,300 km² of forests, scrubland, wetlands and natural water bodies.
- The landscape has a human history reaching back almost 2,500 years, with archaeological remains and ancient sites hidden among the forest.
- The area was first officially protected as a sanctuary in 1905 and became a National Park in 1938, making Wilpattu one of Sri Lanka's oldest protected wilderness areas.
- Wilpattu is particularly famous for its Sri Lankan leopards, which live in a landscape of dense forest and open villus where they can sometimes be seen resting or moving between water sources.
- The park is also home to Sri Lankan elephants, sloth bears, wild buffalo, sambar and spotted deer, along with crocodiles, pythons and numerous bird species.
- During the dry season, the villus become natural meeting places for wildlife, allowing visitors to observe animals coming to drink, feed and move between the forest and water.
- Wilpattu is not simply a safari park – it is an ancient landscape where archaeology, natural lakes, dry-zone forest and some of Sri Lanka's most elusive wildlife have existed together for centuries.
