Kumana National Park

One of Sri Lanka’s lesser-known parks, Kumana National Park provides excellent wildlife encounters with sought-after species such as leopard, elephant and sloth bear, while escaping the crowds.

Situated along the southern border of Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, Kumana National Park is a jewel in the country’s crown. Despite it adjoining Yala National Park, it doesn’t receive the same number of tourists and therefore provides excellent wildlife encounters in a more relaxed and enjoyable setting. 

Enjoy morning and afternoon, or all day game drives, going in search of the park’s incredible wildlife. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest draws are a number of leopards which are proving to be particularly active throughout the hours of daylight, making this an ideal place for those wanting to see this usually secretive member of the big cat family. The area has also become reliable for its sightings of sloth bear. The bears here can be surprisingly accommodating, but are less reliable than the park’s leopards. Other mammals regularly seen are elephant, chital, water buffalo and langur, while the birdlife is equally as impressive.

The rare black-necked stork can be found here, while more regularly seen species of bird include painted stork, Asian openbill, purple heron, spot-billed pelican, pheasant-tailed jacana, Malabar trogon, red-faced malkoha and greater racket-tailed drongo. 

Kumana offers a real escape from the hustle and bustle of Sri Lanka's towns and cities, while also enjoying much lower visitor numbers than many of Sri Lanka’s better known national parks. 

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