Gal Oya National Park Holidays

Gal Oya’s mix of evergreen valleys, grasslands, and the large Senanayake Samudraya reservoir is home to wildlife galore, including elephants, mugger crocodiles, and birds. In fact, a boat safari on the reservoir provides an opportunity to see elephants swimming between the islands, a behaviour not commonly observed elsewhere. 

Along with its ecological features, Gal Oya is home to the Vedda people, one of Sri Lanka’s indigenous communities. You can join guided walks with Vedda elders to learn about their traditional way of life and deep knowledge of the terrain. Keen hikers might want to scale the impressive Monkey Mountain, which provides wide-open views of the park and reservoir. Although if you’re less actively inclined, you could hop aboard a jeep safari to experience Gal Oya’s peaceful landscapes and wildlife in an undisturbed setting and scan the landscape for a rare sighting of the elusive leopards that live here.