Sri Lanka's oldest national park and the only one where visitors can take a boat safari, cruising the vast Senanayake Samudraya reservoir to watch wild elephants swim between islands in search of grazing. The park also shelters leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, and over 150 bird species, making it a genuine wilderness escape roughly 1.5-2 hours inland from Arugam Bay's beaches. It sits below the headline sights but earns its place on a longer visit to Arugam Bay.
What It Is
You board a small motorboat and glide across still, glassy water at dawn, scanning the tree-lined islands as mist lifts, then watch in silence as an elephant wades out and swims, trunk raised like a snorkel, between grazing grounds.
Why Visit
It's one of the only places in the world to see elephants swimming between islands, in a far less crowded setting than Yala National Park. It is not the first thing you should see in Arugam Bay, but with two or more days it fills a gap the major sights leave. Mornings are quieter if you want to take your time.
More on Arugam Bay
It is in the Pottuvil Town part of Arugam Bay. See where it ranks among the things to do in Arugam Bay.
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