The most surprising but most enjoyable option is accidental meeting on the way. The area around Habarany and Dambulla is full of surprises. I had the opportunity to see an elephant standing by the road watching the passing cars. When it looks through the window to the car, it makes an even bigger impression! In this area, be especially careful in the evening, because a closer encounter on the road in the dark can be really dangerous – especially for us. They are impressed with road signs warning the attention of the elephant! Such meetings make an impression not only on tourists but also on Lankijczykach.

Another recommended place for meeting wild elephants is to participate in organized safari in National Parks. We move around the parks with a jeep with a driver. Usually we leave early in the dawn or in the afternoon when the animals move to the waterhole.
We do not get out of the jeeps during the safari. The exception is the Yala park where we stop at the beach by the Indian Ocean. Here the elephants live in a large dispersion and there is not always a guarantee of meeting them. Most often, you can see them shortly before sunset, when they leave the bush, looking for water to drink and for a mandatory bath. Observation of their play in water is an invaluable experience.

The last place where you can meet elephants in Ceylon is an orphanage of elephants – Pinnawala.
By design, a place of protection for small elephants that have lost their mother. Currently, there are also adults in the orphanage. In many trips, this is a must-do program. The opinion of many people who visited this place is divided. Some recommend others advise. You can have close contact with elephants here, but the sight of the chains on their legs implies that they are not free animals. I personally was in Pinnawala but not in the orphanage itself. I had the opportunity to see a herd of elephants bathing in a nearby river, as well as the march of the herd through the city, but the elephants bathing
in the lake in the Yala National Park they were happy.

I leave the decision to visit this place to each of you.

It is worth stopping and see how the paper is made from – the pile of elephant. This is a great business considering that one individual expels 100 kg of manure per day. elephants
they are herbivores who, however, do not digest as much as 50 percent of food, and eat up to 200 kilos a day! Handmade elephant paper is very good quality – multi-layered. You can always bring or send an original card for friends or family.

It lies in the south-eastern part of the island. This is the second largest national park
Sri Lanka and a great place for safari. Currently, the park is divided into five sectors, two of which are available to tourists. The park is best known for the diversity of wildlife. This is the first time I met face to face with a Sri Lankan leopard. It is a very important place to protect Sri Lankan elephants and water birds. More than 40 species of mammals and 215 species of birds live here. The best time to visit the park is time from March to September. When choosing a safari park, whose main attraction is watching leopards, it is worth looking for a good driver, but Leo Tur will help you with this.

It is here that you meet the most elephants. They live here around 800. This park is characterized by a very humid and warm climate, excellent for most species living here. Satin and ebony trees grow here. During the safari, you can also see the endangered Indian Sambara and Leopard and many other mammals. It is also a great place for bird watchers because there are endemic species in the park.

The park is closest to me and Leo in the literal sense of the word, because it is located near the city of Habarana, very close to our guesthouse. Located around an artificial water reservoir. The biggest advantage of this park are picturesque landscapes. It is a perfect refuge for elephants, leopards and deer that live here among dense trees and shrubs and extensive meadows and pastures. Wonderful bamboo forests, savannas, blue lakes surrounded by jungle. This is where you meet large herds of Indian elephants. Some herds count up to 300 individuals. Welcome.

Located in the south-eastern part of the country, it is a paradise for ornithologists. The best place in Sri Lanka for bird watching. It is famous primarily for waterfowl. Almost 200 species of ornithofauna have been reported here. There are cormorants, pelicans, gray heron, black stork and also migrating birds – pink flamingos, which can be observed at the end of the year.

It is one of the oldest and largest national parks of Sri Lanka located in the North – Central Province. A characteristic feature of this area are numerous small lakes in which rainwater is collected. Rain is the main source of water for the park. Although the park has a large area, animals living in it are relatively few.