Explorer By Eco Team Gal Oya National Park

On our Gal Oya boat tour, the guides brought us to within less than 20 meters of elephants on an island. They gathered around a young calf and turned toward our boat, flaring their ears, stamping the ground, and snorting. We asked the guides to move back because the elephants looked stressed and were starting to act aggressively toward us. They insisted they knew what they were doing and were trying to intimidate the elephants into swimming. It was really upsetting to watch. When the elephants didn’t enter the water, we eventually backed away and continued exploring. Later we returned to find them swimming from that tiny island toward the safety of the jungle with their calf. The babies can’t swim, so their mothers have to carry them and try to breathe at the same time. We were crowding them again, even after we begged the guides to keep a reasonable distance. Our boat ended up splitting the group apart. It was awful, and we felt trapped in a situation where our requests to back off were ignored, even though we were the paying guests. The guides seemed eager to see the elephants swim and didn’t care what we said. There should be a required distance for guides to keep from wildlife. Eco-tours with ethical guides and limits on how close they can get would be much better. The guides need to change, and stricter, safer rules need to be enforced.

The landscape will amaze you, and there are usually fewer visitors here than at other parks, so it feels like one of Sri Lanka’s hidden gems. You may see elephants, deer, monkeys, foxes, tigers, crocodiles, and plenty of birds. Entry for locals costs Rs 60, and a jeep is around Rs. 8ooo for 8 people.

Of the parks I’ve visited in Sri Lanka, this one is the most beautiful so far. It has many plants and animals unique to the country, including elephants, green leopard, bull, deer, wild boar, and buffalo. You can also find plants such as Aralu, Bulu, and Nelly. There are two tourist bungalows, Nilgala and Inginiagala, which can be booked online through the Department of Wildlife website.

We rode our scooters to Gal Oya, and even the drive there was amazing. The next day’s boat safari was beautiful, and we saw two elephants swimming. If you like untouched nature away from the main tourist routes, this is the place. I loved it. We stayed at Gal Oya Lakeclub, and it was worth every cent. What an awesome place to stay, highly recommended.