About this experience
Bundala National Park sits on Sri Lanka's southern coast near Hambantota, a stretch of dry scrubland, sand dunes and brackish lagoons that was named the country's first Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and later recognised as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. This full-day excursion collects you from your hotel in Balapitiya and carries you across the island to spend three hours exploring the park by safari jeep, with an English-speaking driver who doubles as your tracker, pointing out whatever the lagoons and scrub have to offer that day.
The park's lagoons - Koholankala, Malala, Embilikala and Bundala itself - draw some of the densest concentrations of water birds found anywhere in Sri Lanka. Close to two hundred bird species have been recorded here, a large share of them migratory visitors that arrive from further north and settle into the marshes and mudflats for the season. Expect long-necked cormorants drying their wings on bare branches, painted storks working the shallows in small groups, and purple swamphens picking their way through lily-covered water on bright orange legs. Peafowl move through the dry grass in the dappled light of the scrub, and hornbills perch in the leafy canopy where the woodland thickens - the kind of variety that rewards anyone who brings a decent pair of binoculars.
Beyond the birds, Bundala supports a wider community of wildlife across its marshes, dunes and thorny scrub - reptiles, amphibians and mammals all have recorded populations within the park, a reflection of how much the wetland ecosystem supports once you look past the waterline. The terrain stays mostly flat, running from the shoreline dunes inland across the lagoons, so the jeep can cover good ground within the three-hour safari without retracing its route too often.
The day is built around comfort as much as sightings. Transport both to and from Bundala runs in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, so the journey out from Balapitiya and back is as easy as the safari itself. Inside the park, the dedicated safari jeep and its driver take over for the three-hour wildlife drive. Park entrance tickets, food, drinks and gratuities are handled separately and are not part of what is included, so it is worth planning for those before you set off.
This is a private tour, suited to travellers of most ages though children under five are not permitted into the park. Pack a hat, something for the sun, and your camera - the light over the lagoons in the early or late hours of the day tends to be the best of it.
