The Land Of Willus

Wilpattu is an unexplored wildlife sanctuary that serious wildlife enthusiasts should explore.

- Arefa Tehsin

Cheetal grazing in the sun

The first thing we came across, when we had barely crossed the gate of Wilpattu was a handsome peacock, dancing in all its magnificence, as our jeep stopped silly in its tracks. Deeper than the shades of the Mediterranean, he continued his liquid, flowing dance. We kept looking, enthralled, till he got tired, gathered his feathers and walked away haughtily. We, the lesser mortals (and certainly not as good looking!) released our breaths and entered one of the oldest national parks of Sri Lanka.

Wilpattu, spanning from the coast to deep inland in the Northern Province (spread over 1085 square kilometres) is a stunner. It literally means the ‘land of lakes;’ Willu means lakes. Although it is situated in the dry zone, due to its monsoon pattern, it houses no less than 60 willus in its green fortress! These are shallow rain-fed lakes and many of them have sandy banks giving you little beaches right inside the jungle. Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1905, it houses various kinds of vegetation from salt grasslands near the beach to dense forests inland. The cheek by jowl foliage, which constitutes 75 per cent of the park, makes only 25 per cent accessible to tourists.

The shrub forests and open areas in between are reminiscent of Wilpattu’s glamorous cousin Yala. Unlike Yala, frequented by most safari-goers, Wilpattu doesn’t sport luxury resorts with Thai spas. Not yet. This park was under the influence of LTTE during the civil war and was closed for public for nearly 16 years. This spared her the giddy touristy crowds. The wildlife here is comparatively shy of our presence, although the monkeys might bare their teeth if you refuse sharing your chips with them.