Would not do it again - Don't expect it to be less crowded than Yala. 85% of the time we drove along dirt roads with a 5 to 10 meter strip on both sides cleared with a trimmer. Beyond that it's thick bush and you can't see anything. Once in a while you get to a clearing. We saw lots of deer, peakock and birds. Than spotted a bear with a cub. At that moment about 40 4x4s pushed in and infront of each other to get the best view while blocking the view of others. The bears didn't seem to mind but took off after a few minutes. Than the race began! Vehicles speeding around the clearing to catch another view on the other side, overtaking and litterally bumping into each other. We had a terrible car (most seemed better and more comfortable) and the roads were EXTREMLY bumpy. I did safaris before and own a 4x4 myself but this was aweful. The bad condition of the roads might have been due to the continuous heavy rains over the last weeks (although end of January). Even our kids (who did not complain when we travelled in two tuktuks with five people and 6 large suitcases for half an hour on bumpy roads in Ella - yes, it's possible) were glad when we saw the entrance gate again. Quote: "I think it's over. Thank god!"

Nice park, terrible organisation - Wilpattu is a beautiful park and there is plenty to see. We were satisfied with everything we saw including 1 leopard. What was striking at the entrance to the park is that of the approximately 40 4x4 jeeps that were parked, approximately 90% only had 2 passengers, the average number of passengers per Jeep is now approximately 2.2. That is strange because we and some other visitors had indicated in advance that we wanted to share a jeep to save costs. The park management chooses to send as many jeeps into the park as possible because they earn more this way. This does not benefit the welfare of the animals, cars disrupt the peace of the animals. If a rare animal is spotted, 10-15 jeeps will be around it within a few minutes. The park management should aim for an average of 4 passengera per jeep, which will halve the traffic in the park. What else stands out is: At the lunch spot it is mainly the drivers who throw waste on the ground. You also see many drivers feeding animals so that their clients can take close ups of the animals. There is no enforcement of applicable rules, such as the ban on feeding and leaving waste. Our driver spoke very poor English. He knew the names of all the animals but there was no point in asking him a question, he never understood it, his English was too bad. Most drivers work long hours (5:30 AM - 6:30 PM) and our driver used a lot of betel nuts to stay awake. In the afternoon, other Jeeps regularly stopped next to us and our driver handed out beetle nuts with the other drivers. Use of betel nuts by drivers is dangerous because it masks symptoms of fatigue and is addictive. The park management would be better off using 4 passengers per jeep and 2 drivers per jeep so that they can take turns resting. Many drivers don't go far into the park and stay a short distance from the lunch spot. It would be better to drive deeper into the park, most of the animals (especially elephants) are in the north-west side of the park, at least an hour's drive from the lunch spot. To guarantee the continued existence of the park, the park management should allow a maximum number of vehicles per day and encourage the distribution of vehicles in the park. Monitor behaviour and enforcement of park regulations and ban on stimulants by staff.