Kumana with a private driver

Kumana National Park (formerly Yala East) protects 35,664 hectares of dry coastal forest and mangrove on the southeastern tip of the island. The Kumana Villu, a freshwater lake within the park, holds one of Asia's largest colonial waterbird nesting sites during the breeding season (April to June), with thousands of painted storks, night herons, spoonbills and cormorants nesting in a single fig-tree grove. Leopards are present and the park is now thought to hold a comparable density to Yala Block I, but the much lower visitor numbers mean a leopard encounter here is a genuine wilderness experience rather than a jeep queue. Kumana is about 3 hours south of Arugam Bay, making it accessible for travellers already on the east coast rather than the long direct drive from Colombo.