Sri Lanka’s largest and least-visited national park, Wilpattu is defined by its villus, the natural water-filled clearings set into dense dry forest where wildlife congregates for extended, undisturbed observation without competition from other vehicles. Leopard sightings are increasingly reliable as the population has grown and adapted to vehicle presence; the encounters tend to be longer, quieter, and more intimate than Yala’s, and for travellers who have experienced both, Wilpattu often produces the deeper memory.