Uda Walawe, 65 km from Kadju House, is an elephant-lover's paradise. The park is well known for its large herds of up to 100 animals including as many as 20 calves. Uda Walawe is also famous for its birdlife.
80 km away, Rahuna National Park (more commonly known as Yala) is the most popular wildlife safari destination in Sri Lanka . Covering 1,250 sq km, the park is home to leopards, elephants, crocodiles, wild buffalo, bear and wild boar. Over 140 bird species have been recorded.
Bundala National Park is about 30 km away. The park consist of four lagoons, salt pans, marshes, thorny scrub lands, sand dunes, and dry forests and grasslands. Bundala is a good place to spot water and shore dwellers such as Coromants, Water Snakes and Flamingoes.
Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary, about 20 km away, is a mature mangrove swamp with an extraordinary collection of birdlife. Fishermen can take you out to explore its vast saline lagoons in a flat-bottomed punt.
Just 10 km away, Rekewa's beaches are a well-known breeding ground for Sri Lanka 's 5 species of indigenous marine turtles. The Turtle Conversation Program runs nightly turtle watch program where visitors can watch turtles lay and hatch their eggs during the peak season, from February to July. Mother turtles drag themselves slowly and deliberately up the beach to lay their eggs beyond the reach of the tide. Meanwhile, tiny new hatchlings act on their instincts, and scuttle for their lives across the sand and out to sea.
Between December and April, the calm seas of Southern Sri Lanka are one of the best place in the world for observing awesome Blue Whales. Sperm whales and long-snouted spinner dolphins can also be observed remarkably close to the shore. Whale spotting trips can be arranged to the seas between Mirissa and Dondra Head.