What snakes live in Udawalawe National Park?

Udawalawe hosts about thirty snake species, among them Russell’s Viper, which is venomous, Sri Lankan Green Pit Viper, and Common Krait, plus non-venomous constrictors like the Indian Rock Python.

For casual visitors, encounters with dangerous snakes are very unlikely because safaris are run strictly while people stay inside the safety of elevated vehicles. You get a range of habitats too, scrub jungles and riverine forests, which give these reptiles a well-suited home. The most elusive Green Pit Viper tends to disappear in plain sight, blending with the park’s green foliage, and the sturdier pythons are sometimes noticed near water or crossing dirt tracks around dusk, with little else.