Yala is a national park in Sri Lanka. Our visitors may enjoy the pure wildlife here. Yala is divided into five blocks (two blocks are open to public at the moment), which takes up the territory of 130.000 hectares. Yala Park abounds in forests, prairies and lagoons located close to the Indian Ocean coast. Who says that safari is exclusively the provenance of Kenya? We can assure you that you will enjoy Yala and safari in this park, which will make you feel as if you were in the heart of Africa.
Yala park is situated in the south-eastern part of Sri Lanka, and only in 1938 did it become a national park and wildlife reserve. The park was initially used as hunting grounds when Sri Lanka was under the British colonial rule. Today visitors in Yala can see leopards, elephants, sambars, deer, peacocks, crocodiles, monkeys, over 215 bird species and many other animals.
Visitors can choose to do the morning or afternoon safari, or simply do both.
Morning safari starts at 5:00 am and lasts till 10:00 am – 10:30 am
Afternoon safari starts at 2:00 pm and lasts till 7:00 pm
(!) It is very important that you make it clear to your driver what your preferences are in case you happen to have any. For example, some people would like to focus on leopards so the driver will then focus more on following leopard trails instead of dedicating time to other animals.
If you decide to do both safaris, you can find guest houses that are located close to Yala park. You cannot stay inside the park, but guest houses offer very nice accommodation that will give you a complete insight into your wildlife experience.
We would strongly advise you to book your Safari driver in advance.
Regular price for the safari van is 40 USD.
Regular admission fee for Yala Park - 3500 LRK per person
Visitors can meet their driver in Yala or they can meet the driver in Tissamaharama (locals call this city Tissa).
Nearby there is Buddhist monastery of Sithulpawwa, surrounded by caves that have preserved secular rock paintings the temple is believed to have been built by the king Kavantissa in the 2nd century BC. This temple was a sanctuary for the Buddist monks. This is a truly wonderful place and if our visitors have the time, we recommend that they should visit this old temple.
