Yala National Park

Spread across a sprawling wilderness of 97878 hectares, Yala National park is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Of this, however, only 1/5 remains open to the public and the remainder is a strictly designated reserve. Situated some 24km North-East of Tissamaharama and 290km from Colombo on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka, Yala National Park is as famous for spotting the leopard, the elusive big cat as for spotting herds of wild elephants and occasional tuskers, the uncrowned kings of the wild.
Yala National Park that boasts the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world is much loved by nature lovers & wildlife photographers. A total of 32 species of mammals have been recorded to the date. Among these are some of the threatened species - sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), elephant (Elephas maximus), water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), wild boar (Sus scrofa), spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonessis), sambar (Cervus unicolor) and golden jackal (Canis aureus). Yala National Park being such an important elephant and leopard sanctuary (with a score of leopard trails) is a great safari and camping destination in Tissamaharama.
The rocky outcrops scattered over the park provide excellent vantage points to take in the sprawling wilderness particularly marked by low scrub and woods. Also, the southern border of the park being the south-eastern coast, the brackish lagoons and sand dunes add to the distinctive spell of the Yala National Park.
The vegetation in the park consists largely of semi-arid thorny scrub, interspersed with pockets of fairly dense secondary forest. Small patches of mangrove vegetation also occur along the coastal lagoons. It’s also noteworthy that the park boasts a large number of important cultural ruins redolent of earlier civilizations and indicating that much of the area used to be populated and fairly developed.
Some 130 bird species have also been recorded from Yala National park to the date. Birds of Prey such as crested serpent eagle and white-bellied sea eagle are among them while the water birds drawn to the lagoons include Lesser Flamingo, Pelican, Spoonbill, Painted Stork, Rare Black-Necked Stork, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Night Heron and Darter. Yala’s reptile population mainly includes Mugger Crocodile, Estuarine Crocodile, Common Monitor, Cobra, Russel’s Viper, Sea Turtle, Olive Ridley and Leatherback. Now, this makes Yala National Park an amazing place for bird watching as well.

All in all, Yala National park is amazing place – a wildlife sanctuary where you ever won’t get bored. 

Highlights 

Opening Hours: 6.00 am – 6.00 pm

Distance from the Property:  7.3 km

Entrance Fees for local tourists:
Child – Rs.30.00
Adult – Rs. 60.00

Entrance Fees for foreign tourists:
Child – 8 USD or its equivalent in LKR
Adult – 15 USD or its equivalent in LKR

Best for:
Spotting leopard, elephant, and some exotic birds