Yala National Park Private Safari: Adventure in Sri Lanka's Southeast Wilderness

45 Ratings

Palatupana

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Embark on a thrilling private safari in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka’s southeast wilderness. Explore the park’s natural beauty, spot wild animals, and enjoy the stunning sunrise or sunset views. Book now!

Duration: 4 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Yala National Park - Meet at the gate of Yala National Park at 5:30 am or 2:30 pm to begin your safari adventure. Yala National Park is one of the preeminent spots in Sri Lanka to view a broad variety of wildlife. Admire fan-tailed peacocks in the woods where monkeys leap and chatter. There are 32 species of mammals in the park, including…

What's Included

Experienced Driver and Tracker
Complimentary Pickup/Drop-off within 5 KM of Palatupana Gate
Refreshments including Water
Exclusive Private Safari Jeep (Up to 6 Passengers)

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off if outside of 5km of park entrance gate
Entrance fees for Jeep-only bookings (entrance fees to be paid in cash)
Food and drinks
Gratuities

Additional Information

Embark on an adventure in Yala National Park, situated in southeastern Sri Lanka. Travel in a soft-top Jeep and marvel at the park’s natural beauty with the roof open. Witness the sky come alive at dawn or transition to dusk, based on your preference, while spotting wild animals. This full-day, morning, or evening excursion includes hotel pick-up and…

Location

Palatupana

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.4

(45 Ratings)

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Maddiedurnell

Dec 13, 2024

Incredible Day in Yala National Park - We recently did the full day safari at Yala National Park and are so glad we booked via Lakpura. We had friends that did it through another company and had a terrible time. Our driver, Galappaththi from Panchi Safaris, was amazing, such a lovely guy. He clearly loved showing off the animals and the park. He got just excited as us when we spotted something, despite doing safaris for 15 years. I lost count of all the animals we saw throughout the day and we rarely felt crowded, despite the amount of jeeps around, thanks to Galappaththi. We just had the best day and didn’t want it to end

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Wollibehr

Aug 12, 2024

Excitement and adventure for the whole family - As part of our round trip across the island by tuktuk, I was looking for a safari tour that is not too long and not too short in time. 6 hours is perfect and even the pick up time at the hotel at 5:15 was not in the middle of the night. If you compare the prices, our price for the tour included admission. This is not the case with several tours. Good, there was no food, but our hotel had given us breakfast. The tour was completely exciting. Although we didn't see any leopards, our guide was super attentive. He was tracking animals where we - my 12-year-old son, my 18-year-old daughter and I - were wondering how to do it. Lizards that are the same color as the tree, that remain motionless.... how can you recognize them? He was ultimately able to predict which route they would take even with elephants running. Except for leopards, all our expectations were met and we were in no way disappointed, but delighted. Thank you very much.

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Smedleyswife

Jan 30, 2024

Perfect - Our guide was fabulous, he had the eyes of a Hal and we saw so many animals which were camouflaged by the trees - we weren’t lucky enough to see leopards but he did find their paw prints. Yala is very unspoiled and the animals are unconcerned by the safari jeeps . We loved it

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Srilankaecot

Nov 23, 2023

As of now, it looks like your favourite park will remain open throughout 2023! While visitors may be familiar with the p - As of now, it looks like your favourite park will remain open throughout 2023! While visitors may be familiar with the park usually being closed in September, no such decision to close the park this year has been made. Any decision to close the park, if at all, will be if a severe drought occurs. So, let’s hope for the best!

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Evelina

Mar 27, 2023

The highlight of Sri lanka !!!🫶 - The highlight of sri lanka was for sure the safari in Yala national day park. Me and my friend were so amazed about all the animals we saw and we were so happy that we had the safari car to ourselves with the two guides. We saw elephants swimming, monkeys, buffalos, pigs, peacock, eagles, a crocodile in distance and so on. One of the main attractions were when we saw the leopard in the end. Krish our guide was very nice and helpful and drove as back and forth. The only thing that we missed a little was someone who could tell more about the animals, give us some facts about the animals we saw but besides that, the safari was 5 of 5 🫵

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Christian_r

Mar 5, 2024

It’s ok! - We got picked-up at right time and spend the day in Yala. We made a break in the middle. Our driver was showing us to an animal if he saw one. Unfortunately we booked 6hours, but we got 5 hours. Picked up at 5, back at hotel at 10. Because of all the trees and bushes it’s hard to find a lot of animals. So don’t expect a lot.

Review provided by Viator

Q2285nkstephaniec

Aug 24, 2023

Maybe we were unlucky? - We went on a morning Safari in August, starting at 6am - 9am. Our hotel booked a safari visit for us which cost $150 - which we later found out was very steep! In the park we saw lots of animals including deer, buffalo, wild boar, crocodiles, stalks and a few elephants (though only from quite far away). Our favourite moment was sitting at the lake watching the birds and crocodiles searching for and eating fish. Unfortunately we did not see a leopard and it was difficult to understand our guide as he didn’t speak clear English. We did three safaris in Sri Lanka (Kaudulla and Udawalawe too) and this was our least favourite though we may have just been unlucky! If you’re deciding between morning or afternoon, go in the afternoon!

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Channa

Aug 24, 2023

Great experience during last week - 1 / 1 It was a unique experience during your visit to Yala last week. The drought conditions might have indeed influenced the behavior of the animals and the overall environment. Drought can impact the availability of water sources, which in turn affects the movement and behavior of wildlife. Animals often congregate around limited water sources during such times, so it's possible that you observed fewer animals than usual due to the water scarcity. The presence of a lot of dust could also be attributed to the dry conditions caused by the drought. Reduced vegetation and lack of rainfall can lead to dry and dusty environments, especially in areas like Yala that are prone to seasonal droughts. Despite the challenges posed by the drought, experiences like these offer a unique perspective on how ecosystems and wildlife adapt to changing conditions. It's a reminder of the delicate balance in nature and how various factors, including climate patterns, can impact the lives of animals and the environment as a whole.

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392pennyl

Aug 2, 2023

A little disappointing- not as many animals around as we expected when we visited. - We visited on 1st August 2023 and did the afternoon safari. We had never done anything like this before so probably had unrealistic expectations, based on the marketing material, posters etc. and were therefore disappointed. In the 4 hours we were driving around the National park we saw 2 elephants ( one in the distance and one closer, just visible through the trees), a few water buffalo, three deer and some peacocks and other birds. As we left the park we saw monkeys just outside. Unfortunately there were no leopards to be found on this occassion and even the jeep driver expressed disappointment that more animals couldn’t be found. All in all a pleasant experience but when you book you need to be aware that the advertised animals may not be visible. Binoculars would have been useful too so if you have them - take them with you.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Robin

Feb 16, 2024

More like a jeep rally than a game drive. - One of the worst wildlife experiences of my life and I’m well travelled. The jeep and our guide were faultless, but the park itself is a traffic jam of diesel spewing jeeps. Queued to get in and out of the main gate. When we saw an elephant we enjoyed it in the company of the 20 other jeeps. It’s madness. You’d be better off going to Windsor Safari Park. There are so many better ways to spend a half day in nature in Sri Lanka.

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