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Yala Safari: Explore Diverse Wildlife and Scenic Beauty
Embark on an unforgettable private safari in Yala National Park and discover a world of incredible wildlife, from leopards and elephants to endemic bird species.
Duration:
1 day
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Palatupana - YALA (යාල) National Park is the most visited and second-largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. Including the Sri Lankan Elephant, 44 species of mammals reside in Yala National Park, which boasts one of the highest leopard densities in the world. Many individual leopards are estimated to roam in Block I. The elephant herd in Yala consists of 100–150 individuals. The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear, Leopard, Elephant, and Wild Water Buffalo are all threatened mammals that Yala harbors. Although water buffaloes are indigenous to Sri Lanka, most populations contain genes of domestic stock or have descended from feral populations. The elephant population in the park varies seasonally. Early morning (first 2 hours) and late afternoon (last 2 hours) are the golden hours for spotting leopards.
Leopards and bears are rare animals. We recommend full-day and half-day (7 hours) safari tours to see leopards.
Morning safari tours and evening safari tours are also good for seeing all kinds of animals, depending on the day’s sightings. Please understand this is wildlife!
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off around Yala area
- Bottled water provided
- Professional Safari Driver & tracker
- Includes Luxury Safari Jeep Fees for cost-effective tours
What's Not Included
- Not Include Entrance Fees
- Not Include Entrance Fees. You have to buy entrance tickets yourself.
Additional Information
Yala is home to 215 varieties of birds, including six species unique to Sri Lanka. The park boasts a record of 44 mammalian species and ranks amongst places with the highest concentration of leopards worldwide. Visitors have the chance to witness a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat such as Leopards, Sloth Bears, Elephants, Spotted Deers, Crocodiles, Wild Boars, Wild Buffalos, Sambur Deers and many more magnificent creatures and natural wonders. The park is also scattered with numerous beautiful spots worth exploring.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(219 Ratings)
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Mark_s
Sep 12, 2024
Great day - Highly recommend!! - What an amazing day! We were picked up at 5 AM at our hotel by Udayanga, and taken to the entrance of the park. We waited until the park opened at 6, and went right in. We immediately came across a young elephant right by the side of the road! Through the rest of the morning, Udayanga took us around to a bunch of his “hot spots”, and we came across multiple families of elephants, wild boars, water buffalos, etc. For lunch, he grabbed a table for us and laid out a nice spread of rice, curry, chicken, green beans, and fresh cut watermelon. After lunch, he was on a mission to find a leopard, but despite his efforts, we were not successful. He felt extremely bad that he wasn’t able to find one, and apologized multiple times (obviously not his fault!). He brought us back to the hotel by ~6:30. What a great day!
Review provided by Viator
410ranjithd
Aug 29, 2024
Yala Safari Adventure with Island Lanka Green Travelers. - The Island Lanka Green Travelers presents a golden opportunity to relish in this thrilling experience, for Yala National Park is one of the most iconic sanctuaries for wildlife in Sri Lanka. The Yala Safari with us promises an unparalleled chance to ascertain the rich biodiversity of this beautiful park, nestled at leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and an array of many species of birds. Your game drive will be thrilling yet informative, with expert guides well-versed in the ecosystems and wildlife found in the park.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharonlp5708ge
Aug 26, 2024
Fantastic experience! This is not to be missed. - Make sure phone and camera are fully charged. Be patient as you will see the most incredible views and animals. Bring wipes and antibacterial gel. Trust your guide- Su was experienced, knowledgeable and knew exactly where the animals would be and how best to see them in a respectful way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Winstonalfred228
Jun 24, 2024
WORTH THE MONEY AND WONDERFUL GUIDE - At the beginning of June, we did 2.5 days of safari and we had Uday as our guide. Unfortunately we didn't find any leopards even though Uday drove non stop and tried his best to find one, because we came in June and there was heavy rain right before our 3 days safari. When it rains, the leopards doesn't get very good sleep so when it's not raining they all hide and sleep somewhere. This is not our first safari, we are from Hong Kong and been to Africa, India safari , we have seen leopards in Africa. We understand that how hard is it to find leopard as they are mostly very shy. However, what I want to say is we are very grateful to have Uday because he did his absolute best and leave early and stay till the last minute, driving non stop and looking the whole 3 days, it is hard work and we feel that even if we didn't see any leopard, we really appreciate having Uday. He is hard working and passionate about his job, prepared us fantastic lunch and really looked after us, I highly recommend him to anyone who comes to Yala. We didn't regret a bit because it was still a wonderful memory and experience. Thank you Uday!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hannah_c
May 23, 2024
Incredible wildlife experience - Absolutely amazing experience with our guide Udayanga. We saw a really wide range of wildlife, including a large leopard, many elephants (and some with tusks), deer, water buffalo and lots of bird life. Udayanga was very knowledgeable and had a knack for getting us in the right place at the right time. We were the 5th car into the park that morning and I expect the car with the best viewing spots all morning. A must do on your visit to Sri Lanka’s south!
Review provided by Viator
Wander402359
Apr 24, 2024
Leopard safari - Easy to organise on WhatsApp the day before.
Arrived at hotel on time so we were one of the first in the park.
Udayanga was a great guide, knew where to go and be one of the first there to get the best view.
Lunch was decent as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dean
Apr 13, 2024
Definitely recommend - Thoroughly enjoyed our Yala Safari day with Sudu, much more than a normal tour, he made sure that we would be happy with the day and making sure that primarily the animals were happy. Always open to be asked questions about the safari.
Would definitely recommend to anyone thinking of a Yala Safari Day
Review provided by Tripadvisor
737harrietr
Apr 11, 2024
Far exceeded our expectations - We initially heard mixed opinions on Yala safari but so glad we chose to do it! We had the jeep to ourselves and our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. I could tell he was motivated on getting us there as early as possible with the highest chance of seeing wildlife. We got to see all sorts of wildlife - elephants, native birds, hogs, crocodiles, and even a leopard! We opted for a half day tour which we found was ample time. We definitely recommended this tour guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Victorialu5995tz
Apr 10, 2024
Great Safari in Yala - Great Safari, we saw elephants, leopards, crocodiles and lots of other animals. Out guide was patient, knowledgeable and very good with the kids. The highlight was that he filmed the leopards on his very good camera and we could have that video. So appreciated and special!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brigdie
Jul 13, 2024
Scramble of jeeps for looking at three elephants - We went to the park with about 30 other jeeps. Then all the jeeps stood around three elephants and each driver tried to push himself a bit further. We haven't seen leopards and bears at all. Otherwise crocodiles, wild boars, red deer, the impressive birdlife!!!
It would be nicer if you could explore the park on foot.
Nature is really impressive, the setting unsatisfactory.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
