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Yala Wildlife Safari Tours in Yala National Park
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
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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
(218 Ratings)
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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
Robert
Apr 6, 2024
Great day out in Yala😎Had fantastic day out in beautiful park with lakes & jungle. Great guide saw elephants & leopards - Great day out & guide.
Fantastic day out in the beautiful park with lots of animals including the elusive Leopard.😎😎😎😎😎
Review provided by Tripadvisor
661jaspers
Mar 28, 2024
Amazing safari! - We had a great safari in Yala National Park. Our driver/guide Nassanka was very friendly and eager to show us all the wild animals. We saw a lot of elephants and even an leapard in the end! Thanks for the great experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charliekav
Mar 27, 2024
Greatest Safari in Sri Lanka!!! Loved it - Seriously loved this experience. Gihan was a 10/10 tour guide. We saw so many animals including 2 leopards. Thanks so much again, the service couldn’t have been better and I am so happy
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
