Yala National Park Jeep Safari with South Coast Hotel Pickup, Mirissa

Yala National Park

Yala National Park lies in the dry south-east of Sri Lanka, where the Southern and Uva provinces meet the Indian Ocean. It was first protected as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and declared a national park in 1938, and today it is the most visited park in the country. The landscape is a mix of thorny scrub, open grassland, monsoon forest, freshwater lakes, coastal lagoons and dramatic granite outcrops that rise from the plains.

Visitors to Yala safari tours mostly explore Block 1, the section with the most wildlife and the network of jeep tracks. The park also has a deep human history, with ancient Buddhist monastery ruins hidden in the forest, and its coastline was struck by the 2004 tsunami, a memorial to which stands near the sea. Many travellers ask if Yala National Park is worth visiting from the south coast; for leopards and elephants it is the classic choice.

Leopards of Yala

Yala is famous worldwide for its leopards. The Sri Lankan leopard is a subspecies found only on the island, and with no tigers or lions to compete with, it is the top predator here, often active in daylight and relaxed in the open. Block 1 of the park is said to have one of the highest densities of leopards anywhere, which is why a Yala leopard safari draws wildlife photographers from around the world.

Leopards are often seen resting on rock outcrops, lying along branches or crossing the sandy tracks in the early morning and late afternoon. Sightings are never guaranteed, as these are wild animals, but three hours in the park gives you a good chance, and your jeep moves slowly with stops whenever something appears. Patience and quiet improve your chances, and binoculars or a camera with a zoom lens make the moment even better.

Elephants, sloth bears and other mammals

Herds of wild Asian elephants roam Yala, often gathering near the lakes and waterholes, and it is common to see family groups with young calves crossing the tracks or feeding in the scrub. The park is also one of the best places in Sri Lanka to look for the shy sloth bear, which is easiest to spot when the palu trees are in fruit in the middle of the year.

Other mammals you may meet include water buffalo cooling off in the shallows, herds of spotted deer, sambar deer, wild boar, golden jackals, mongooses, hares and grey langur monkeys in the trees. Each safari is different, and the variety is part of the excitement. Your jeep keeps a respectful distance from the animals, and you stay inside the vehicle at all times, in line with the park rules.

Lagoons, crocodiles and birds

Water shapes life in Yala. Its lakes, tanks and coastal lagoons attract mugger crocodiles basking on the banks, and on the coast the larger saltwater crocodile is also found. Around the water you will see painted storks, egrets, herons, spoonbills and pelicans, while peafowl strut across the grassland and the Sri Lanka junglefowl, the national bird, scratches at the forest edge.

Yala is also an important reserve for butterflies, with about fifty species, and for many birds that migrate here in the northern winter. For bird lovers the lagoons are among the highlights of the safari, especially in the softer light of morning or late afternoon. Bring binoculars if you have them; even without them the open landscapes make it easy to see the birds feeding and flying over the water.

From Mirissa and the south coast to Yala

The trip starts with pickup at your hotel along the south coast: Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Thalpe, Habaraduwa, Ahangama, Koggala, Weligama, Mirissa, Matara, Thalalla, Hiriketiya, Tangalle, Hambantota and nearby suburbs. From Mirissa the drive to the park takes around two and a half to three hours, mostly on the expressway, with highway tolls included. The air-conditioned vehicle makes the journey comfortable, and you can rest on the way.

For the morning safari, pickup is at about 03:00 so that you reach the park as it opens and see the animals at their most active; for the afternoon safari, pickup is around 11:30 or 12:00 and the safari runs into the golden late-afternoon light. The whole day takes about nine hours. The park usually closes for some weeks in the dry season around September and October.