Yala National Park Safari Guide, Sri Lanka

Yala National Park is the second-largest and most visited park in Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka. A must-visit for anyone looking to experience Asian Wildlife up close. Known for its high leopard density, elephant herds, crocodiles, birdlife, and beautiful landscapes. This Yala National Park Travel Guide will help you plan the perfect visit. Below you’ll find the best safari tips, where and when to see wildlife, and essential travel advice. Here is everything you need to make the most of your Yala adventure.

I’ve already done two safaris in Senegal and Kenya where I spotted the big 5 altogether. I was excited to do another safari and I was hoping to see another leopard if possible. But first things first. 👇

Decide which park to visit

First of all, you need to decide which park you’ll want to visit. We booked a road trip around Sri Lanka with our tour guide, which included Yala and Kaudulla National Park.

• Yala National Park: the most popular and largest park of Sri Lanka. It has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.
• Udawalawe: smaller than Yala, but you can get very up close to the animals (so I’ve heard).
• Kaudulla National Park: perfect to spot herds of Elephants.
• Gal Oya & Kumanaare: small parks but fewer jeeps and tourists.
• Minneriya National Park: perfect to spot Elephants.

Read my Kaudulla National Park Safari Guide below!
» Kaudulla National Park Safari Guide | Sri Lanka«

What wildlife can be spotted in Yala National Park?

As I already said above, we chose Yala National Park. This park is located in the south-east of Sri Lanka and has a lot of wildlife to show. Most people choose Yala to see the Leopard but to also see different kinds of animals (Kaudulla National Park only has Elephants, Cows and few leopards for example). In Yala, you can spot monkeys, elephants, leopards, boars, sloth bears, water buffalo, crocodiles, and birds.

Driver & Guide

You can easily arrange a safari tour at your hotel or just on the street (don’t pay in advance to make sure they’ll come to get you) in Tissamahara. You can’t drive your own car into Yala, you’re obligated to go with a licensed driver and guide.

Entrance fee: $40 per person (fees for driver and guide not included) + LKR 3700 pp for the entrance of the park.

Driver Tip: Due to many tourists, there is a queue for the jeeps. Ask your driver to take a different route to avoid encountering other jeeps. We were lucky and were quite alone in the Park due to the offseason.

Get up early or sleep in

The best safaris are the ones in the early morning or late afternoon. That’s when the animals are most active. Around noon, all animals will take shelter to keep cool. We visited Yala in the late evening: 3PM-6PM (at 6 PM the park closes).

Safari Tip: The best time to visit Yala is between February and June. This period gives you a higher chance of spotting wildlife.

Bring along…

When on a safari, bring along a bottle of water, a pair of binoculars, your camera & smartphone, toilet paper (just in case), a sweater, and wear sunscreen & sunglasses. Wear jungle colours to fit in and to not disturb wildlife (this means green, beige & brown). Do not wear strong scents, as they may attract the animals into your jeep (yes, also the dangerous leopard). Don’t shout, only whispers allowed.

Remember: you’re observing wildlife, not disturbing it.

Let’s go on a safari!

We went into the park, and we were there by ourselves! Sometimes we saw a jeep, but that’s it. During the safari, I had a flashback to the safari I did in Kenya and Senegal. It felt the same: the road, the flora, and the jeep. It made me miss Africa a bit! I quickly got back to reality because we spotted our first animal!

1) Buffalo

We first saw some buffalo bathing in the water. Whenever we stopped to spot an animal, the animal always turned its head towards us and gave us a look like “What are you looking at?”. At the end of our trip, we saw a herd of buffalo bathing in the mud/water.

2) Birds

There are around 200 species of birds in Yala National Park. We saw the Malabar pied hornbill (Sri Lankan Toucan), the Sri Lankan junglefowl (the rooster, National Bird of Sri Lanka), and many more!

3) Boars and pigs

We saw a lot of wild boars around the water holes, and in the end, we also saw a normal pig in the mud.

4) Monkeys

You don’t have to go to a national park to see some monkeys, because they’re everywhere in Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, we saw monkeys in Yala National Park.

5) Deer

Yala National Park has a lot of deer in the park. They were just so cute! You can also see them in Trincomalee, just walking around town!

6) Elephants

Our guide said that we were lucky to spot the elephants in Yala because the herd is not that big. People go to Kaudulla or Minneriya National Park to see elephants. Nonetheless, we were lucky enough to see elephants in Yala!

7) Crocodiles

We’ve seen quite a few crocodiles in Yala, but after a while, we spotted a crocodile crossing the road and another one eating a young buffalo. Our guide told us the leopard probably caught the buffalo, went to sleep, and that the crocodile is taking advantage of this. I immediately searched the trees for a leopard but couldn’t see one. (Hint: to be continued!)

8) Leopard

After driving for 40 minutes, our guide told us they spotted the Sri Lankan Slothbear, but that the bear was too far away (we wouldn’t be out of the park before closing time) and decided to keep searching for the leopard. Our patience was rewarded! We saw a queue of 8 jeeps, all passengers looking to their left. Our guide took a pair of binoculars and told us the leopard was in the tree. You couldn’t see it with the naked eye, but with a binocular or zoom lens, you could see his paw hanging down the branch. Can you see him? 👇

Movement!

Then suddenly the leopard jumped out of the tree and started walking. Our ranger knew where the leopard was heading and parked his jeep further away. We didn’t understand this at first because we couldn’t see the leopard from where we were parked, but then our guide pointed towards something: the young buffalo we had seen earlier. Our ranger knew that the leopard was going to his kill and parked his jeep right in front of it so that we could have the best view. And indeed, the leopard came out and feasted on his kill. Our luck wasn’t over yet, because after a while we spotted a second leopard! It was a female leopard, pregnant with a male leopard. She waited patiently behind a tree. When the male leopard was finished, he went over to the female to let her know she could eat now. We were just in awe! So lucky to see such beautiful animals in their habitat!

This safari was so wonderful and adventurous! We were so lucky to see all of the above animals. We returned to our hotel with big smiles on our faces.

What should I pack for Sri Lanka?

Light, breathable clothing is best due to the tropical climate. When visiting temples, shoulders and knees should be covered. Make sure to bring these top 5 items on your trip to Sri Lanka:

• Snorkel set: for seeing all the fish and coral in the sea
• Camera: to take amazing photos of your trip!
• Sunscreen: don’t get sunburned when visiting Egyptian temples!
• Microfiber towel: compact towel to take everywhere with you & that dries quickly!
• Sturdy Hiking shoes: to make amazing hikes

Use my ultimate packing list to have everything in your luggage for your trip

Life of a Passion