Yala National Park: Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Gem

It has one of the highest leopard densities in the world. It is one of the 70 important bird areas in Sri Lanka. It harbours 215 bird species including 6 endemic species of Sri Lanka. It is a treasure trove when it comes to an overall wildlife experience. I am talking about Yala National Park, Sri Lanka’s second largest national park that borders the Indian Ocean to the south of the country.



Home to many ancient civilizations, Yala and its surrounding forest has existed for over a million years and this legacy can be seen in its rich flora and fauna. Exotic wildlife such as the land monitor lizard, Sri Lankan elephant. Sri Lankan sloth bear, Golden palm civet, Sri Lankan leopard, Red slender loris, Fishing cat, mugger crocodile, Sri Lankan grey hornbill, Sri Lanka junglefowl, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, Crimson fronted barbet, black-capped bulbul, blue-tailed bee eater, brown-capped babbler, Sri lankan flying snake, Wiegmann’s agama, Bahir’s fan throated lizard, common mormon butterfly and many others can be found here.



A wildlife safari in Yala National park gives you a sneak peek into its many diverse riches that could be anything from a dancing peacock, sunbathing crocodile, strutting leopard, social langurs, colorful butterflies, bright birds to its majestic elephant herds. The longer you stay inside this forest, the richer your wildlife experience becomes. And this experience is different and unique at different times of the day. And that’s what makes this place so special.



Yala was once part of King Ravana’s kingdom and it was an important location on the sea-faring route of Sri Lanka. Today, it is a safe haven for Sri Lankan wildlife and is a paradise for all kinds of nature and wildlife enthusiasts. I have been to Yala National park on 3 separate trips and have absolutely enjoyed each stay thoroughly. I personally feel that the true colours of Yala can be experienced during the rains when the denizens of the forest are celebrating the abundance in the nature around them.



Whatever season you choose to visit Yala in, it is bound to blow your mind with its diversity and depth of animal and bird sightings. If you are going to Sri Lanka on a holiday and if you happen to enjoy wildlife holidays, then Yala National Park has to be an important part of your Sri Lankan holiday itinerary. It is Sri Lanka’s wildlife gem and I absolutely love the place.



Things to keep in mind while visiting Yala National Park

1) Days can be usually warm and humid. Do ensure to carry your sun protection hear and water.

2) Do remember to stay quiet to get the best wildlife experience.

3) Do carry mosquito repellents to combat the mosquitoes that might pay you a visit during the evening and night.

4) Do not get outside your safari vehicle unless and until your forest guide tells you to.

5) Carry beach wear when visiting Yala National Park so that you can enjoy its beaches at its southern extremes.



Best season to visit:

Yala national park is open all through the year. If rich wildlife sighting is on your mind, the dry summer months from Feb to May would be fabulous. If you like lush nature and rainfall drama, visit during the monsoons. For a relaxed and pleasant time, visit during the winter months.



How to reach here:

The closest international airport to Yala National Park is the Mattala Rajapaksa international airport near Hambantota, but due to extremely low number of flights, it has been dubbed as the world’s emptiest international airport. If you find a flight operating to this airport, Yala National Park is just an hour or so away.



The other more popular option is to fly into Colombo international airport and do a road trip to Yala National Park. While one route is the coastal route (Colombo –> Galle –> Unawatuna – Tangalle –> Hambantota –> Yala), the other is the mountain highlands route (Colombo –> Kithulgula –> Nuwara Eliya –> Ella –> Buttala –> Yala). Both routes are about 700 kms long and should take you about 12 to 14 hours.



Where to stay:

If you don’t mind shelling out a bit of moolah, stay at the beautiful beach side properties inside Yala National Park.

For a unique experience, stay inside tree houses in the periphery of Yala National Park.



For budget, yet luxury accommodation, opt to stay in and around Thissamaharama lake.



Nearby Tourist Attractions:

1) Thissamaharama Lake, a great destination for birding and relaxation

2) The beautiful beach destination of Arugam Bay



3) Horton plains National Park for grasslands, mountains and waterfalls

4) The beach destination of Tangalle

5) Rawana Ella waterfalls, one of the tallest waterfalls of Sri Lanka



6) The mountains and tea estates of Nuwara Eliya

7) Sinharaja rainforest for a rare rainforest nature experience

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Travel Photo of the Day: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

One of the true wildlife gems of Sri Lanka, the Yala National Park located in its South Eastern corner is known for its leopard, peacock and land monitor lizard sightings. It is equally a rewarding experience for birdwatchers. This photo is of a little green bee eater that is quite a popular bird in this national park. Don’t you love its rich colors.

Note: Click on the photo to share it or to download a higher resolution as your desktop wallpaper.

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Bird Photography: Indian Pitta from Yala National Park

The ‘Indian Pitta’ is one of the more prettier and colourful small birds to be found in the Indian Subcontinent. This was the first time I laid my eyes on this beautiful bird and it was quite a sighting.

 
The sighting was not long in terms of time, but was quite eventful as I saw this small bird in two different forms. One, in the normal self and size and the second when it drew in air to get all fluffed up and bloated. It was quite an experience to see these forms of the same bird in less than 2 minutes. Both looked equally pretty though.

 
I saw this bird in some dense forest undergrowth at the Yala National Park in South Eastern Sri Lanka. This passerine bird, breeds in the Himalayas and migrates to South Peninsular India and Sri Lanka in the winters.

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Wildlife Photography: Mother and Young - Sri Lankan Grey Langur

Wildlife photography is tough, but pays great dividends with fantastic wild moments. But, there are some moments that are priceless, like this one, where a young Sri Lankan Grey Langur is clinging on to its mother for safety and out of fear.

 
I saw these motions unravel in front of me during my safari in Yala National Park. Yala National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the south east coast of Sri Lanka.

 
It was an interesting passage of five minutes while I was watching the mother and the young watch us with rapt attention. Initially, the young one was scared and held onto its mother tightly, but once she realized that its mother is not worried, it went back to its normal suckling activity. At this point, you can see that both mother and the baby are visibly relaxed.

 
And luckily for me, all these events took place in decent light, at not so far distance and for a good time duration to help me understand the parental behaviour of the Grey Langurs. These variables also helped in getting some good photographs.

 
Such priceless moments: the inquisitive eyes of the young, it suckling on its mother are generally hard to get and one has to have lady luck on their side to capture such moments. I guess those were my lucky moments. These lucky moments are what primes me up as a wildlife photographer!!

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Ajith Safari Jeep Tours: Beware of this Wildlife Tour Operator

Ajith Safari Jeep Tours is a travel agency focusing on arranging wildlife and camping tours around Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. This travel agency is run by Ajith Priyantha and can be seen on the website www.yalasafari.lk. Recently, me and my friends had a bitter experience with this agency while planning our wildlife tour inside Yala and we were put through a whole bunch of hassle and it was only with a lot of trouble that we managed to make things work for us.

The Ajith Safari Jeep Tours have decent jeeps and drivers, but they don’t have knowledgeable guides and most of his employees will break all jungle rules to make a quick buck. But, this is not the primary reason for my unhappiness. The owner of this travel agency is not a man of his words. He will promise you something and deliver you something else. That is precisely what happened with us and which left us totally stunned. Also, he charges quite a premium for his services. Be sure to bargain real hard if you go on a wildlife tour with him. In some cases, he has kept more than 100% profit margins, while the other agents keep 20-25%.

If you do end up going on a wildlife tour with this agency, do get all your plan completely chalked out and to the last detail lest you end up in a soup with basic facilities and a bad tour. To help fellow travellers get more details on this unethical travel agent, I have provided all the contact details below:

Name: Ajith Priyantha
Travel Agency Name: Ajith Safari Jeep Tours
Website: www.yalasafari.lk
Email: ajithpriyantha@yahoo.com
Office Phone: +94 47 2237557
Address: No. 418/A, Debarawewa, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka

Personally, I would not recommend this tour operator to anyone. Such was my experience!

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