Sri Lanka's most famous wildlife park, renowned for one of the world's highest leopard densities alongside elephants, sloth bears and abundant birdlife.

Overview

Yala is Sri Lanka's premier safari destination, a vast mosaic of scrub jungle, brackish lagoons, rocky outcrops and coastline in the arid south-east. Block 1, entered at the Palatupana gate near Tissamaharama, is celebrated for its leopards, which are seen more reliably here than almost anywhere on earth, along with Asian elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, spotted deer and hundreds of bird species. Morning and afternoon jeep safaris depart from the gate, and the park's ancient rock temple of Sithulpawwa lies within its boundaries.

History

The Yala area was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and became one of Sri Lanka's first two national parks in 1938. Long before, it lay within the ancient Kingdom of Ruhuna, and ruined stupas and monastic sites such as Sithulpawwa scattered through the jungle attest to a once-thriving civilisation. The park was closed and its wildlife monitored after the 2004 tsunami, which struck its coastline, before reopening to visitors.