Safari in Yala National Park – Things to know when doing a safari in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is probably the best place to do a safari outside of Africa. In total Sri Lanka is home to 22 national parks and Yala National Park is amongst the most popular safari parks in Sri Lanka. It is a must-see when visiting Sri Lanka and a one-in-a-lifetime experience.

So, are you planning a trip to Yala National Park in Sri Lanka and need to know more on how to do it, when to go, how long and where to stay? In this article you find everything you need to know about going on a wildlife safari in Sri Lanka.

General Info

Yala National Park is one of the main attractions and a must-do when visiting Sri Lanka. It was one of the two first national parks established in Sri Lanka, along with Wilpattu – Sri Lanka's biggest national park. It has opened its doors in 1938 and is particularly famous for its protection of elephants, leopards and water birds. The whole parc streteches over an area of almost 1'000 km².

Location

Yala National park is located 260km South East of Colombo which is an about 4h car drive away. The nearest city to Yala national park is Kataragama.

Opening hours

Yala National Park is open daily from 6am - 6pm. However, there is a two hour resting period between 12am and 2pm – during this time jeeps are not allowed to operate in the park in order to grant the animals some rest from visitors.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Yala National park is anywhere between February to June which is during the dry season. During that time span it's particularly easy to catch sight of animals because they come to the lagoon to drink.

How to get there

The easiest and fastest way to get to Yala National Park is by car. Basically anywhere you are staying they can organize a driver for you. Obviously, it is not the cheapest option (we paid 12'000 LKR for a 2h drive from Hiriketiya which is about 55 Euro), however it is propably the most reliable as well as fastest option. For the more adventurous souls out there that also have a bit of patience you can try to get there by public transporation. However, this can be long and tidious. Your best bet is to ask the hosts of your current accomodation for information about getting to Yala National Pak by public transport. There is a bus operating to Kataragama from Colombo. You can find more info about bus schedules here.

How to book a tour

In any case there is no way of doing Yala National park by yourself – only licensed drivers are eligible to drive in the park. You can find yourself a tourguide via common travel platforms like viator.com or getyourguide.com or by simply asking your accomodation's host to organize a driver for you which is the most convenient option.

How much does the safari cost?

To be honest, there is not really a cheap way to do a safari. But since it is a one-off experience, something that you don't do everyday, I think it's well worth the money. Also, remember that the park does a great job protecting endangered animals which makes it in itself well worth every penny.

The guide with the safari jeep costed 18'000 LKR for the whole day plus the park entrance fee for 8'000 LKR, which adds to about 75 Euro per person. Most tours will be in this price range but we were lucky to have the whole jeep to ourselves so we could always guarantee ourselves the best view of the wildlife.

What animals can you see in Yala National Park?

Yala National park is home to a variety of animals. So which animals can you expect to see on the safari? The wildlife of Yala National Park includes mammals, reptiles and birds.
The mammals residing there are water buffalos, spotted deer, wild pigs, sloth bears and leopards, just to name a few. In total there are 44 different mammals that can be found in the park.

How high are the chances of seeing a wild animal?

Depends on which one. In any case, you will definitely get to see something. The population of birds and waterbuffalos is quite big. There are over 200 different species of birds living in the national park. Also, seeing an elephant is likely, as Yala National Park is home to about 300-350 elephants. Most visitors however come to get a glimpse of a wild leopard – despite having one of the highest leopard densities in the world, the chances of seeing one is not that high. There are only a total of about 30 leopards remaining in the park.

When is the best time to spot animals?

Generally, as mentioned earlier, the best time to visit is during dry season between February and June. The animals are more likely to look for a water source and it's therefore easier to spot them. In terms of daytime the best chances are either in the morning hours or when the sun is setting again in the evening.

What to do you need bring?

• Kamera
• Sunglasses
• Sunhat
• Sunscreen
• Water (!!) – Be aware that there are no facilities inside the park other than a bathroom
• Cash (for the park entry fee)
• Book (the 2h lunchbreak can be quite long)
• Snacks (generally food is included in the tours but snacks are always a good idea)

Should you do a half-day or full-day tour in Yala National Park?

Either tour generally starts before dawn at about 5:30am so you can get to the park entry in time. The park opens at 6am and it's best to be there on time.
The half-day tour goes until approxamitely 11am whereas the full-day tour ends at 6pm when the park is closing (with a 2h rest break from 12-14pm). It's difficult to say which you should chose as obviously the chances of seeing more animals get higher the longer you stay. However, personally I would have prefereed the half-day safari since it was quite challenging for me sitting in a car for over 10h even though the landscape was stunning.

Do you need to plan an overnight stay?

Unless you want to drive a couple of hours in the middle of the night it is highly advisable to book yourself at least 1 or 2 nights close to the park. That way you can drive to your accomodation and call it an early night to make it out of bed in time the next day. I recommend staying two nights if you do the full-day safari as it can be quite tiring and having to drive back a couple of hours after spending more than 10h driving in a car isn't so advisable.

Where should you stay?

There are plenty of safari lodges nearby the park entrance. I can highly recommend Koragaha Lodge. It is very good value-for-money: We only paid approximately 80 Euros for two nights for two people and got booked into a beautiful room with our own terace and beautiful bathroom. The lodge also provided nice food for a small additional charge and the hosts were helpful in booking a tourguide for us.

General tips and things to know

-Hide your snacks: The monkeys and even the elephants are very keen on getting "a hand" of your snacks. So hide them well so that they don't steal them away from you.
-The lunch break can feel quite long in the boiling heat. Make sure that you maybe take a book with you or some other sort of occupation.
-A safari can be quite tiring: Make sure to get enough sleep the night before so you don't keep falling asleep during the jeep ride like I did.
-You need to be patient: It sometimes can take hours of driving around before spotting an animal. But don't give up your hopes too soon and pratice your own patience. Sooner than you know it, I'm sure an animal will pop up unexpectedly.
-Bring enough water: There are no facilities to buy water inside the park – if you have booked a full day tour that means you will be inside the park for over 10h – so make sure to bring enough liquids with you, as the heat can be quite daunting. Let's stay hydrated!

A safari is a great adventure that should be on everyone's bucket list. This article covered the most important things to know before heading off to your own safari adventure to make sure your safari become a success and you can increase your chances of seeing the wildlife.