The most visited National Park in Sri Lanka offers dense jungles, lakes, lagoons, grasslands, riverine and coastal areas. Although made world famous for its leopards, Yala’s wide spectrum of habitats makes it hospitable to a range of flora and fauna.
Situated on the south-west coast, Yala was once a hunting reserve during early days of British rule, but was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and a national park in 1938. Covering nearly 130,000 hectares of a mix of forest, scrub jungle, grassland, tanks and lagoons, Yala is divided into five blocks.
Yala’s Block I is estimated to host about 17 leopards for every 100 km2 in comparison to 8 per 100km2 in Wilpattu. In addition to its famous leopards, Yala is home to 44 varieties of mammals. While leopards seem to be doing well at Yala despite the high number of visitors and resulting disturbances, the number of elephants a visitor sees in Yala now has come down compared to the numbers seen prior to 1999.
Commonly seen animals are the Elephant, Spotted deer, Sambar, Barking Deer, Monkey, Wild Buffalo, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Monitor Lizards and Crocodiles. Yala is also rich in endemic and migratory birds, recording more than 200 species.
Amongst the abundant wildlife are tell-tale signs of a lost civilization, the kingdom of Rahuna. The monastic settlement of Sithulpawwa, an important pilgrim site, is said to have housed 12,000 inhabitants 2000 years ago. Some well-preserved ancient temples survive. Hundreds of dilapidated tanks testify to previous agricultural use of these lands, and now provide much needed water to the animals during the dry season. The salt pans at Palatupana are a great place for bird watching.
Yala is situated in the Dry zone, usually receiving all its rain during the North East monsoon, with the months preceding the monsoon being the driest (September-October) and all the green vegetation turns brown. The best time to visit Yala is on the other side of the North East monsoon, between February and July when the water levels of the park are gradually receding, bringing animals into the open.
Block I’s high leopard density is the main reason for it becoming the tourism industry’s darling. Unfortunately, severe over-tourism has impacted the quality of experience for the discerning wildlife watcher. The steady decline in terms of overall experience due to overcrowding and reckless driving has resulted in the harassment of animals within their natural habitat. Recently, Yala authorities have begun taking corrective measures.
Yala’s other blocks contain healthy populations of wildlife and offer better safari experiences.
Safaris come in morning or afternoon options but for wildlife lovers, the best option is the longer full day safari which includes lunch served at a designated spot. During the designated lunch time, all vehicles congregate at the spot, and you get to stretch your legs on the beach. This saves time wasted going back and forth from the park gates on the bumpy roads, and allows you to maximize your stay in the core area
A majestic tusker blocked the path of our safari vehicle, and there being no easy way to reverse on the narrow winding track, we waited silently for the elephant to move off the path.
However, we were on a sticky wicket when after posing gracefully for our cameras for a while, the towering tusker decided to calmly walk straight towards us.
Our experienced guide and driver didn’t panic and advised us to remain silent.
In what seemed an age, and yet was only a few seconds, the tusker walked past us within brushing distance without as much batting an eyelid as we watched with bated breaths and open mouths.
Apart from the tense excitement, I can still vividly remember his perfectly silent walk and the strong elephant odour.
An enthralling moment that encapsulated the best of wildlife encounters. Wild animals don’t necessarily behave aggressively unless threatened or spooked. Our excellent crew had given the elephant ample time to evaluate our intentions, and in turn, had judged his body language perfectly, leading to an encounter of a lifetime, rather than an encounter to end a lifetime.
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Opulent: Exceptional, unashamedly the best of sheer luxury. (£££££)
Luxury: Outstanding levels of 5* comfort, hospitality and facilities. (££££)
Premium: Excellent levels of comfort and hospitality and a wide range of facilities. (£££)
Mid-Range: Good levels of comfort and hospitality, with a reasonable range of facilities. (££)
Simple: Clean and simple, no frills. Often in areas of natural beauty or near wildlife reserves. (£)
