During our Seven-day journey through Sri Lanka, we included two safari trips to Yala National Park—one in the evening and another the following morning. Yala is one of Sri Lanka’s best-known wildlife destinations and is particularly famous for its leopard sightings.

Our Safari Experience

We arranged our Jeep safaris through our cab rental company, Less Taxi Sri Lanka, which had also provided our transportation throughout the trip.

Each safari lasted approximately four hours. During our two trips, we were able to see elephants, deer, buffaloes and several species of birds. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to spot a leopard, despite Yala being well known for leopard sightings.

One aspect of the experience that we did not expect was the large number of jeeps operated by private safari companies inside the park. At times, the number of vehicles seemed excessive for a wildlife area and took away somewhat from the feeling of being in a natural environment.

Safari Break

During the safari, we stopped at a busy rest area, which had restrooms and several cafés. There was also a beach nearby. The facility was useful for taking a break, although it was quite crowded, with many safari jeeps stopping at the same time.

Our Overall Impression

Yala gave us an opportunity to experience a very different side of Sri Lanka from the Ramayana sites, temples and historic attractions we visited during the rest of our journey.

Overall, Yala was an interesting part of our Sri Lanka journey.

Other Posts from Our Sri Lanka Journey
Our Sri Lanka journey also took us along the Ramayana Trail and to several fascinating heritage and cultural attractions. We have covered these experiences in separate posts: [Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail – Following the Footsteps of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita & Hanuman] and [Sri Lanka Heritage Sites – Our Journey Through History and Culture].