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Yala Safari: Explore Sri Lanka's Wildlife
Embark on an unforgettable private safari in Yala National Park and discover a world of incredible wildlife, from leopards and elephants to endemic bird species.
Embark on an unforgettable private safari in Yala National Park and discover a world of incredible wildlife, from leopards and elephants to endemic bird species.
Duration:
1 day
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Palatupana - YALA (යාල) National Park is the most visited and second-largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. Including the Sri Lankan Elephant, 44 species of mammals reside in Yala National Park, which boasts one of the highest leopard densities in the world. Many individual leopards are estimated to roam in Block I. The…
- Palatupana - YALA (යාල) National Park is the most visited and second-largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. Including the Sri Lankan Elephant, 44 species of mammals reside in Yala National Park, which boasts one of the highest leopard densities in the world. Many individual leopards are estimated to roam in Block I. The elephant herd in Yala consists of 100–150 individuals. The Sri Lankan Sloth Bear, Leopard, Elephant, and Wild Water Buffalo are all threatened mammals that Yala harbors. Although water buffaloes are indigenous to Sri Lanka, most populations contain genes of domestic stock or have descended from feral populations. The elephant population in the park varies seasonally. Early morning (first 2 hours) and late afternoon (last 2 hours) are the golden hours for spotting leopards.
Leopards and bears are rare animals. We recommend full-day and half-day (7 hours) safari tours to see leopards.
Morning safari tours and evening safari tours are also good for seeing all kinds of animals, depending on the day’s sightings. Please understand this is wildlife!
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off around Yala area
- Bottled water provided
- Professional Safari Driver & tracker
- Includes Luxury Safari Jeep Fees for cost-effective tours
- Private transportation
- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off around Yala area
- Bottled water provided
- Professional Safari Driver & tracker
- Includes Luxury Safari Jeep Fees for cost-effective tours
What's Not Included
- Not Include Entrance Fees
- Not Include Entrance Fees. You have to buy entrance tickets yourself.
- Not Include Entrance Fees
- Not Include Entrance Fees. You have to buy entrance tickets yourself.
Additional Information
Yala is home to 215 varieties of birds, including six species unique to Sri Lanka. The park boasts a record of 44 mammalian species and ranks amongst places with the highest concentration of leopards worldwide. Visitors have the chance to witness a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat such as Leopards, Sloth Bears, Elephants, Spotted Deers,…
Yala is home to 215 varieties of birds, including six species unique to Sri Lanka. The park boasts a record of 44 mammalian species and ranks amongst places with the highest concentration of leopards worldwide. Visitors have the chance to witness a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat such as Leopards, Sloth Bears, Elephants, Spotted Deers, Crocodiles, Wild Boars, Wild Buffalos, Sambur Deers and many more magnificent creatures and natural wonders. The park is also scattered with numerous beautiful spots worth exploring.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(246 Ratings)
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Kenneth_g
Apr 24, 2025
Incredible up close encounter with a leopard! - Such an amazing experience! We had a leopard come right up to our jeep and lay down right in front of us. I didn't expect to get up so close. Truely amazing. We also saw a sloth bear, an elephant, buffalo, deer, mongoose, dung beetle, and a huge amount of different birds.
Review provided by Viator
Holly
Apr 21, 2025
Leopard and elephant spotted! - Amazing experience and hospo from our driver. We were forunate enough to see 2 leopards today!! Plus soo many other beautiful animals! We surely had luck on our side as we couldnr believe how many animals we spotted! We didnt have too higher hopes being able to see a leopard at all, however as we left we were able to drive along side a leopard and got really awesome pics/vids.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Escape17690135730
Feb 28, 2025
Best Safari in Sri Lanka - Amazing experience. Our driver, Amila, is a fantastic guide, he managed to show us everything! We have seen the majestic leopard, the cutest mums and kids couple: elephants, monkeys, sambars, spotted bears. Then the scary crocodile swimming and lying, birds of any kind, eagles, the Sri Lankan bird, the water buffaloes so beautiful! Amila knows everything about the animals you see and makes your safari a unique and unforgettable one. Thank you so much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen
Feb 21, 2025
Everything we hoped for with Yala leopardeye safari. - Today we had an amazing safari in yala with Udayanga our personal guide for a half day animal spotting safari. Udayanga knows every part of the park and makes every effort to show us all of the wild animals of Yala.
As the sun was rising we headed straight to where the leopard are found and straight up had our first sighting
We moved on so others behind might get a chance to see also , all the guids are in communication and do there best to give everyone a chance to see these elusive cats .
We soon spotted a big bull elephant coming toward us on the track , mother and baby elephant, mongoose, buffalo, jackal, monitors, crocodile, spotted deer, many bird species all known to our wonderful guide .
A call came in ,another leopard had been spotted and we found her laying low in the bush . Then on our way home towards the gate a great surprise to see a leopard in full view by the track. Everything we could have hoped for. A great day with Yala Leopard Eye Safari.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveling2jos
Feb 14, 2025
Wonderful safari! - We were 3 friends traveling through Sri Lanka. We did the 4 hour afternoon tour with Udayanga of Yala Leopard Eye Safari. Super fantastic guide with so much energy and positive vibes! We had an amazing time and really appreciated the enthusiasm he brought to the safari. We would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alessia_l
Feb 7, 2025
The best Safari company - Unforgettable experience.
We saw so many animals and our guide was the best, he made sure we were first at the entrance and that we had enough time with every animal we encountered.
He provided us with a delicious lunch and we had plenty of snacks and cool water during the whole safari.
Thank you so much for the amazing experience!
Review provided by Viator
Marie
Jan 26, 2025
Yala national park Sri Lanka - We arranged this trip with Zeus holiday excursions, our driver Kumara and guide Himalsha, ensured that we were comfortable, had plenty of water and took us to a nice restaurant before we went on the safari. The safari was amazing we saw elephants, deer, water buffalo, peacocks various birds and amazingly 2 leopards. Although it was a long day we had a great time. We would highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel
Jan 17, 2025
Amazing sunrise Safari - We did the early morning safari to Yala National park with Udayanga and it was the highlight of our trip! We were third in line to get into the park which meant we had the best chance of seeing the animals! Udayanga was amazing at spotting all types of birds,reptiles and mammals, we even got to see two leopards!! He was a very safe driver who had a lot of knowledge about the park and the animals, he even let us borrow his binoculars to see things clearer- amazing experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adrien
Apr 4, 2025
Can do better - Despite a very nice driver. The service remains to be developed.
Offering a bottle of water and providing a pair of binoculars would not be luxury. In addition, the big noisy diesel is really not suitable for the excursion.
Otherwise the site is beautiful. But we have an extension of two hours our excursion, which was not fruitful, because two tourists put pressure on the tour operator for extended because she had not seen enough animals. Unfortunately for her we pay a service not animals, for that we have zoos...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zack
Jan 21, 2025
Go to udawalawe instead of this awful scam - Can’t say on here what these people are but if you want to know I’ll see you next Tuesday. no other way to put it, had the opportunity of a lifetime to see a wild leopard, got stuck in a queue of at least 20 cars over half of which had already seen the leopard but were too selfish to move on. If people had the respect to let other people see this place would be mediocre at best.
Udawalawe national park was incredible in comparison, there were elephants in plentiful numbers, water buffalo, crocodiles, monitors and much more in much larger quantities than what was at yala. The trip to yala itself wasn’t enjoyable as we rarely saw anything and the queueing for a leopard was the bitter cherry ontop, do yourself a favour, skip this and go to udawalawe instead.
I physically cannot put in writing how many door knobs were there. The park was busy with people and empty from animals, if you like prick spotting, this is the place for you if not I’d give this one a skip and while you’re at it write a bad review to save people from this scam of a park.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
