Safari in Yala National Park

Safari in Yala National Park

Yala National Park is the most famous nature reserve on the island of Sri Lanka. The reserve is located 300 km from the de facto capital of Colombo, in an arid region in the southeast in the province of Uva. The nearest major city is the administrative center of Hambantota. The park received the status of a nature reserve in 1900. The national park includes 5 main blocks. The area of ​​the park is 979 square meters. km. Initially, in 1938, the area of ​​block No. 1 was only 14,101 hectares. In 1954, Quarter No. 2 with an area of ​​9.931 hectares was added, and in 1967 another 40.775 hectares were added. In 1969, plot No. 4 was 26,418 hectares, and the last plot No. 5 in 1975 added another 6,656 hectares. The main attraction is the leopards that live there, which can be seen during a jeep safari. The park is also home to elephants, buffalos, deer, wild boars, bears, monkeys, peacocks, many varieties of birds and reptiles, etc. Due to the presence of wild animals in the park, visiting the park on foot is not possible. Our chance of seeing a leopard is more than 80%, because you will be accompanied on your safari by an experienced zoologist. We will conduct the safari with minimal disturbance to the animals, planning the trip through the national park based on the previous day's statistics and past animal sightings. The following is prohibited in the park: visiting the park alone without a guide is unsafe for tourists; visiting the park on foot without a jeep is also unsafe for tourists; feeding animals is not only unsafe for tourists, but also disrupts the order of the animals’ natural habitat; Eating food outside designated areas is unsafe for tourists because... strong odors can attract wild animals living in the park; smoking and littering are not environmentally friendly; use a mobile phone with the sound turned on – when a group of tourists is watching a wild animal, the sound of a mobile phone can startle or frighten them, which can pose a threat to the safety of other tourists; Take photos with flash – a bright flash of light can startle or frighten forest dwellers, which in turn can also pose a threat to the safety of tourists. This tour starts early in the morning to arrive at the park before it gets too hot and the crowds of tourists arrive. We leave in comfortable transport, and before entering the park we transfer to an SUV prepared specifically for safari. The trip lasts about four hours, then we have lunch at a restaurant in the park (additional payment a la carte) and return to the transfer.