Spot crocodiles, elephants and leopards in Yala National Park

Enjoy the safari!

A short report of my experiences from my online travel diary:

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'This morning we got up in the middle of the night for the safari in Yala national park. We knew in advance that the chance that we would see a leopard would be quite small, but I still secretly had hope. We drove into the national park around 6:00 am while the sun had just risen. Pretty soon we saw a crocodile, piggies and all kinds of beautiful birds. We got a real safari feeling, because a leopard had been spotted. All the jeeps started nervously looking for the leopard. After searching for a long time we heard a huge growl of a leopard. Our driver drove towards it like an idiot. I could just catch a glimpse of the leopard. Huge fat! Then we saw many elephants again. Our driver then decided to look for the leopards again. At one point we heard a deer roaring in panic because it had seen a leopard. After driving back and forth on the same road a few times, he suddenly saw a leopard. He drove carefully a little further. Then we came face to face with a leopard. Extremely close and SO AWESOME!!! We could only say things like; omg, wtf, wow... We were the only jeep at that time. After about a minute, other jeeps also arrived, because all drivers are in contact with each other. The leopard had already walked a bit further, so most people probably only got a glimpse. What great luck we have had!! Goosebumps everywhere and loads of excitement haha! Then we drove around the very beautiful park and saw many animals: again elephants, buffalos, ferrets, boars, an eagle, (noble) deer, lizards, another crocodile and a huge number of birds. I really enjoyed the safari, but it was also annoying to see the jeeps 'hunting' the leopards. Luckily they have a huge area to hide from all the tourists. A bit of mixed feelings, but still very cool to have experienced this!

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Practical information

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You can book a safari at several times/places during your trip through Sri Lanka. Many hotels on both the south coast and in Ella offer options for a safari. The other option is to book a safari on site in Tissamaharama or Kataragama. We also opted for this, as this is a cheaper option (you no longer pay for relatively expensive transport to the park). 

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Entrance costs $15 per person (excluding 15% VAT) and an $8 surcharge per group. Most of the costs are for the jeep and the guide. Prices vary between approximately €30 p.p. for a half-day safari (shared jeep) to €120 p.p. for a full day in a private jeep. These prices are based on a departure from Tissamaharama. The price is higher from other places. 

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Convinced to also visit Yala? February/March and May/June are the best months to spot the most wildlife, due to the drought. In April, July and August it is still mainly dry, but the park is overrun by tourists. During the holiday periods it is useful to avoid weekends! Moreover, we visited Yala in November and were fortunate enough to also spot a leopard. So don't let the best travel times stop you. 

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