Yala National Park Sri Lanka, Southern Province

Located in the Southern Province and Uva Province, Yala National Park is the second-largest national park in Sri Lanka and is home to a huge variety of wildlife. The park is widely known for its high density of leopards and is regarded as the number one leopard sanctuary in the world.

You can hire a safari jeep at the entrance of the park (and usually also at your accommodation) to take a tour of the magnificent wildlife and breathtaking scenery. Grab the chance to spot wild buffaloes, monkeys, different species of birds, butterflies, crocodiles, and elephants, and if you're lucky you may even spot a leopard.

It is highly advised to visit the park early in the morning to avoid the long queues and we suggest arriving at 6:00 am to get the full tour experience. Tours typically last for 6-8 hours so make sure you come well-prepared with water, snacks, and enough batteries for your camera.

Compared to Udawalawe National Park, Yala is a lot bigger and ultimately offers more variety of wildlife. That's one of the reasons why the park attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world and is the most visited national park in Sri Lanka. The downside is that the park can get overcrowded with everyone racing to see the same animals. Tell your driver that you don't want to take part in these chases and try to avoid weekends and holidays. The most reliable wildlife sightings are in the dry season between February and June when water levels in the park are low and animals gather at waterholes. However, the park can be visited all year round, except for the month of September, when the park usually undergoes annual maintenance (check the park's website below for updates).