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Yala National Park is
world renowned as one of the best parks to observe and
photograph leopards. Although it has one of the world’s
densest leopard populations, it still requires good luck
to see one of the elusive creatures in its natural
habitat.
Covering an area in excess of 126,000 ha, the park is
divided into 5 blocks, of which only Block One is open
to the general public. The area consists of scrub jungle
and brackish lagoons with stunning rock monoliths
scattered throughout the park. The many different
habitats provide a unique experience to anyone visiting
the park and support a great variety of animals. The
often low-density vegetation provides ideal conditions
for safaris as it allows a clear and unobstructed view
of the wildlife.
Yala National Park has a substantial elephant population
along with many other species like spotted deer, sambur,
wild buffalo, sloth bear, mongoose and crocodiles to
name a few. Also more than one hundred and thirty
different species of birds can be seen, ranging from the
lesser flamingos to Paradise Flycatchers, Crested Hawk
Eagles and the rare Black necked Stork.
It is possible to take full day jeep safaris or to split
the day into morning and afternoon drives. The best
times to see the wildlife is either in the early morning
or in the late afternoon, when the animals are most
active.
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History of the Yala National Park
YALA is among the oldest and best known of Sri Lanka 's
National Parks. Yala covers about 1297 sqkm or 129,700
ha. And it is the largest agglomeration of protected
areas in the country. The multifarious ecosystems
ranging from Moist Monsoon Forest , to Dry Monsoon
Forests, Semi Deciduous Forests, Thorn forests,
Grasslands, fresh water & marine wetlands, and sandy
beaches, possesses a large number of important plant
species and smaller animals.
Kumbukkan Oya in the North East and Menik Ganga and
tributaries on the West, flow through the Park providing
a source of water to the animals even during the driest
months of the year.
Yala plays a very significant role in conservation of a
large number of flora and fauna in the country.
Historical and religious sites such as Kataragama,
Sithulpahuwa and Magul Maha Vihara and many
archaeologically important places add additional
significance to the area.
Yala West (Ruhuna) National Park is well recognized as
one of the best parks in the world to observe and
photograph leopards. The park covers an area of over
100,000 hectares and is divided into five blocks.
Block one is the most
visited area since it contains the highest density of
leopards. However other areas of Yala such as Yala East
had been closed to visitors for some years and it will
take time to research leopard numbers in these areas.
Yala West consists of scrub jungle, brackish lagoons and
stunning rock monoliths scattered throughout the park,
its eastern edge is bounded by the South East coast.
Yala has well over thirty leopards, probably the highest
density anywhere in the world. It is also thought that
Sri Lankan leopards are a distinct sub-species from
their Indian neighbors, and the largest leopards in
Asia.
Location:
Yala National Park (divided into Yala East and Yala
West) is situated in the southeast corner of Sri Lanka,
approximately 300 kilometres from the capital, Colombo.
The park covers a surface area of roughly 129,700 Ha
which hosts a diversity of ecosystems ranging from dense
jungles, grasslands and lakes to waterholes, wetlands,
flat plains and sandy beaches. Only a sixth (14,000 Ha)
of the park is open to visitors.
Famous for:
the highest concentration of leopards (Panthera pardus)
in the world (est. 35) but also elephants, crocodiles.
Also Cultural sites, like the Magul Maha Vihara ruins,
dating from the 1st century BC.
Weather:
Generally hot and dry as the park is located in an arid
region of the country. There are several rainy periods:
November to January, March/April and September. The dry
season falls between May and August. The average annual
temperature is 27 C.
Getting there:
Tissamaharama is the closest town to the park.
