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We have moved to a new Home. Please Click Here or type www.lankalive.info at the address bar to access the most up-to-date information.

Home > Wildlife > Yala (Ruhuna) National Park

Yala (Ruhuna) National Park

Size	103,889 hectares
Main attraction	Large herds of Elephants and Leoperds
Other Wildlife	crocodile, elephant, deer, sambar, bear, wild bore, wild buffalo and peacock and may varieties of birds including migratory birds such as flamingos.

(photographer unknown)

Established in 1938, Yala covers more than 100 hectares of wildlife. Yala is divided in to 5 areas. The most visited area is block one. The road network is much better on this block and easily accessible even without a four wheel drive. Some areas has been closed for visitors due to LTTE Terrorist activities (see www.sinhaya.com) but now most of these area are open to the public.

It is possible to hire jeeps at the entrance to the park. The best time to see these animals (including leopards) are early morning and at dusk. The park of is mostly known for its dense population of leopards. They are quite used to human presence and generally will not run away when a vehicle is encountered. Elephants are the most common sight in the park

Yala West is closed in September and usually part of August and October too. But when it's open the best way to get there is to catch a bus to the coastal town of Tissamaharama, and then hire a jeep and a driver. If you have your own four wheel drive you can just drive up to the front gate and pay the entrance, insurance and tracker fees.

The park is also covers a number of archeological sites including the famous “Magul Maha Viharaya” dating back to 1st Centaury BC.

Accommodation

Yala has 8 park bungalows with the sanctuary, which will roughly accommodate 12-14 people. All these bungalows are situated in block I. You need to book these bungalows from Colombo and getting a free day is quite difficult.

Many hotels around the sanctuary (but outside of it) will be happy to provide accommodation

Directions

The park can be reached through Matata - Tissamaharama Road. It is 305 kilometers away from Colombo.

Articles

Folklore and wildlife of Yala National Park - Daily News , 24 December 2006
The Boer Prisoner Who Was Yala's First Gamewarden - Daily News - 16 May 2006
Wildcats - Daily News 5 June 2006

Photo Gallery

Home > Wildlife > Yala (Ruhuna) National Park

Updated April 12, 2007
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