A dawn or dusk visit to Yala gives visitors their best chance of being rewarded with sightings of the main attractions – leopard and elephant. Being rare, sightings are all the more exiting, but in the event of failing to spot leopard, Yala is Kingdom to a multitude of other inhabitants so your trip to the park should not disappoint. Whilst neither a zoo nor anything like on the scale of African safari parks, this national park does give visitors an opportunity to see wildlife where it should be – in the wild. Your safari jeep, normally in plentiful supply, will bump you around the potholed circuit with your guide. The 2-3 hour safari will take in Yala’s best scenic spots and watering holes which are invariably frequented by deer, peacocks, monkeys, water buffalo and sometimes elephants plus; your guide may well know where the endangered sloth bears hang out and, where the crocodiles are most likely to be found. Scenically, the park is a mixture of lagoons, dusty scrubland, outcrops of rock and jungle - a frequently changing landscape as the rains come and go.
A worthwhile day out from Buckingham Place, Yala is best visited out of high season and when it is not either a national holiday or weekend. The park is a well protected national treasure and large employer so naturally there are fees to pay for your enjoyment and peace of mind; that Yala and its animals will survive and prosper irrespective of the number of visitors who frequent their habitat daily.
