Yala National Park Safari Sri Lanka is one of the main wild life national parks in Sri Lanka. It’s the most visited wild life national park in the country and second largest. You can see leopards, herds of deer, various kinds of birds (peacocks, jungle fowl, sparrows, pelicans), herds of elephants roaming freely and living in their natural habitat.
This national park is attached to Ruhunu National Park and Kumana National Park. Yala was created in 1900 as a wild life sanctuary, and, along with Wilpattu National Park. Though Yala spreads over an area of 1260 square kilometers, only one fifth of the area is open to the visitors.
Four fifth of the Yala National Park is reserved for natural reserve.
In side this National Park there are many ancient city ruins, two important ancient city ruins cites are Sithulpahuwa and Magul Vihara.
Yala National Park – Birds
In Yala National Park there are 215 bird species and 7 of them are endemic to Sri Lanka. You can see Sri Lanka grey hornbill, Sri Lanka junglefowl, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, crimson-fronted barbet, black-capped bulbul, blue-tailed bee-eater and brown-capped babbler at Yala. 90 bird species live in Yala wet lands and 50% of them are migrant. Waterfowl (lesser whistling duck, garganey), cormorants (little cormorant, Indian cormorant), large waterbirds (grey heron, black-headed ibis, Eurasian spoonbill, Asian openbill, painted stork), medium-sized waders Tringa spp, and small waders Charadrius spp, are among the common waterbirds. Bird watches admire migrant great white pelican and resident spot-billed pelican.
Yala National Park –Elephants
Yala is a great place to watch Sri Lankan elephants, streams in the Yala National park are often filled with large herds of elephants. One herd consists 300+ elephants. It’s a breathtaking view to see them naturally roam.
Yala National Park –Leopards
Yala has the highest possibility of seeing a leopard alive.
Yala National Park –Sri Lankan sloth bear and Wild Water buffalo
Both are threatened species and a real attraction to Sri Lanka.
Crocodiles
Crocodiles, this magnificent creature is an added beauty.
Fish
Yala has many fresh water streams as well as sea water filled lagoons. There are many fish types in those waters. Even exotic food fishes as Mozambique tilapia are found in Yala. The stone sucker and Esomus thermoicos are endemic among other species. The blackspot barb, olive barb, orange chromide and common spiny loach are the common fish species.
Crabs and prawns are found in the lagoons of the Yala National Park
Butterflies
Various kinds of butterflies are found here. Sri Lanka is home to 245 species of butterflies with 23 of these being endemic to the island.
Jeep Safari’s in Yala National Park
This gives the real adventurous experience to the wild life lover who seeks to view animals alive in their natural habitat.