Small-jeep safaris into Yala with trackers who grew up on its edge. We read the tracks, listen for the alarm calls and wait quietly, so you see wild animals behaving as if no one is watching.
Sri Lankan leopard Panthera pardus kotiya Adrian Ranasinghe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Every package is a private jeep for your group, a licensed tracker and pickup from your hotel. Prices are per jeep, for up to six guests.
Male leopard, Block 1 Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
We're at the gate before it opens, so we reach the rocky outcrops first, while the leopards are still out from their night's hunting and the roads are empty.
Elephants at a waterhole C.J. Hatton · CC BY-SA 4.0
As the heat drops, herds come down to the waterholes. We park downwind and switch the engine off. In the low light this is the best photography of the day.
Elephant Rock from the lagoon Michael Gunther · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gate open to gate close. We cover the far lagoons and Elephant Rock, eat lunch by the sea at Patanangala, then spend the late afternoon waiting at the busiest waterholes.
Sloth bear in palu season Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
When the palu trees fruit in the dry months, the park's shy sloth bears come out to feed. Our trackers know which trees are ready, and we wait there.
On the park tracks Dan Arndt · CC BY-SA 4.0
A shorter drive in quieter Block 5 for families. Kids get a spotter's checklist, their own binoculars and a tracker who explains what footprints and droppings tell us.
Leopard at rest Senal Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0
A modified jeep with beanbag mounts and space for long lenses, carrying only three photographers. Your tracker positions the jeep for the light and the background, and waits as long as you need.
Park entry is charged per person at the official gate rate and added to your booking at cost. Sightings are never guaranteed. This is a wild park, and that's what makes each one count.
Yala has one of the highest leopard densities recorded anywhere. These are the animals our guests ask about most, with an honest guide to your chances on a typical half-day drive.
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
C.J. Hatton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eli Solidum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kasun Illangasinghe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eli Solidum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Odds are based on our trackers' own sighting logs for half-day drives in Block 1 during the dry season.
From February to July the waterholes shrink and the wildlife gathers around them. Block 1 usually closes for part of September and October. The dates change each year, and we'll confirm them when you enquire.
Most jeeps race to wherever someone radioed a sighting. We follow tracks, listen for langur and deer alarm calls, and stay long enough for something to happen.
Every jeep carries a tracker from the villages around the park, as well as the driver. They can read a pugmark in the dust or a peacock's alarm call long before you see the cat.
We don't crowd sightings, block paths or chase animals off the road. We turn the engine off at every sighting, keep our distance and leave when the animal starts to look uneasy.
Free pickup in Tissamaharama and Kirinda, and transfers from Ella or the south coast. We also buy your park tickets, so you skip the queue at the gate.
Plans change and so does the weather. Cancel or move your safari free of charge up to 24 hours before pickup, and pay nothing up front to reserve.
Pick a package and a date, or tell us what you'd most love to see and we'll suggest the right drive and season.
Within a few hours you'll hear from a real person with your tracker's name, the pickup time and what to bring.
Your jeep is outside before first light. Pay after the drive in cash or by card. Bring a hat and keep your voice low.
Born in the villages around the park and licensed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Between them, they've spent more than eighty years in Yala.
Chaminda heard a langur alarm call, cut the engine and told us to wait. Four minutes later a female leopard walked out of the scrub and crossed right in front of us. No other jeeps in sight.
We watched a herd of twenty elephants bathe at sunset for almost an hour. The kids still talk about the baby who kept falling over in the mud.
The photography jeep was worth every rupee. Kasun knew exactly where the light would fall, and I came home with the best wildlife frames I've ever made.
A sloth bear in a palu tree, two leopards and lunch on the beach at Patanangala. The longest day of our trip and easily the best.
Tell us your dates and where you're staying. We'll confirm your jeep, your tracker and your pickup time, usually within a few hours.
Sunset over Yala Pramod Thilanka · CC BY-SA 4.0
We'll reply on email or WhatsApp, usually within a few hours.
