The Yala National Park is the second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Situated in the south- eastern corner of the island. The park has a protected area of nearly 130,000 hectares of land consisting of light forests, scrubs, grasslands, tanks and lagoons.
This leopards’ haunt, is the most popular amongst the tourists visiting the country. An open jeep, a good guide, keen eyes and some luck is all you need to catch the stealthy cat in action, especially during the dry season from February to June. Besides being a leopard hotspot, the park is inhabited by elephants, bears, wild buffaloes, peacocks, monitor lizards and pretty birds.
It is famous for its high density of leopards, perhaps the highest in the world. Yala is also home to a plethora of reptilian species and platoons of crocodiles. Common in Sri Lanka, there is a huge diversity of spectacular birdlife, including migratory species such as the flamingo.Yala is the home to 44 varieties of mammals and 215 bird species. It is also one of the few places in the world where you can still see the severely endangered black-necked stork.