Yala / Ruhuna National Park (යාල / රුහුණු ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)

Size	103,889 hectares
Main attractions	Yala has the world’s highest concentration of Leopards. crocodile, elephant, deer, sambar, bear, wild bore, wild buffalo peacock and many varieties of birds including migratory birds such as flamingos..

Yala National Park was initially started as a Game Sanctuary by the British in 1894 and was established as the Yala National Park in 1938. Yala covers more than 100,000 hectares of wildlife with Kirinda to the west, Kataragama to the North, Panama to the east and the Indian Ocean to the south. Yala is divided into 5 areas known as blocks 1 to 5. 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 parts of the park were closed to visitors due to LTTE Terrorist activities (see www.sinhaya.com) in the past but now most of these areas are open to the public.

It is possible to hire jeeps at the entrance to the park. The best times to see these animals (including leopards) are early morning and at dusk. The park 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.

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

Entrance Fees for Yala National Park

Description (Fees Applicable for Category 1 Park)	Price
Local – Adults	LKR 150
Local – Children (6-12 years)	LKR 100
Local – Student	LKR 20
Local – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Local – Group Fee (per vehicle)	LKR 400
Foreign – Adults	USD 25
Foreign – Children (6-12 years)	USD 15
Foreign SAARC Countries – Adults	USD 20
Foreign SAARC Countries – Children (6-12 years)	USD 10
Foreign – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Foreign – Group Fee (per vehicle)	USD 10
Taxes on total cost	15%
Entrance Fee per vehicle	LKR 300

for example, for 2 foreigners with 1 child between 6-12 will have the cost of

Description	Cost
2 adults	USD 50.00
1 child	USD 15.00
Group Fee	USD 10.00
Total	USD 75.00
Tax (15%)	USD 11.25
Total	USD 86.25

The above costs are for entry tickets for persons as gazetted in 2022. A ticket for the vehicle, as given above, has to be purchased separately.

Payments can be made in USD or equivalent LKR by foreigners. You can call 1919 (government information center) for the latest ticket prices. If you hire a private safari Jeep, the prices vary from LKR 11,000 to LKR 15,000 for a half day (4 hours) based on the park. For a full day, it’s double the cost of a half day.

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 and tracker fees.

The park also covers a number of archaeological sites including the famous “ Magul Maha Viharaya ” dating back to the 1st century BCE.

Archaeological Ruins Inside Yala and Kumana National Parks

With the arrival of Buddhism to the country in 250 BCE, the Rohana sub-kingdom too experienced a massive rise of large monastic complexes which could support thousands of bhikkhus. According to ancient text (Sammoha Vinodani Atuwawa) Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya is said to have had 12,000 Arhaths during the great famine of Beminitiyasaya in the 1st century BCE.

The golden era of this region, however, came to an end due to wars among petty kings, drought, famine, disease and the destruction of irrigation infrastructure due to non-maintenance. The Jungles had crept over this once populous area by the time Europeans arrived in Sri Lanka. However, remnants of this forgotten kingdom is still found on almost every rock outcrop inside Yala and Kumana.

List of Archaeological Sites inside Yala and Kumana National Parks

Directions

The Yala National Park can be reached through Matara – Tissamaharama Road. It is 305 kilometres away from Colombo.

Also See

• Nature and Wildlife in Sri Lanka
• Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity

Map of  Yala National Park  (Ruhuna) and Other Places of Interest

Travel Directions to Yala National Park  (Ruhuna)

The park can be reached through Southern Highway. It is 275 kilometres away (the shortest path through Ratnapura avoiding the Highway but travel time is longer) from Colombo.

Route from Colombo to Yala National Park  (Ruhuna) Entrance	Route from Kataragama to Yala National Park  (Ruhuna) Entrance
Through : Southern Highway – Mattala – Tissamaharama – Kirinda Distance : 275 km Travel time : 4.30 hours Driving directions : see on Google map	Through Tissamaharama – Kirinda Distance : 40 km Travel time : 45 minutes. Driving directions : see on Google map