Yala National Park is the most visited and the second largest national park in Sri Lanka. It’s a huge area of forest, grassland, and lagoons bordering the Indian ocean, in southeast Sri Lanka. It was first designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900. Along with Wilpattu it was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938. The park covers 979 km² (378 sq. m) and it is consisted of five blocks. two of them are now open to visitors.
It is Ranked 6th in Best 100 National Parks by National Geographic’s Book,”100 Parks 5000 Ideas” which was issued in 2019 . Also in July 2019 Forbes named Sri Lanka as Best Safari Destination Outside Africa. Considering all these factors Yala can surely be named as One of the Best National Parks except Africa to Feel the real Wild Life.
The park is best known for its variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds. Herds of Asian elephants can be seen here during the day time. Sri Lankan leopards have an iconic value in this sanctuary as they are very rare but often can be seen in this environment. Also There are Sri Lankan sloth bears, Sambhar deers,giant sqirrels,Birds and many other kinds of animals. It is one of the 70 bird areas (IBAs) in country. Yala is home for 215 species of birds including 6 endemic species. Also there are about 44 species of mammals living in Yala.
Surely, anyone enters here can have an unforgettable experience with this wonderful environment and wild life.