How to get to Yala

Making one's way to Sri Lanka's most celebrated and treasured national parks can thrill you to bits. This is because the journeys are filled with plenty of encounters themselves long before one arrives at the doorstep of these well-preserved reserves where the riches of the wild are found in its abundance. On a similar note, those planning on heading to the Yala National Park will be seen confronted with such experiences, and to maximize their time here, a detailed overview is provided below on navigating through the sublime surrounds of Yala.

Reaching Sri Lanka

The country is well served by the Bandaranaike International Airport which is located north of the commercial capital of Colombo. Travellers heading over from regions such as the United States or Europe will need to factor in that long air travel will be part and parcel of getting to Sri Lanka. From here onwards and depending on the choice of one's accommodation, numerous modes of transportation can be made good use of to commence one's holiday in the tropical isle.

What to expect

Though Sri Lanka is a small island nation, travellers like yourself will have access to excellent roads and a public transportation network that provides many ways to get to your preferred destination. Thus, those visiting or contemplating a wildlife expedition to Yala National Park will be able to take pleasure in the aforementioned. Although public transport will afford you a once in a lifetime opportunity to get accustomed to the ways of the locals, it is better to book a private transfer with the help of your choice of lodging to ensure that you delight in hassle-free travel.

Travelling to Yala

In terms of the time taken to reach Yala, this would, by and large, depend on the way one's itinerary has been planned out. If heading straight from the country's airport, then a drive to Yala can be completed in 6 hours. Should you be chartering a route from the western regions of Sri Lanka, on average you will be looking at a 3-hour drive whilst those of you travelling from the cool climes of Kandy will need to allocate around 4 hours of travel time via private vehicle.

How to experience all there is to Yala?

By far, a guided tour or even a jeep safari for that matter is the best way forward for travellers seeking to unearth the treasure trove which is the Yala National Park. A good way to kick start your pursuits within the wilds of this imposing yet engaging wildlife reserve would be to book into a luxury Yala hotel such as the Uga Chena Huts where the ease of an all-day tour can be made note of first, before investing in the same. What's more? The expert services of a foreign language speaker will also be added should this be the need of the hour. However, in general, local tour guides are excellent communicators in the English language and are sure to delight you en route to the Park with tales from yesteryear whilst affording a source of knowledge whenever one of the area's elusive species is spotted and requires a careful explanation.

Read up about the attraction

Information on the Yala National Park can be found at one's own leisure during the course of an online search. The reserve is the 2nd largest of its kind in the country and the most visited by vacationers yearning to be one with the wilds of Sri Lanka and all it represents. Home to one of the largest leopard population densities in the world, Yala is truly a sight for sore eyes with some 215 migrant and resident bird species, peacocks, turtles, reptilians, and the majestic elephant making up the very essence of these splendid environs. Also, grasslands, thorn forests, and marine wetlands comprise Yala with access to an inviting coastline; a temptation that would be hard to overlook come to the end of one's safari expedition.