YALA
The park
Enter on its terms.
979 km² of dry-zone wilderness across five blocks and three gates, established as a national park in 1938. Here is how it works, and how to move through it well.
The seven rules
- 06:00–18:00. Gates open at first light, close at last. No exceptions.
- Tracker mandatory. One experienced tracker rides in every vehicle.
- Stay in the jeep. Feet on the floor, the whole run. Designated stops only.
- 25 km/h. The park speed limit. Convoys and off-track driving are banned.
- Silence carries. No horns, music, shouting or whistling at wildlife.
- Nothing in, nothing out. No feeding. No flash. No single-use plastic.
- September closure. The park rests for annual maintenance. Plan around it.
Five blocks, three gates
Block I
Palatupana gate · 14,101 ha · highest leopard density on Earth
Block II
9,931 ha · Yalawela grasslands & Menik River lagoons
Block III
40,775 ha · deep monsoon forest, quiet tracks · expedition permits only
Block IV
Galge gate · 26,418 ha · widespread forest
Block V
Galge gate · 6,656 ha · the far crossing
The landscape
Monsoon forest
Moist and dry monsoon forest concentrates along the Menik River, sheltering leopard and sloth bear among granite boulders.
Pelessa grasslands
Open coastal parkland where elephant, buffalo and spotted deer graze in the early light.
Tanks & waterholes
Maha Seelawa, Buthawa and Uraniya hold the water that pulls every animal into the open through the dry season.
Lagoons & coast
Brackish lagoons and the restless edge at Patanangala Beach, nesting ground for all five globally endangered sea turtles.
Where to spot the big three
Elephant, leopard and sloth bear each favour different ground in Block I. Filter the map below to see where trackers most often find each one.
A stylised guide to where each species is most often seen in Block I. Sightings shift with season and water levels; your tracker reads the day's conditions.
Hover a block · tap to set your zone
Book a safari.
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