Yala National Park // Sri Lanka

After some relaxing days in Hikkaduwa I booked a trip to Yala National Park. The National Park itself was not as boring as the lack of photos may suggest. But then again, it also wasn’t as exciting as I expected it to be … neutral

Many travel agencies offer day trips from Hikkaduwa to Yala and back. Starting at nighttime it takes about 3.5 hours to get there and the trip including the entry ticket for the park cost 9,600 rupees.

Going on a safari is all about searching for something exotic. This is why you keep your constant level of excitement, even when not too much is happening. cool

Quite at the beginning of our trip a lovely elephant pal was welcoming us. The safari jeep held themselves at distance to not distract the animal.

It started to get exhausting, when we were waiting in the heat without any airflow for quite a long time. They told us that a leopard is going to cross the road, so all the safari jeep were lining up. After about 30 to 45 minutes (which felt like eternity) the leopard finally arrived. But because of the many vehicles not all of us – including me – were able to see it, which made me quite sad, because the chance of seeing a leopard was the main reason I chose to go to Yala National Park.

Nonetheless it had been a nice experience. The flora is beautiful and it’s quite understandable that the animals rather prefer their privacy than meeting all those curious tourists. smile