Yala

Yala is Sri Lanka's most visited national park and the one most closely associated with leopard sightings — the park is regularly cited as having one of the highest densities of leopards anywhere in the world, though sightings are never guaranteed on any single drive.

Beyond leopards, Yala supports elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, and a long list of resident and migratory birds across its blocks of scrub jungle, grassland and lagoon. Block 1, the most visited section, borders the coast, so it's possible to see wildlife and the Indian Ocean in the same frame.

Safaris run from open 4x4 jeeps, typically at dawn or in the late afternoon when animals are more active and the heat is lower. The park was first designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, making it one of the oldest in Asia.

Yala is divided into five blocks, though only a portion is open to visitors at any time, which helps keep pressure off the ecosystem. Safari vehicles and routes are managed by the park authority rather than left to individual drivers, so sightings — while never guaranteed — are the product of a fairly well-regulated system.