A Journey Through the Wild: An Unforgettable Safari in Yala National Park

When I hear the word safari, I immediately think of Africa, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Sri Lanka, I confess honestly, wouldn't have even crossed my mind, even though there are more than 20 national parks in the country. You're surprised too, aren't you? It was beyond doubt that we didn't want to miss this opportunity under any circumstances. Since the island itself is large and we had a planned route, we chose Yala National Park hoping to see elephants and leopards. Did we see any? Read on and find out!

We planned to join an afternoon safari. It's important to know that there are 2 rounds of safari per day - one in the morning and another after lunch, at 2 o'clock. This takes into account that the animals hide and seek shadow during the hottest part of the day. Such a tour lasts approximately 4 hours. We hiked a lot in the first half of the day, so we wanted to set the stage for our next adventure with a hearty, delicious lunch, so we sat down in the restaurant of the safari base. Here we learned that no food should be brought into the national park. This makes sense, but surprisingly it wasn't primarily to prevent littering, but to ensure the predators living there wouldn't mistake you for some exotic delicacy. It's still unbelievable, that in the morning we were wandering around near Ella, and in the afternoon we were on a jeep looking for elephants. That alone was incredible.

We filled up with energy, covered ourselves in sunscreen and hopped into our private jeep. We thought we would arrive in a few moments, instead we traveled for half an hour just to the ticket office. We drove along a long concrete road with speed bumbs in every 50-100 meters. Every extra mile/h of speed counted and we overtook everyone we could to get into the park before them. The vibe was really great, the wind was blowing, we were driving towards the park, admiring the scenery when whoop! suddenly my baseball cap was blown off off. Of course, Ádi told me to pay attention to it 5 minutes before. I thought I had set it tight enough, but obviously not... we picked it up and continued our journey. Another 15-minute drive from the gate awaited us, after which the conrete road was replaced by a dirt road. So it has begun!

"Surprisingly, we stopped relatively soon, guessing that something big might be there."

We were totally excited and we kept telling to ourselves that we won't be disappointed, if we don't see any leopards or elephants. It was a hot day, so the animals were probably still cooling off somewhere when we arrived. We soon realized that the course of such a visit is that the jeeps try to go on different roads so that there are no crowds in one place. They look for the hidden areas where we have the greatest chance of seeing some animals. Of course, the crowd cannot be completely avoided. Surprisingly, we stopped relatively soon, guessing that something big might be there. Well, not exactly... everyone was trying to get a glimpse of a barely visible snake resting on a tree. This was not a big curiosity for me that day, because in the morning my ankle had already met its smaller, bright green, distant relative. We had a good laugh about this situation and went on. The next animal we spotted was an eagle which was a bit more interesting.

We drove along tiny roads, past thickets, seeing some deers, various birds, and the first really exciting animal was an alligator in a small swampy pond. This is where we felt that the adventure had really begun. Our driver really did his best so that we could observe and photograph as many animals as possible. In many cases we searched for at least half a minute with our eyes for the animal he spotted, As the hours passed and the sun began to set, the landscape showed a literally magical side that we just couldn't get enough of. We could see different ecosystems in this huge place, where monkeys were jumping from tree to tree a meter away from our car. As I looked around there, I almost felt like I was rather in Africa, not Asia.

"No fences, enclosures or anything...just the elephant, us and the nature around us."

Elephant and leopard still nowhere. We started to feel a little sad when I spotted something for a moment near the ocean shore. I tried to say as calmly sa possible that there was one! I hoped my eyes weren't dazzled. We didn't know where we were going when we stopped at a resting area. A sign on a huge concrete building showed where the toilets were in the parking lot filled with jeeps. We jumped off the car and then we saw it! An elephant grazed peacefully nearby with a huge rock on the ocean shore behind it. Most probably it was him I've seen before. I was speechless. No fences, enclosures,or anything...just the elephant, us and the nature around us. It is important to emphasize, that these are not tamed, but wild animals. You have to take photos of them carefully, no matter how tempting it is to get close, keep your distance. A lot of tourists being together in such a small area is usually the prerequisite of trouble. It was already suspicious when the drivers waved and told everyone to move back. Then there was a moment when the photographers were too greedy. There were a lot of them and they went too close to the elephant, which started and took a few quick, decisive steps towards the crowd. Everyone ran, fatherss grabbed their bags while the mothers were holding their children and ran. Fortunately, there was no major problem, the giant was smart. After regaining the calmness he deserved, he continued to graze peacefully. Avoid trouble and remember that we are just guests there!

At this point, we felt that if this was all we had seen, we would be going home happy. We continued to wander around, waiting at the drinking areas to see if we could spot anything else interesting. In the meantime, the sun was going down and we had to go back to the gate to get out before dark, we didn't want to become preys. On the way out, we saw a few more elephants emerging from their hiding places. The vibe that one can experience on such a tour is beyond words. You're just sitting in the car, sometimes you stop and see a buffalo cooling off in the lake, with an elephant in the background, a soft breeze is blowing, the lights of the setting sun are shining through the trees... priceless. We took a lot of pictures, trying to capture even distant animals. Bucketlister tip: if you really want to be prepared, take a pair of binoculars with you, which can only enhance the experience.

"By the time we got out of the park, it was completely dark."

There are many national parks to choose from when traveling to Sri Lanka. Each of them shows its most beautiful side at a different time, so make sure that you take this into consideration when planning your visit. Yala is one of the most popular due to the high density of elephants and leopards as well as the variety and beauty of the environment and the terrain, I can only recommend it. I still get goosebumps when I think that the devastating tsunami in December 2004 also affected this fabulous place. More than 35,000 Sri Lankans lost their lives in it, but incredibly, almost none of Yala's wildlife. Thanks to their brilliant senses, they moved from the coastal areas to the interior pat of it in time and could survive.

By the time we got out of the park, it was completely dark. We were covered with dust, our clothes were dirty, the sand crunched under our teeth, but we couldn't stop smiling. Words couldn't describe what we were a part of. I never really liked zoos and the way of observing animals in cages, which limited them to very tight limits. That's why seeing an elephant so close, drinking behind a buffalo that was cooling off by dipping in the water, or monkeys resting by the side of a pond, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was definitely at the top of my list of places to visit in Sri Lanka. Its cost is also not so sky-rocketing compared to, for example, its African equivalents. The ticket and the driver's fee are what you have to calculate. The former was approx. 11,000 rupees/person, the latter was around 25,000/car, so if more people go, the cost per person will be lower. In addition, if you are satisfied, you should show it with a tip, as per the local custom. Unfortunately, we didn't see a leopard, no matter how hard we looked for one, but we didn't feel that we had missed out on anything. This is the order of nature if you don't want to see the animals in a cage.

Who could say no to that? I've only shared a fraction of our pictures that were taken there, follow me on Instagram and Facebook for the most beautiful ones!

Thanks for reading! If I have piqued your interest, check out the related articles and if you have any questions, write to me or leave a comment!