Book now
Elephant herd at Yala National Park, Sri Lanka — accessible from Arana by Forest Trails

Yala · Bundala · Lunugamvehera · Ussangoda

Experiences

From Arana into Yala

The wilderness, close at hand

Yala National Park — twelve kilometres from the gate to Arana — holds one of the world's highest densities of leopards. Around it: elephant plains, bird-rich wetlands, ancient rock temples, and a coastline that has been fishing for a thousand years. All of it within a morning's reach.

Elephant family at Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

The dawn safari

Yala National Park

Yala's Block I — the most visited and most densely leopard-populated section of the park — is reached in under twenty minutes from Arana's gate. The early morning drive, before the heat settles and before the day-trip coaches arrive, is when the park is most itself. Leopards on low branches. Elephants at the waterhole. The light that only exists at 5:30 a.m. at this latitude.

The same jeep operators also take guests to Bundala (birding, flamingos), Lunugamvehera (elephant herds), and Ussangoda (coastal landscape, unique geology).

Half-day safari

Morning or afternoon. 4 hours. Yala Block I.

Full-day safari

12 hours. Packed lunch and sundowner included.

Arrange a safari

Beyond the park gates

More from Yala Junction

Outdoor bush dinner setting at Arana under neem trees, Yala

After dark

The Bush Dinner

Tables set in the garden cabanas among neem trees. Lantern-lit, long dinner under an open sky. The insects keep time. The dark beyond the wall belongs to Yala.

Learn more
Wildlife in Yala — jackal at Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Year-round

Wildlife & Bird Watching

Hundreds of bird species in Yala and the Hambantota wetlands — including endemic Sri Lankan species. Best from the property grounds at dawn, and from the jeep during safari.

Learn more
Elephant at sunset in the Hambantota plains near Yala, Sri Lanka

Udawalawa Plains

Elephant Tracking

A day trip to Udawalawa, where large elephant herds move through open grassland year-round. Reliable sightings at the tank. The Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home is nearby.

Learn more
Night sky over Arana property near Yala — low light pollution in Sri Lanka's dry zone

Clear skies

Stargazing Dinner

Yala's dry zone has naturally low light pollution. On clear nights — most nights in the dry season — the Milky Way is visible without aid. Dinner under that sky is a different kind of table.

Learn more
Kirinda coastal temple and the sacred sites of the Ruhuna region, southern Sri Lanka

Ruhuna

Temples & Culture

The Kirinda coastal temple is twenty minutes south. Kataragama — the most sacred site in the south — is within day-trip distance. Sithulpawwa rock temple sits inside the park boundary.

Learn more

Yala National Park — wildlife

What you may see

Yala holds one of the world's highest leopard densities. Around them —

  • Leopard
  • · Elephant
  • · Sloth bear
  • · Crocodile
  • · Jackal
  • · Water buffalo
  • · Spotted deer
  • · Monitor lizard
  • · Peacock
  • · Hundreds of bird species
Plan a safari stay