Yala National Park Wildlife Safari
The second largest national park in Sri Lanka , Yala is home to over 40 varieties of mammals and over 200 bird species including migrant birds. Among its more famed inhabitants are the Panthera Pardus Kotiya or Sri Lankan leopard (endemic to Sri Lanka), elephants, sloth bears, deer, sambar, jackals, peacocks and crocodiles. This national park has the highest concentration of leopards in the country. The park is rich in bird life which include the crested serpent eagle, white bellied sea eagle, pelicans, flamingos, black necked storks and gray heron among many other species.
Having a protected land area of nearly 130,000 hectares of light forests, grassland, scrubs, tanks, lagoons and sand dunes, the park is divided into five blocks of which two blocks are open to the public.
Apart from the abundant wildlife at the sanctuary, visitors can visit the nearby Sithulpawwa Vihare (temple) believed to be over 2,000 years old. The temple grounds are home to ruins of stone Buddha images, Bodhisattva images, image houses and relic houses symbolizing an expansive monastic settlement.
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