Udawalawe National Park

For leopards, the best safari in Sri Lanka is Yala National Park, which has the highest density of leopards recorded in the country. For elephants, Udawalawe National Park is the most reliable, and for birds, Bundala National Park, a Ramsar wetland, is the best choice. Yala and Bundala are 20-40 minutes from Tissamaharama; Udawalawe is about 2 hours away.

Yala National Park in south-east Sri Lanka is the best place to see leopards, especially Block 1, near the Palatupana gate. Wilpattu National Park in the north-west is the other main leopard park. Sightings are never guaranteed; early-morning and late-afternoon drives give the best chance.

A Yala safari with us lasts 4 hours (a half-day safari, starting at 5:00 AM or 2:00 PM), 7 hours (starting at 5:00 AM, with breakfast) or a full day (starting at 5:00 AM, with breakfast and lunch). On a full day, park rules require a lunch break from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at Patanangala Beach or a river area.

A half-day (4-hour) safari suits most first visits: it covers the early morning or late afternoon, when animals are most active, from US$26 per person shared or US$60 for a private jeep. A full day gives you more time to cover the park and wait at sightings, for US$65 per person shared or US$140 per private jeep.

Early morning is best: the 5:00 AM start reaches the park as it opens, when leopards and elephants are still active and the light is good for photographs. The 4-hour evening safari from 2:00 PM is the next best, ending in golden light.

February to July is the best stretch: the park is dry, animals gather at waterholes and leopard sightings are at their most frequent. Bundala is best from December to March, when the migrant birds are in.

Yala Block 1 usually closes for about six weeks from early September to mid-October each year for maintenance, but the exact dates are set annually by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Ask us for this year's dates - when Block 1 is shut we run safaris in Bundala or in Yala Blocks 5 and 6 instead.

No one can promise a leopard - this is wild country and the animals move where they like. Yala Block 1 has the highest leopard density in Sri Lanka, our trackers know the territories, and a longer drive improves your chances, but we will never guarantee a sighting.

Udawalawe is the most reliable park for elephants, with herds visible all year on open grassland. Yala holds around 350 elephants and Bundala has between 15 and 60 depending on the season, with December the best month there.

Bundala is the best park for birds: it is a Ramsar wetland and UNESCO biosphere reserve where lagoons and dunes draw thousands of waterbirds, especially from December to March. Yala is also one of Sri Lanka's 70 Important Bird Areas, with more than 215 species and 6 endemics.