Yala National Park Leopard Safari - HALF DAY/FULL DAY TOUR

We’ve enjoyed our safari tour! We’ve seen many animals including 2 leopards, elephants, different species of birds and more. Our driver - NALAKA, was a very good driver and had an eagle eye for animals. My only suggestion is I hope next time, you also include a tour guide at the back that can sit with us and explain every animal we see. 1 driver plus 1 tour guide.

We had a great full day trip in the less busy park. You do get both breakfast and lunch included which is great. It is a long day but be prepared to see some amazing sights. We did this tour and block 1 and this was definitely the better experience. In the morning we did concentrate on the big ticket items and did see a leopard which is lucky in this block. In the afternoon we worked with our driver and he took us to some quieter lakes where we could spend time just watching and waiting. No other jeeps and just the sound of nature. We were rewarded with a group of elephants just walking out of the scub and birds catching fish. Quite magical.

I booked due to the reviews and the 30years experience and extra time Shehan promised on their website. Its actually an overpriced Yala non-safari. Advising they are knowledgable experts and offer an extended safari time to allow you to see more animals. I paid $112 not including travel to and from Yala. Price only included binoculars and bottled water. Neither binoculars or bottled water were offered or even available during the "safari", I cant call it a safari as you would need to see animals you cant see outside of the national park, for free for it to be a safari. We entered the park at 15:30 and were told to leave the park at 17:30 so the "extended time" I was charged for was never received. On top of the fact we were only on "safari" for 2 hours, we didnt even see the animals almost guarenteed on a safari, remembering yala has the highest population of most of the animals.. NO CROCODILES NO ELEPHANTS, NONE! NO LEOPARD, The leopard is slightly understandable as its pot luck, but no elephants?!?! Doesnt sound like knowledgable safari guides to me or the other 5 disappointed people in the jeep. Book with somewhere else. Shehan were very responsive when i wanted to cancel the safari and advising me the afternoon (i booked morning) was the best time to see the animals, not the morning. Weirdly no reply at all when I've emailed about the disappointment in them not delivering what I paid for (extended safari time, water, binoculars, experienced guide working to find the animals).... pay less elsewhere and save your disappointment. Oh sorry i should add we pulled 2 jeeps out of the mud, after this is when we were told to leave the park by a ranger and the driver took us to a nearby temple to see a 'pet' elephant as, and I quote, "we didnt see any animals"