At 5 we were already having good morning tea with the low light that the bonfire of the previous night gave us.
Sleepy but very excited because we were going to explore the Yala National Park, hoping to "hunt" any of the 60 leopards They live here today. (When we say "hunt" we mean to see, huh? We don't want problems with Frank from the jungle, which by the way we like him)
At 5.30 our jeep arrives, the driver will become our eyes during the visit, helped by Amila, manager of the treehouse where we stayed in Tissa. The truth is that between the two they see more than a pack of unusual tourists to observe nature.
After waiting to buy the tickets, we get back on the jeep and head to the park, which we enter around 6.30 (thankfully we are one of the first in the long queue) and in the middle of the sunrise . The place is spectacular, and more with these colors of the morning. Just contemplating one of its incredible landscapes is worth the early riser.
But it is clear that if we have come to the Yala National Park it is to see animals and especially its protagonist: the leopard. We'll see if there is luck!
We begin the tranquis visit, seeing rare species of birds, some endemic of the place like the red-crested rooster, or some of the types of colored Kingfisher. Toucans, eagles, peacocks, a kind of swan, all quite raretes for what we are used to.
We always try to go on roads where we are alone, although it seems complicated because there are few jeeps that enter the park every day, especially on this date.
We continue the visit contemplating deer, crocodiles, boars wild (one of them was the first animal we saw at home in the parking lot of the box office), buffalo of water, iguanas eating eggs something that is apparently super weird ...
All very beautiful and quiet. Ok, but ... Where does the leopard get? Maybe it was what our driver was thinking when he received a call from one of his many contacts and told him where to go to see him. They warn us to hold on because we have to go through a little park to take advantage of the "leopard moment".
Excited we went out in search of him, and along the way we found an elephant with her baby going through the jungle, a pity that it mimicked the surroundings.
A few minutes after undertaking the "chase" we arrived at the site where we would find the head of the park. Amila shows us where she is and tells us that they are two “making”, “what?”, “Making”, “what?”, “Fucking!”, “Ahhhhh”. And indeed, a leopard lord was seen in the brush for an instant ... which disappeared immediately. We knew he was accompanied by the roars that followed that scene for quite some time, what a champion!
And he wasn't the only one ...
We were already happy, but Amila still wanted more, she let herself be carried away by her instinct (maybe some monkey chivó) and we moved away from any human trail to follow a seemingly normal path.
But when we were almost falling asleep we heard the magic word: “leopard! ” "In the middle of the road!".
And there he was, so quiet lying in the middle of the dirt road, as if waiting for us.
We stopped at a safe distance to take a picture, taking advantage of the moment before he escaped. But instead he got up and started walking towards us, until he had a few 10 meters! What a beautiful thing! And he knows he's handsome, he looked like a peacock in front of us in his courtship dance, crossing several times until he disappeared altogether. It was an exciting 5 minutes, and we were alone: that is priceless!
Hunted! Now we could go home with a big smile and a kilo of dust all over our body 🙂
But if we thought the day was going to end ... mmm no! Amila and her friends had a great surprise prepared for us: a Spanish party in our treehouse, with dj and everything… what cracks! So we ended this great day dancing songs of Enrique Iglesias and Pitbul under the full moon!
UNFORGETTABLE 🙂
USEFUL INFO
September 2017 update: block 1 closed
They tell us that at this moment block 1 of the park remains closed, but the safaris continue to be done to the rest of the park and the options to see leopards and other animals blocks 3 and 5 are still intact. Luck!
How to get to Tissa and Yala National Park?
It was a bit of an odyssey because we arrived from Haputale. We had to catch a train to Ella, which lasted 1 hour and cost Rs 25 per person. Of course, the trip is worth it! From there a bus to Wellawaya, lasted an hour and a half and cost 60 rupees per person. And from there we switched to another bus to Tissa, it lasted about 2 hours and cost 90 rupees.
Where to sleep in Yala National Park?
We stayed at the Yala Eco Tree House
How much does the entrance to Yala National Park cost?
They are combined tickets, they depend on the number of people who go by Jeep. We, since we were 3 (plus 1 local) paid 8,150 rupees. At change about € 45
How much does the Jeep cost?
There are two types of tour: the whole day and the half day. We did the second.
The jeep costs 5,000 rupees for half a day and 10,000 for the whole day.
Where to hire the safari?
In Tissa it is the biggest business, so it won't take long to see posters that advertise them! We did it with Amila, the owner of our treehouse and the truth is that we are delighted! Amila is a very good tour guide, and with her cousin (who worked as a driver) they told us little things about the animals in the park, and above all they had a lot of instinct!
If you want to contact Amila this is her email: [email protected]
Is it worth doing the safari?
Yes! We loved it! We were very lucky to find a leopard on the road. And, leopard apart, the park has beautiful scenery!
