Yala Leopard Safari & Southern Coast Explorer
- 7 days, Colombo to Colombo
- Max altitude about 100 m (Udawalawe)
- Best November to April
- 2 to 14 travellers
- Southern Sri Lanka
- Two Yala game drives
- 7-day itinerary
About this tour
Sri Lanka's south is two trips in one: the dry-zone national parks inland, where elephants are common and leopards are found at some of the highest densities anywhere, and a palm-lined coast of fishing harbours, colonial towns and beaches. This week joins them in a loop from the airport that keeps the drives under five hours a day.
Yala is the reason to come. Block 1, the part of the park open to visitors on most safaris, is scrub jungle, rock outcrops and lagoons running down to the sea, and it is the best place in Sri Lanka to see a leopard. We do two game drives, an afternoon and a dawn, in an open 4x4 with a park tracker, which roughly doubles your chances over a single drive. Leopards are likely in a good season but they are never guaranteed, and you should know before you go that a sighting near the main tracks can draw a crowd of jeeps.
On the way, Udawalawe's Elephant Transit Home is a Department of Wildlife Conservation centre that raises orphaned elephant calves and returns them to the wild. You watch the calves come in for their milk feed from a viewing platform; there is no touching or riding, which is the point.
The coast starts at Mirissa, a beach town with a harbour that runs whale-watching boats from November to April, when blue whales feed off the continental shelf a few hours out. Then Galle Fort: begun by the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century and rebuilt by the Dutch in the seventeenth as the walled town that stands today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still a working town of streets, churches, mosques and houses inside the ramparts.
The last night is at Bentota, with a boat trip through the mangroves of the Bentota river and a beach that is two hours from the airport, which makes the final morning an easy one.
Trip highlights
4x4 jeep safaris for leopard and elephant in Yala National Park
Two game drives in Block 1, which has one of the highest leopard densities recorded anywhere, as well as elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles and water birds on the lagoons. Leopards are likely in a good season, never guaranteed.
Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
A government rehabilitation centre for orphaned elephant calves, which are released back into the wild when old enough. You watch a scheduled milk feed from a viewing platform; there is no contact with the animals.
Galle Fort walking tour: Portuguese origins, Dutch ramparts
The Portuguese built the first fort here in the late sixteenth century; the Dutch took it in 1640 and rebuilt it in the seventeenth century as the walled town that survives, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A guided walk on the ramparts and through the streets inside them.
Blue whale watching cruise from Mirissa
Boats leave the harbour around dawn and spend three to five hours at sea, where blue whales feed off the continental shelf between November and April. Sightings are common in season but not certain, and the swell can be considerable.
Bentota river mangrove boat safari
About an hour and a half by small boat through the mangrove channels of the Bentota river, for monitor lizards, kingfishers, herons and fishing villages on the banks.
Route
- 1 Start
- 2 Stop in order
- 8 Finish
- Route travelled
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At a glance
- 7 days, Colombo to ColomboSix nights: Udawalawe, Yala (two), Mirissa, Galle and Bentota.
- Max altitude about 100 m (Udawalawe)Sea level to the low inland plains. Heat and humidity are the conditions to plan for, not altitude.
- Best November to AprilWhale season at Mirissa and calm seas on the south coast. Yala Block 1 usually closes for a few weeks around September–October.
- 2 to 14 travellersJeeps hold up to six on safari, so larger groups split across vehicles.
- Southern Sri LankaUdawalawe, Yala, Mirissa, Galle, Bentota.
- Two Yala game drivesOne afternoon, one dawn, in an open 4x4 with a park tracker.
Day by day
Day 1Arrive Colombo, drive to Udawalawe
Met at Bandaranaike International Airport and driven south on the expressways, about 220 kilometres and four to five hours with a lunch stop. Evening at the hotel near the edge of Udawalawe National Park; overnight in Udawalawe.
Day 2Elephant Transit Home, then Yala's first game drive
Morning feed at the Elephant Transit Home, watching the orphaned calves come in from a viewing platform. Then about two hours east to Tissamaharama, lunch, and the afternoon game drive in Yala Block 1, roughly 2.30 to 6.00. Overnight near Yala.
Day 3Yala at dawn
Away before 5.30 to be at the gate when it opens at six, the best hours for leopard and sloth bear, and back by late morning with a packed breakfast eaten in the park. Afternoon free at the lodge, or a visit to the Tissamaharama tank and dagoba. Overnight near Yala.
Day 4Yala to Mirissa
About 110 kilometres and two and a half to three hours west along the coast through Hambantota and Tangalle. Afternoon on Mirissa beach, and an early night for the whale boat. Overnight in Mirissa.
Day 5Whale watching, then Galle Fort
Out of Mirissa harbour around 6.30 for three to five hours at sea looking for blue whales, and often spinner dolphins. After lunch, an hour's drive to Galle and a guided late-afternoon walk around the fort and along the ramparts at sunset. Overnight in or near Galle.
Day 6Galle to Bentota
A free morning in the fort for its shops, cafés and museums. Then about an hour and a half up the coast to Bentota and an afternoon boat trip of around 90 minutes through the river's mangrove channels. Overnight in Bentota.
Day 7Bentota to Colombo airport
About two to two and a half hours to the airport by expressway. With a late flight there is time for a morning on the beach, or a short drive through Colombo on the way.
What’s included
- Airport pick-up on arrival and drop-off on departure
- Six nights in mid-range hotels, a safari lodge near Yala and beach hotels, twin share, with breakfast daily
- An air-conditioned car, van or minibus sized to the group, with an English-speaking driver-guide throughout
- CONFIRM — Two Yala game drives in an open 4x4 jeep, with park entry fees and a park tracker
- CONFIRM — Entry to the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
- CONFIRM — Whale-watching boat trip from Mirissa harbour
- CONFIRM — Bentota river mangrove boat trip
- Guided walking tour of Galle Fort
- Bottled water in the vehicle
Not included
- International flights to and from Colombo
- Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online before travel
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners
- Optional jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park
- Tips for the driver-guide, jeep drivers, trackers and boat crew
- Single room supplement
- Drinks, laundry and personal expenses
Good to know
Visas: the ETA
Most nationalities need a Sri Lankan Electronic Travel Authorisation before they fly, applied for online. The fee, and which nationalities are exempt from it, have changed several times since 2024, so check the official ETA site when you book. Your passport should be valid for six months beyond arrival.
Yala: what to expect, and when it closes
Block 1 of Yala usually closes for a few weeks between about September and mid-October, during the driest part of the year, so the animals are left alone. The dates are set by the Department of Wildlife Conservation each year; this tour runs November to April, outside the closure, but we check every departure against the announcement.
Leopards are seen on most days in a good season, especially at dawn, but no one can guarantee one and we will not pretend to. When one is found near a main track, word travels by radio and a crowd of jeeps can gather; our drivers are asked to keep a distance and not to chase. Wear neutral colours, bring a hat, sunscreen and a scarf for the dust, and binoculars if you own them.
Season and weather
November to April is the season on the south and west coast: calmer seas, the whale season at Mirissa and mostly dry weather. Yala is in the dry zone but has its own rains from the north-east monsoon, roughly October to January, which usually come as heavy showers rather than whole wet days. Expect 30°C and high humidity throughout.
What Easy / Wildlife & Coastal really means
There is very little walking: the Galle Fort tour is a couple of hours on flat ground. The demands are early starts — a 5.30 departure for Yala and 6.30 for the whale boat — three to four hours bouncing in an open jeep, and the sea. The whale-watching boats go well offshore and the swell can be large; if you are prone to seasickness, take tablets the night before and again in the morning, and sit at the back.
Accommodation
Mid-range hotels with private bathrooms and air conditioning, a safari lodge or hotel near Tissamaharama for the Yala nights, and beach hotels at Mirissa and Bentota. Single rooms are available at a supplement.
Money, connectivity and respect
The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee; ATMs are in every town on the route and hotels take cards, but carry cash for tips, tuk-tuks and small shops. A local SIM from the airport gives good 4G along the coast; coverage inside Yala is patchy. Cover shoulders and knees, and take off shoes, at temples and the dagoba at Tissamaharama.
Questions about this trip
Will I definitely see a leopard in Yala?
No one can promise that. Yala Block 1 has one of the highest leopard densities recorded anywhere and they are seen on most days in a good season, which is why we do two game drives, an afternoon and a dawn. Elephants, crocodiles, deer, peacocks and water birds you will almost certainly see.
When is Yala closed?
Block 1 usually closes for a few weeks between about September and mid-October, in the driest part of the year. The exact dates are announced by the Department of Wildlife Conservation each year. This tour runs from November to April, so it falls outside the usual closure.
Are blue whales guaranteed at Mirissa?
No. Between November and April blue whales feed a few hours offshore and are seen on many trips, but the sea decides. The boats are out for three to five hours and the swell can be big, so take seasickness tablets beforehand if you are at all prone.
Is the Elephant Transit Home ethical?
It is run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation to raise orphaned calves and release them into the wild, and visitors only watch the feeds from a platform. There is no riding, bathing or touching. It is a different thing from the private elephant attractions elsewhere in the country, which this tour does not visit.
Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka?
Most visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for online before travel. The fee and the list of exempt nationalities have changed several times recently, so check the official ETA site when you book. It is not included in the price.
Is this tour suitable for children?
Yes, from about six. The walking is minimal, but the early starts and three to four hours in a jeep are long for small children, and the whale boat can be rough. We can run the tour privately for a family and adjust the pace.
Can I combine this with the hill country?
Yes, and many people do. Our Sigiriya, Kandy and Ella tour ends in Ella, about three hours from Yala, so the two can be joined into a fortnight without going back to Colombo in between. See all our Sri Lanka tours.
Can I travel alone or make it private?
Yes. Single travellers can join a group departure with a single room supplement, or we can run the whole itinerary privately on your own dates.
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Photographs: Adbar (CC BY-SA 3.0); Ji-Elle (CC BY-SA 3.0); Z thomas (CC BY-SA 4.0); Adbar (CC BY-SA 3.0); dronepicr (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Enquire about this trip
Tell us who is travelling and roughly when. A trip planner — not a call centre — replies within three hours between 9am and 11pm Pakistan time with a day-by-day itinerary and the full price, per person, with nothing hidden underneath it.
- Every itinerary written from scratch around your dates.
- Licensed operator, running these routes since 2020.
- A full costing up front — no deposit to see one.
- +92 310 5344471
- info@elhamasia.com
- 9am – 11pm PKT, seven days a week
- Office No. 227, Rohtas Road, G-9/1, Islamabad, Pakistan
