Sri Lanka’s largest and probably most well known National Park, Yala is a must visit for wildlife enthusiasts and offers one of the world’s best opportunities of seeing a leopard in the wild. The park consists of 1268 sq km of protected area comprising of grassy plains, forest, rocky scrublands and lagoons and runs along the country’s south east coast. As well as leopards visitors have a good chance of seeing elephants, sloth bear and crocodiles. There is also an abundance of birdlife at Yala with sightings of over 200 different species including curlews, horn bills, orioles and white-winged black terns to name just a few! The park is open for visitors all year round, however peak viewing months are October to May.