With a significant portion of the country covered in dense vegetation, the island of Sri Lanka is the ideal destination for eco-tourism. The tropical island is home to an amazing variety of flora and fauna. Nature lovers will come across a number of rare and enticing birds, magnificent elephants and mischievous monkeys. The island is a global biodiversity hotspot and is home to quite a large population of endemic animals. With large forests throughout the country, eco-tourists will have plenty of options, Yala being one of the more popular ones.
The Yala National Park is the 2nd largest national park in the island and is the country’s most widely visited sanctuary. In 1900 the area was first designated as a wildlife sanctuary, and only became a national park thirty eight years later. The park is located in the Uva and Southern Provinces, and is quite close to the city of Hambantota. With an area of nearly four hundred square miles, the park is divided into five blocks. Only two of them, the Ruhuna National Park (also called block 1) and the Kumana National Park, are open to the public.
The national park features several different ecosystems and plays an important role in the conservation of aquatic birds and the Sri Lankan Elephant. In fact, it is one of seventy Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka. There are well over two hundred species of birds residing in the park, of which six are endemic to the country. In addition to this, the park is home to over forty different types of mammals, and boasts one of the largest leopard populations in the world.
There are three wildlife sanctuaries and six national parks in close vicinity, so tourists planning on exploring the island’s jungles will find Yala a fitting starting point. The local infrastructure, more specifically the Yala hotels Sri Lanka are admirable. The Chaaya Wild Yala offers some of the best accommodation here. This Yala hotel borders the sanctuary and is designed to harmonise with its beautiful surroundings. Evoking images of olden day safaris, the hotel is a terrific place to stay.