Yala

Yala National Park, established in 1938 as Sri Lanka's second national park (after Wilpattu), spans 978.8 km² across five blocks in southeastern Sri Lanka bordering the Indian Ocean. Originally proclaimed as a wildlife reserve in 1900 alongside Wilpattu under the Forest Ordinance by the colonial government, it became a national park when D.S. Senanayake passed the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance in 1938. Yala holds the distinction of having one of the world's highest leopard densities with 25 individual leopards roaming Block I alone, making it the premier global destination for Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) observation. The park's 978.8 km² encompasses diverse ecosystems from dry semi-arid scrublands and moist monsoon forests to marine wetlands, grasslands, and 15km of pristine coastline. Yala supports 300-350 Sri Lankan elephants, 44 mammal species, 215 bird species (including seven Sri Lankan endemics), 47 reptile species, and 21 freshwater fish species across its five distinct blocks. The park played a crucial role in ancient Sinhalese civilization, containing archaeological treasures including Situlpahuwa monastery (home to 12,000 arahants), Magul Vihara (built 87 BC), and Akasa Chaitiya (2nd century BC) from the flourishing Ruhuna Kingdom period. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the coastal areas, killing 250 people and affecting 5,000 hectares of vegetation, but the park has since recovered to become Sri Lanka's most visited national park with over 400,000 annual visitors.