What an amazing time we had at yala safari camping! The place is magical - completely immersed in the jungle, with trees as far as the eye can see and the mountains in the distance. Our « tent » (it’s not really a tent, definitely more like a luxury cabin) was in front of a lily pad pond and the sounds of the frogs made it a super relaxing place to sleep. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by the friendly staff and served a Sri Lankan meal with vegetable curries and jumbo prawns which was delicious. We then went on our first safari half day with Achi in block 5 where we spotted elephants, a leopard and plenty of monkeys, deers and various birds. The next day, we went to a full day drive on block 1 with Niro, and we loved how he spent time showing us various birds - from eagles to egret, kingfishers and bee-eaters - he had a keen eye to spot and we were fascinated with all that we discovered in the jungle. We even saw another leopard walking peacefully down the road, a family of elephants bathing, a malabar pied horn bill, painted storks, mongooses, monitor lizards, deer, grey langurs, and even Sri Lankan’s national animal the giant squirrel.
On our last day, we went on a bush walk with Chamara, and walked through the forest and climbed a small mountain to get incredible views. Overall Ravi and his team gave us an unforgettable experience and were lovely, attentive and kind with great attention to detail across everthing. Definitely one to remember and return to!
