Safari in Yala National Park
The real reason for coming to Tissa was to use it as a base for our safari drives into Yala National Park. Bright and early at 5am, our driver from Sugathe’s Yala Safari picked us in his massive canopied green Tata and we were off for a full-day dawn to dusk safari.
Entering the park was a bit chaotic as there are no limit to the number of vehicles inside the park, but the crowds drop significantly after10:30am when the morning only safaris exit the park, leaving the handful reminding jeeps to roam freely about. The park itself is strikingly beautiful and pristine with thick scrubs, stork-clad lakes, dune-covered coastline, and majestic rock formations. Simply stunning.
Our first order of business was to track down the elusive Sri Lankan leopard, Yala’s most famous resident. The driver explained to us that these insanely shy creatures are most active in the early mornings and are generally spotted near massive rocks or on large tree branches. We were lucky to see three leopard-sightings throughout the day: 2 in the morning and another in the late afternoon. The first leopard was lying in the shade behind a rock; the second was sleeping peacefully high up on a large shady tree; and the third was also found on a tree but made a quick move to the ground before the other jeeps arrived. I am amazed how well camouflaged these animals are!
The entire park is teeming with wildlife from herds of buffaloes, wild boar, spotted deers, macaque (red-faced) and langur (black-faced) monkeys, jackals, rabbits, elephants, monitors, crocodiles, and more. In fact we probably saw more animals in one day in Yala than our two days combined in Kruger National Park. If you’re into bird-watching, then you’ll fall in love with Yala. There are no fewer than 130 different species of bird from the ubiquitous peacock, storks, egrets, kingfishers, herons, ibises to name a few.
Peacock looking for a mate
The next day, we had a leisurely day of sleeping until noon, followed by an afternoon bicycle ride through little rice paddies and around Tissa Lake. There is not much to see in terms of sights in Tissa, but the scenery is pleasant enough. Most tourists take a sunset cruise on Lake Tissa but seeing that locals use the lake to bath and wash clothes, we didn’t see the appeal of it. In terms of dining, you’re better off eating at your B&B and for that I recommend My Village for their excellent Sri Lankan cooking.
From Tissa, it was time to move on to the beach for some sun and relaxation.
