Wildlife & Safari
Leopard safari at Yala
A dawn game drive in Block One, which holds among the highest densities of wild leopard recorded anywhere on earth.
- Time needed
- About 5 hours
- Where
- Yala
- When
- February, March, April, May, June, July
Gates open at six and the first two hours are when the cats are still moving. An afternoon drive is a poor substitute.
Yala’s leopards are unusually relaxed about vehicles, so sightings are often long and unhurried rather than a glimpse.
There is far more than leopards — elephant, sloth bear, water buffalo, crocodile, and outstanding birdlife on the lagoons.
Be realistic: this is a wild animal in dense scrub. Two or three drives give good odds. Anyone promising a guaranteed sighting is selling something.