15 Yala Safaris in Colombo: What to Book and What It Costs

1.Private Safari Day Trip with Lunch & Entry Fees

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 109 reviews · 7 - 12 hours · from $110Our pick

You get private hotel transfers, a four-hour Yala jeep safari, park entry, and lunch for $110 per person. Guides such as Nisanth, Chooti, and Samith are praised for spotting camouflaged wildlife. Choose an early morning or later start, with pickup available across southern Sri Lanka and Colombo.

“Amazing Tour! Very organised. Love it 🥰 Sam was very useful and gave us all the details about the tour the day before. Our driver was very nice to us, always asking if everything was according to our expectations. Lunch time was also very god, we choose from the menu what we wish to eat ☺️ overall we Loved It.”

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2.All Inclusive Yala National Park Jeep Safari from Colombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $258Top rated

Travel from Colombo to Yala National Park in a private air-conditioned vehicle, then explore the park by jeep with an English-speaking chauffeur. The 13-hour outing includes transfers, park fees, jeep costs, bottled water, rice and curry lunch, and pickup and drop-off in Colombo. Guides may include Blue Lanka staff such as Terrance, Dilshan, or Thushara.

“After being let down by another tour company, we were incredibly fortunate to find our hero, Yuresha, at Blue Lanka Tours, who truly saved our holiday with only a week to go. We explained exactly what we wanted from our trip, and she eRead more”

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3.Colombo/Bentota/Kalutara/Ahungalla: Yala Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 50 reviews · 1 day · from $124

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle to Yala National Park, then switch to a soft-top Jeep for a wildlife drive. Guides such as Dilan, Sasanka, Naja, and Tikiri have helped guests find leopards, elephants, crocodiles, birds, and deer. Hotel transfers are included, but food and the separate park fee are extra.

“Overall, we enjoyed our safari experience. Although we didn't manage to see a leopard, we saw many other animals such as elephants as well as more rarely seen ones like the spotted cat. Dilan was a good guide during this experience. We are also very grateful for our driver who drove us at 2am for 4hrs and back.”

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4.Yala National Park Private Jeep Safari From Colombo & Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · from $250

Travel from Colombo or Negombo to Yala National Park in an air-conditioned vehicle, then spend about four hours in a private 4x4 jeep with an experienced driver and tracker. Look for elephants, leopards, crocodiles, bears, buffalo, deer, and birds. Lunch, snacks, water, binoculars, tolls, and hotel transport are included, but park entry is extra.

“It was a disaster, the driver who picked us up had too few seats in the vehicle, so we had to go to his house first so he could install another seat. Time lost 1 hour After that, three sat on two and the 4 hours. Lang. Booked was for 8 adults peRead moreAuto-translated”

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5.All Inclusive Leopard Nest Treehouse Safari in Yala

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 12 reviews · from $200

You will travel from Colombo to Leopard Nest near Yala for two game drives, a private treehouse or tent, campfire drinks, dinner, and a dawn nature walk to a lake. A qualified naturalist or game ranger accompanies the safari, while selected meals, drinks, and hotel transfers are included.

“The staff are very friendly and helpful. The road/track to the facility is an adventure (wear the seat belt or hold on tight as you will be thrown around) in its self, similar to some of the tracks around yala national park. Food was very generous portions not a lot of selection Read more”

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6.7 Day Colombo Galle Yala Ella Kandy, Sri Lanka Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews

You travel privately with driver-guide Sujeewa, or Sujee, from Colombo through Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala, Mirissa, and Galle. Expect long road days, major temples, tea country, waterfalls, short hikes, a village outing, and optional safaris and whale watching. The $523.19 price covers a group of up to two, but many entrance fees, hotels, meals, and activities cost extra.

“We had an amazing 8 days tour with Sujee. He came to collect us in the airport and then we started the tour. Suje is not just a driver, he explained to us a lot of interesting things about Sri Lanka's culture, geography and traditions. He was alwaRead more”

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7.Private Day Trip to Yala National Park from Colombo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $180

You’ll travel privately from Colombo, Negombo, or Kalutara to Galle Fort, Weligama’s stilt fishermen, and Yala National Park. Driver-guide Deshan has earned praise for his friendly, professional service. Expect a very long 12 to 15-hour day, with park fees, a 4x4 safari, water, dinner, and return transport included.

“We had the absolute pleasure of experiencing a truly unforgettable day trip from Colombo to Galle, culminating in an evening safari in Yala National Park—and we can’t recommend it highly enough. As two coworkers looking for a unique wRead more”

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8.Colombo to Kandy,Ella & Yala 3 Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $5Best value

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Colombo through Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and Yala. You’ll visit the Royal Botanical Gardens and Temple of the Sacred Tooth, take the scenic Peradeniya to Nanu Oya train, see Nine Arches Bridge and finish near Yala. English-speaking guide Terens has led some departures.

“In this three day trip excellent tour in my life and the friends also enjoyed well and good hotels. Guide also supported us well. Good all arrangements. I recommend it more friends.”

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9.All inclusive Private jeep safari at Yala National park

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 9 reviews · from $95

Spend 15 to 16 hours traveling from Colombo to Yala National Park in a private air-conditioned vehicle and safari jeep. With a driver-guide, park entry, water, snacks, hotel pickup, and drop-off included, you’ll search for leopards, elephants, crocodiles, deer, bears, and birds, then visit Sithulpawwa Rock Temple.

“Worst tour experience ever. Avoid at all costs if you are arriving by cruise ship. Our driver met us outside the ship at 8:30 AM as planned for a scheduled private tour of Yala National Park. We rode in his safari jeep for the next 6 1/2 hours, with only one bathroom break, and hRead more”

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10.Yala National Park Full-Day Jeep Safari with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $250

Travel from Colombo to Yala in a private air-conditioned vehicle, then spend about three hours in a safari jeep with a licensed guide. Look for leopards, elephants, buffalo, and other wildlife before a local lunch. Roshan, Arash, and Arosh are names linked with the service, so confirm who will accompany you.

“Arosh drove us around pretty much the whole of the mid to south island. He was always on time, always happy, very easy going with our plans and journey. The car was so comfortable I managed to catch up on sleep a lot! He was always in contact, even when his phone was damaged. He made our Sri Lankan trip comfortable and enjoyable. Great guy, great driver.”

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11.Yala Full Day Safari with Picnic Lunch – Private & All Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $175

Set out before dawn in a private vehicle for Yala National Park, then spend 9 to 10 hours in a private safari jeep with an experienced driver. Park entry, lunch, bottled water, and hotel pickup are covered. Guides named in past bookings include Nirmal, known as Chooti, and Shashi.

“We had the most incredible day thanks to our fantastic tour guide Nirmal (aka Chooti).”

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12.Overnight Treehouse Safari at Yala National Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 7 reviews · 2 days · from $549

Travel from Sri Lanka’s southwest coast to Leopard Nest near Yala, sleep in a private treehouse, and set out with a personal ranger for an evening jeep safari. The next morning brings a guided nature walk, birdwatching, and breakfast beside a lake. Past guests praised guides Roy and Kumara, though transfer quality can vary.

“We have engaged Beyond Escapes for our Yala Tour and it was fantastic! Not only did we manage to see numerous wild animals in the safari, the experience to stay in a tree house is great! Separately, I would like to compliment our driver, Mr Kumara, who fetched us from Mirissa to Yala Park stay, and the next day to Nuwara Eliya. (Note that Safari has its own and another driver.) Kumara is a very good guide and great driver. He showed us around and dropped us at some spots around our journey to take nice photos. 2 thumbs up for him! Thank you once again!”

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13.2 Nights All Inclusive Treehouse Safari in Yala with transfers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $800

Travel from Colombo-area hotels to Yala for two nights with a naturalist-led safari program, a Bundala birding drive, a lake nature walk, and all meals and drinks. Stay in a treehouse-style camp with en suite facilities and an outdoor shower. Krishan and the camp team handle the meals, drinks, and camp service.

“Great intimate setting right next to Yala National Park. Krishan and the guys at Leopard Nest rendered amazing service, friendly atmosphere, amazing food (and lots of it!!!) and an intimate outdoor dinner on the last night. Accommodations were great and proximity to the park was key. Great experience all around.”

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14.Colombo/Bentota: Safari Trip to Yala & Udawalawe w/ Picnic

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 3 reviews · 11 days · from $207

Start with a hotel pickup in Colombo or Bentota, reach Yala for a sunrise jeep safari, stop at Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home, then explore Udawalawe from 3 PM to sunset. A private driver-guide, picnic lunch, bottled water, and soft drinks are included, but park fees cost extra. Sasanka may be your Yala guide.

“Wycieczka bardzo fajna, safari spełniło oczekiwania, zobaczyliśmy wiele zwierząt w tym lamparta i słonie. Jedyny minus to podróż samochodem z hotelu do Yala - kierowca nie reagował na nasze prośby o zmniejszenie klimatyzacji i przez całą podróż zrobił w samochodzie zamrażalnik.”

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15.Yala National Park Safari with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 1 day · from $128

Travel from your Colombo hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle, then explore Yala National Park by safari Jeep. Your English-speaking driver-guide, possibly Dilan or Tikiri, will help you search for leopards, elephants, sloth bears, buffalo, crocodiles, and birds. The park fee, about $40, is extra.

“Dilan was excellent and provided great service. I felt safe and had a great time during the journey. I enjoyed it alot! Thank you Dilan once again!”

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