New tourist access point of Yala, 'Galge' built by the Ministry of Tourism at a cost of Rs. 6.5 Mn, opened on 30th June 2021 by the Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga.

Yala national park is the second largest and most visited national park in Sri Lanka. Out of the five blocks of the park, two are open to public along with the adjoining parks. Encompassing 979 square kilometers, Yala national park is situated in the southeast of Sri Lanka, about 300km from Colombo, lying on both Southern and Uva provinces. It was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having being declared as such in 1938, along with Wilpattu national park. Yala is a must national park during your wildlife tour in Sri Lanka. 

Yala is known for its variety of eco-systems and rich biodiversity. It is situated in s dry semi-arid climatic region hosts various ecosystems from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. Being situated in an area that hosted ancient civilizations, Yala not only consists of pilgrim sites such as Sithulpawwa and Magul viharaya, but also several ancient man made tanks such as Maha Seelawawa and Buthawa tank. This, and the fact that Yala is included in the legends of King Rawana makes Yala a famous pilgrim destination.

Yala is one of the 70 important bird areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka and boasts of a recorded 215 bird species, out of which seven are endemic to the country. Out of the 90 water birds in Yala, half are migrants. 44 species of mammals are resident in Yala including Sri Lankan elephant. It also has one of the highest leopard densities in the world and also harbors many threatened species such as Sri Lankan sloth bear, leopard, elephant and wild buffalo.  47 reptile species (with 6 endemic species), 18 amphibian species (with 2 being endemic) and 21 freshwater fish species has also been recorded in Yala.  All five globally endangered sea turtles has been recorded to visit coast line of Yala.

Image Source - Travel Voice Sri Lanka