Yala Safari Packages | Block 5 & 6, Sri Lanka

The packages

Three ways to go slow

All packages are private — your group only. Prices are per person. Both blocks offer the same slow approach, the same honest guide, the same respect for what is here.

Most requested

6 hours · Both blocks

From $50 per person

Group	Per person
1 person	$120
2 persons	$70
3 persons	$65
4 persons	$55
5 persons	$50

Not included

Park entrance fees, taxes and service charges
Tips (entirely optional)
Travel insurance
Personal expenses

Signature Safari

Our most popular option at both blocks. Six hours gives you space to go deeper, wait longer, and cover more ground. Enough time to move through the park slowly and let the wildlife come to you rather than chasing it.

What's included

✓ Private jeep
✓ Private naturalist guide
✓ Less-traveled routes through Yala Block 5 and Block 6, going deeper and slower
✓ Bush lunch picnic inside the park
✓ Bottled water, cool box, snacks and soft drinks
✓ 2 professional binoculars
✓ Photographic Guide to Wildlife of Sri Lanka (Gehan De Silva) to use during the safari
✓ DJI Osmo Mobile 7 for video (download DJI Mimo app beforehand)

✓ Wildlife photography included

Sony a6700 + 200–600mm. While you take in what's in front of you, your guide shoots alongside, focused on behaviour, light, and the moments that are hard to catch on a phone. A curated selection shared with you after the safari, so you leave with proper images of what you saw.

Best for: Most travellers. The right balance of time and depth at either block.

Full day · Block 5 + Block 6

From $91 per person

Group	Per person
1 person	$205
2 persons	$133
3 persons	$110
4 persons	$97
5 persons	$91

Not included

Park entrance fees, taxes and service charges
Tips (entirely optional)
Travel insurance
Personal expenses

Full Day Safari

Sunrise entry, midday rest, afternoon circuit, sunset exit. Covers both Block 5 and Block 6 in a single day — you'll feel the difference between the two habitats. Parts of Yala most visitors never reach. The kind of day that takes a few days to fully absorb.

What's included

✓ Private jeep
✓ Private naturalist guide
✓ Full circuit of Yala Block 5 and Block 6, going deeper and slower
✓ Bush lunch picnic inside the park
✓ Bottled water, cool box, snacks and soft drinks
✓ 2 professional binoculars
✓ Photographic Guide to Wildlife of Sri Lanka (Gehan De Silva) to use during the safari
✓ DJI Osmo Mobile 7 for video (download DJI Mimo app beforehand)

✓ Wildlife photography included

Sony a6700 + 200–600mm. While you take in what's in front of you, our guide shoots alongside — focused on behaviour, light, and the moments that are hard to catch on a phone. A curated selection shared with you after the safari, so you leave with proper images of what you saw.

Best for: Serious wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, and anyone who wants the full Block 5 and Block 6 experience in one day.

Custom · Yala Block 5 & 6

Pricing Custom

Priced around

Your camera gear and style
Golden hour windows, both ends of day
Target species and habitats
Your travel schedule

Photography Tours

Purpose-built for photographers. Golden hour timing, remote sections of Block 5 and Block 6, and a guide who understands light and animal behaviour. Built around your camera, not a tourist schedule.

What's included

✓ Private jeep
✓ Wildlife photographer as guide
✓ Golden hour access at both ends of the day
✓ Expert knowledge of current wildlife patterns

Built for

✓ Camera enthusiasts and professionals
✓ Multi-day options available
– Not for those in a hurry

Best for: Photographers who want the full story, not just the sighting.

Not included in your safari price

National park entrance fees.

Park entrance tickets are paid separately at the gate and are not included in your safari package price. Fees are set by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation and include 18% VAT. Use the table below to estimate your group's cost before you arrive.

How ticket prices are calculated

Tourist season

Category I parks

Adult ticket $25

Child (6–12) $15

Children under 6 free

Service charge $10 / jeep

Jeep entry fee ~$1

18% VAT included

Max 6 guests per jeep

Adults	Children	Total guests	Group total (USD)	Per person
1	0	1	$42.48	$42.48
1	1	2	$60.18	$30.09
1	2	3	$77.88	$25.96
1	3	4	$95.58	$23.90
1	4	5	$113.28	$22.66
1	5	6	$130.98	$21.83
2	0	2	$71.98	$35.99
2	1	3	$89.68	$29.89
2	2	4	$107.38	$26.85
2	3	5	$125.08	$25.02
2	4	6	$142.78	$23.80
3	0	3	$101.48	$33.83
3	1	4	$119.18	$29.80
3	2	5	$136.88	$27.38
3	3	6	$154.58	$25.76
4	0	4	$130.98	$32.75
4	1	5	$148.68	$29.74
4	2	6	$166.38	$27.73
5	0	5	$160.48	$32.10
5	1	6	$178.18	$29.70
6	0	6	$189.98	$31.66

Figures are approximate and based on tourist-season foreign visitor rates for Category I national parks in Sri Lanka. Fees are subject to change by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. We will confirm exact amounts before entry.

Before you book

A few honest things.

No deposit needed

You don't pay anything upfront. We just talk on WhatsApp, sort out the details, and you pay on the day. No card numbers, no booking forms, nothing complicated. We'd rather start with a bit of trust between us.

Always your own jeep

Every safari is just your group. Strangers are never mixed into your jeep to fill the seats. If it's just the two of you, the whole jeep is yours. It makes the morning quieter, and it's easier to stop and sit wherever you like.

No promises on sightings

Wildlife is wild, and nobody can promise you a leopard. What we can do is put you in the right place at the right time, with someone who genuinely knows how to read the park. Most days, that turns out to be enough.

You talk to the person in the jeep

All communication is directly on WhatsApp. No agents, no booking systems, no automated replies. If you have specific goals for your safari, tell us before you book — we will be honest about whether those goals are realistic in Blocks 5 and 6, or whether you should look at other options.

Common questions

Questions about booking

A half-day safari in Block 5 runs around 4 to 5 hours, covering the early morning when wildlife is most active. A full-day safari covering both Block 5 and Block 6 runs 8 to 9 hours, with a break during the midday heat when wildlife retreats to shade. The full day gives you two very different landscapes in a single outing.

It depends on your goals and how much time you have. A half-day gives you a proper experience in one block during the most active wildlife hours. A full day covers both Block 5 and Block 6, which feel quite different from each other. Block 5 (Weheragala) is denser scrub centred around a reservoir, with a small chance of leopard or sloth bear. Block 6 (Lunugamwehera) is more open, with good birdlife, regular elephant sightings near the water, and a different rhythm entirely. Most guests who do both find the contrast makes for a more complete day than either block alone.

Yes. Block 5 has excellent conditions for wildlife photography, particularly during the golden hour at first light. Our guide is a wildlife photographer himself and knows how to position the vehicle for optimal light without other vehicles in frame. Block 5 typically sees around 20 safari vehicles on a given day compared to 200 to 400 in Block 1, which makes a real difference when you need space and patience to work. The photography safari is specifically designed for this: entry before dawn, positioning at the right spots, staying rather than chasing.

Weheragala National Park is the official name for Yala Block 5, added to the Yala protected area system in 1973 and covering 6,656 hectares. Lunugamwehera National Park is the official name for Yala Block 6, declared a National Park in 1995 and officially designated Yala Zone VI in 2021. Although they are separate protected areas, there are no fences between them or Yala itself. Weheragala (Block 5) is denser habitat centred around the Weheragala Reservoir, while Lunugamwehera (Block 6) is more open, with wide reservoir margins, seasonal wetlands, and strong birdlife.

Get in touch

Ready to ask about dates?

We reply personally. Tell us your dates, group size, and what you are hoping to see.

Chat on WhatsApp

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