Yala is Sri Lanka’s most popular and the most biodiversity-rich national park. It extends to the southeast coast and thus forms the perfect mixture of wetland, jungle, and coastal wildlife. The main feature of Yala National Park is its high-density leopard population, one of the highest in the world. You can easily catch sights of the elephant, water buffalo, sambar deer, peacock, and crocodile on a Yala safari. Yala and its satellite parks extend to some of the most significant historical and archeological sites in southern Sri Lanka. Evidence of past civilizations is found here, including 5th Century irrigation reservoirs and 2nd Century stupas.