Yala Sri Lanka

It was truly amazing. Sri Lanka showcasing its natural beauty at Yala National Park. The first meet up of travel enthusiast brought about some unique personalities - Wild Life Buff's, Photographers and just plain old travelers wanting to experience something new.

Our base was Yala Village, a simple hotel bringing out a strong message about sustainable tourism. It's setting is unlike any other, in the midst of animals - wild boar, elephants and millions of birds which could be observed for hours.

The high viewing gallery gives you a panoramic view of the entire park and ocean - from the Great Basses where excellent diving could be done for a brief time in April to the city the hills seen in a distance. The breathtaking sunrise is an experience certainly not to be missed.

Tours to the park are best during the early mornings or late afternoons when the animals roam in the wild. On our particular trip we were fortunate to see the elusive leopard, herds of elephant carefully guarding their offspring and large crocodile to name a few.

Early morning hiking trails were also organized by Yala Village with their well versed and knowledgeable nature guides. Its an experience in itself just walking through the brush whist listening to the information that is imparted. The medicinal properties of plant and how bird species could be identified were some of the lessons we learnt from the 2 hours spent on the trails.

With the safaris and trails, food was something that certainly on one's mind! One word could describe the BBQ dinner we had - 'Amazing' - amazing not only because food was out of this world but more over the setting and arrangements that were made to make even partake in a meal was something one could not forget. The meal was by the lake near Yala Village - right out in the open - under the stars. Even the crocodiles could be seen with their eyes glistening in the dark. Something truly unforgettable.

The experience of Yala and the stay at Yala Village was certainly unforgettable. Witnessing animals in the wild, in its true habitat was the highlight. The facilities of the hotel and the courtesy of the staff very warming. The message that they bring out - life changing - that is to say, that whatever we do we need to ensure that we respect and honour the environment we live in - at least for this group of travelers this is what we learnt.