Yala National Park

Yala National Park

Y ala National Park (Sinhala: යාල ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය; Tamil: யால தேசிய வனம்) is a national park situated in the southeastern part of Sri Lanka. It is the oldest national park in the country. The park consists of five blocks (Blocks I, II, III, IV, V). However, the area known as Yala comprises a contiguous system of nine national reserves including the aforesaid five blocks, Kumana National Park (Yala East), Strict Natural Reserve, and the adjoining Kataragama-Katagamuwa and Kudimbigala Sanctuaries (Buultjens et al., 2005; Jazeel, 2005). The entire area, except the southeastern part, is bounded by a wide buffer zone marked on the land. The southeastern part of Yala is margined by the Indian Ocean. Yala is partly open to tourists. Block I (also known as Ruhuna National Park or Yala West) with an area of 140 square km is one such part (Buultjens et al., 2005; Katugaha, 1999). It has an extensive network of motorable roads made for tourists. History Rohana principality Yala overlies the former Si…