Yala

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If you are married to a biologist and want to make him as giddy as a 10 year old schoolgirl, take him on a safari.

Yala National Park is a must see for anyone that comes to Sri Lanka. It is 978 km squared and mostly closed to the public. Access is granted to only 40% of the park and they are strict about not letting the Range Rovers stray off the roads. So if any animal wants to escape scrutiny, he just needs to turn around and walk into the bush.

We were told not to expect too much since there is a lot of a park and only so many animals that roam it. So we were surprised and awed by what we did see. I'll let the photos do the talking. Matt took over 1000, and we've attached a few of our favourites.

2014 is off to a good start.

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Comments

[Josh]

Wow!
Holy crap guys! I've been impatiently waiting for these pics and they are amazing! I can only imagine how excited Matt must have been. What a cool way to start the year!! Love you and miss you!

[Josh]

Also...
When did Matt become a professional photographer? Amazing pics!

[Joe Steyn]

Yala's Leopards
We also spent 3-days in Yala searching in vain for a leopard. We left convinced that there were none. Great to see that you found one on day 1. Happy New Year. Joe and Caroline

[Dawn]

OH MY GOODNESS!
I've been down with the flu and haven't been online for awhile so I had the joy of catching up on your blogs. Your description of the climb was wonderful. Bink and I were taking deep breaths with every step and every word until you joyfully reached the summit. And, the park...oh, my goodness!!! It's a nature lover's high. Matt must have been in Heaven; I know I would have been. You two must be on sensory overload. We're like Kristin. We are excited when we see you have posted a new blog. Keep 'em coming! Love you both SO much.

[Shane]

Ummm yes please...
Ya not much to expect, no big deal, just saw leopards, elephants, deer, jackals, water buffalo, monitor lizards, mongoose, more elephants, oh look another leopard, 300 species of birds...if this is the result of being told not to expect much, I would love to be there when its busy...and good on ya Matt for toting a hardcover bird book around, any self-respecting bird nerd would...keep these blogs-a-flowin...I am planning my next trip via your route....be safe, Shane

[Matt and Roberta]

I know, right?
We were told Yala Park was overcrowded with tourists and were thinking of going to Uda Walawe Park instead, but Roberta said "there's probably a reason why everyone goes to Yala", and she was right! We had an awesome guide which helped a lot. We got him from where we were staying (La Safari Inn), his name was Sandobar (sp?), and he looked like he was about 14 years old. And he was absolutely obsessed with birds. He was both driver and guide, and would be bouncing down a dirt road, cigarette in one hand, cell-phone in the other, then suddenly screech to a halt, reverse, and point out a hoopoe in a tree 30m away. Awesome! He has a network of other like-minded guides who call and text each other all day, which is how we managed to see 2 leopards when many others saw none. Or maybe it was my amazing naturalist skills.

[Sanjeeva]

Yepper!
Hi! Matt & Roberta. Was browsing when i came across your pictures. They are lovely! Looks like you have had an unforgettable trip. Good stuff. I too just returned from touring all the east coast beaches for over a week. Amazing! Cheers! Btw, I live in Sri Lanka

[Matt and Roberta]

Thanks Sanjeeva!
We had an awesome time in Sri Lanka. Too bad we didn't get out to the east or up north, maybe next trip...