From Colombo: Yala National Park, Galle Mirissa, 2-Day Tour
ID: GYG837260-1326725
Category:
Country: Sri Lanka
Duration:
2 days
Description
Discover the history of the ancient port city of Galle and its connection to the Bible. Explore the south coast with a safari of Yala National Park, Mirissa Beach, and Kartaragama Temple.
Explore the southern coast of Sri Lanka on a 2-day tour from Colombo. Visit the ancient port city of Galle, the Star Fort in Matara, Mirissa Beach, the Kataragama Temple, and the Yala National Park.
Day 1:
Start your tour with a visit to the ancient port city of Galle. According to Sir James Tenant, Galle was the "Tarshish,” referred to in the Bible as the port where ships trading with King Solomon obtained gemstones, ivory, spices, and scented woods.
Most certainly the place where the Galle fort now stands, as well as other areas in Galle, all had historic connections that go back long before the Portuguese era. International traders, Persians, Moor traders from the Persian Gulf, South Indian traders, Malay traders, and a host of other nationalities lived and traded in Galle.
Continue to the Yala National Park, the biggest national park in Sri Lanka. Initially, it was used as a hunting ground during the British rule in Sri Lanka. As the number of animals drastically reduced due to hunting, Yala was declared a national park in 1900 and became a safe place for animals. Your safari takes place in the afternoon and lasts about 5 hours.
Yala is divided into 5 zones and is famous for its high density of wildlife such as leopards, elephants, deer, wild boar, bears, and monkeys. Yala is considered to be one of the best places to witness leopards in the world. There were 17 ½ leopards in every 100 square kilometres in Yala National Park.
Block 1 of Yala National Park could be home to the densest population of leopards in the world, the densities in this tiny area have maintained around a leopard every 2 square kilometers. Unlike most other national parks where leopards can be seen in the dark, Sri Lanka leopards are in motion during the day as well.
Overnight stay in Yala
Day 2:
Start your day with a visit to the Kataragama Temple. Kataragama, the domain of God Skanda (Lord Murugan Katirkaman, Kadirkamam, Subrahmanya, Kandasamy, Kadiradeva, Katiradeva, Katiravel, Karttikeya, and Tarakajith) located in the Deep South of Sri Lanka, adjoining the popular Ruhuna Yala National Park and ancient Sithulpawwa Buddhist Monastery, is a multi-religious sacred city that contains a Buddhist temple, Hindu shrine, and Islamic mosque. Later drive to hotel in Colombo.
Highlights
- Discover the history of the ancient port city of Galle
- Explore the pristine beaches on the south coast
- See the natural fountain of the blow hole and the uncrowded beaches of Mirissa
- Visit the sacred city of Kataragama, home to a Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic shrines
- Go on a safari in Yala National Park and see leopards, elephants, bears
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes for walking.
Bring a hat and sunscreen to protect against the sun.
Carry water to stay hydrated.
Be prepared for varying weather conditions.
Respect local customs and traditions at religious sites.
Keep a safe distance from wildlife during the safari.
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 24 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 24 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.