Tissamaharama

Two nights in Tissa and which Yala jeep slot to take

Two nights is the right length for most people: one for the safari, one for everything around it. Jeeps into the park usually leave at 05:00 or 14:30. If you only do one drive, take the early slot, because it leaves the afternoon free for the sights below.

• Day one, Yala: the park covers 979 km² split into five blocks, of which two are open to visitors. The western section, Block 1, has the highest concentration of leopards in the world, and the elephant herd numbers 300 to 350. Rest through the heat of midday, then walk the dirt tracks around Tissa Wewa through paddy fields and past small farms. Men fish from the bank with cane poles while someone behind them fries the catch to sell. Admire the crocodiles from dry land.
• Day two, Bundala versus Kataragama: In 1991 Bundala became the first Ramsar wetland in Sri Lanka. Its five shallow lagoons hold 197 recorded bird species. Flamingos arrive in flocks of more than a thousand. The alternative is Kataragama, an hour away by bus, whose shrine to the god Skanda draws Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda worshippers alike.

The town's own history goes back a long way. It was the capital of the Ruhuna kingdom by the 3rd century BCE, and excavations have found an urban settlement from the 4th century BC. The large white dagoba is the visible survivor. Book hotels that can arrange a jeep with hotel pickup, and let the guesthouse sort out timing. From here, Ella and the hill country are the obvious next move.

Regular buses link Tissa with the main towns of the south; from Galle, allow 4 to 5 hours along the coast. Yala itself lies about 300 km from Colombo. Drivers who want their own wheels for the coast and the hills can book a car in advance.

Low-water months for Yala and the wet November

Plan a Yala safari for February to June or July, when low water draws animals into the open. Rain stays light for most of the year, and November is the one properly wet month at about 222 mm. Avoid September and October if the park is your reason to come, because the main block usually closes for several weeks.

The southeast is the driest corner of the island. Yala receives only about 500 to 775 mm of rain a year, a fraction of what falls on the west coast, and the monthly averages for nearby Hambantota stay modest: around 47 mm in February and March and just 31 mm in July. Temperatures in the park average about 26.4°C in January, climbing to 30°C by April, and midday is uncomfortably hot all year.

The main block usually shuts for several weeks around September and October, so a visit then may mean settling for Bundala instead; confirm the dates with the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The northeast monsoon brings that November rain.

The calendar matters as much as the weather. In July and August, the Kataragama festival swells that town's population to a few hundred thousand, and beds there become very hard to find. Tissa, an hour away, makes a practical base at festival time, though rooms here fill too. Full-moon poya days close bars across the region.

Eating where you stay in Tissamaharama

Tissa has few restaurants worth singling out, and most visitors eat where they stay. K Holiday Resort, near the bus stand, has its own restaurant, and Mihisara Lake View Guesthouse cooks for guests. The snack to look for is the fish fried and sold straight from the bank of Tissa Wewa. Expect rice and curry, the national staple, on most guesthouse menus.

Buffalo curd sold in clay pots is made the slow way. The milk is boiled and then cooled. A spoonful from the previous batch goes in before the pot is sealed with paper and left to set for about 12 hours.

Behaviour inside the parks follows simple rules. Stay in the jeep at all times, never feed the animals and hold on, because the tracks are rough. Ask your driver to keep a decent gap from leopards and elephants rather than joining a scrum of vehicles.

Kataragama asks for a different kind of care. Hindus, Buddhists and the Vedda people all regard it as sacred, and many pilgrims still arrive on foot. The Manik Ganga, the River of Gems, is used for ritual bathing, so do not treat it as a swimming spot. Greet Tamil worshippers with vanakkam rather than the Sinhala āyubōvan, since language is a sensitive matter here.