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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Ella, Sri Lanka
View on Google MapsWe booked a number of trips through Viatours & Get your Guide, these were routed through the Bentota Travel Mart, as soon as we had booked I was contacted by Sam the tour manager who confirmed the bookings and made us aware of any info we needed & sorted out any additional tickets needed for certain trips. The day before the safari Sam contacted us with details of our collection driver Lahiru who was excellent and arrived early and advised us to pick up the prepacked hotel breakfast. Lahiru dropped us at Tissamaharama where there is a rest stop with washrooms and western style toilets. From here we met our driver and Guide Shashi & transferred to the safari jeep which had plenty of ice cold drinks in the cool box. Journey from Bentota to Tiss took about 2hrs 15 and it was approx 20-30 mins to Yala park entrance where we had an opp to use the rest rooms again before entering the park. Shashi provided a great experience for us and was 100% focused on finding leopards & elephants for us. He spotted so many animals for us along the way and was very knowledgable about the wildlife and bird species that he pointed out & always checked that we`d got the photos we wanted before moving off. We were on the full day package so enjoyed a great lunch that Shashi provided at the rest stop ( the park closes from 12-2 so you get the chance to relax at the rest stop which is on the beach front & is a beautiful spot) In the afternoon the hunt was back on for the leopards and whilst we had seen some at a distance Shashi wanted to make sure that we got to see them close up & he certainly delivered. On our way out towards the end of the day we found the leopard and at one point we were so close I could have reached down and touched it from the Jeep, it then circled around the front of us and layed down in the road about 20 metres behind us. 5 minutes after that a group of elephants crossed the road just in front of us making the perfect end to a great day in Yala. On the way back torrential rain hit, we were dropped off undercover and Lahiru had a large golf umbrella and accompanied us to the rest rooms with it so we wouldnt get wet ( a nice touch). Thanks to Sam( tour mgr) Shashi our guide & safari driver and Lahiru our driver we had a fantastic safari experience and got to see all of the Sri Lankan big 5, with the elephants and the leopards being so close it made it a magical day. Would def reccommend this as a 5* experience. Couple of tips-: 1) Make the use of every rest room you can so you can maximise your time in the park 2) Bring binoculars these really enahance yuor viewing experience and spotting abilities 3) Manage your camera gear a walkabout lens 70-300 may be more usefull, I was shooting a 150-500 which was heavy and made tracking the moving widlife slightly more difficult. Phone gimball or action camera with image stabilisation is great for capturingscenery from the moving jeep 4) Be prepared for a bumpy ride :-)
$175
per personPricing
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Specialized infant seats are available, Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, Not recommended for pregnant travelers, Suitable for all physical fitness levels, Tour Starts from the pick-up point between 4am to 5.30am depending the location. , This is a full package activity which includes entrance fees, activity charges, transportation and taxes.
We had the most incredible day thanks to our fantastic tour guide Nirmal (aka Chooti). He really went above and beyond to ensure we got the very best out of our Yala safari. We felt we were extremely lucky to have Chooti as our tour guide as he was so experienced, knowledge (and funny 🤣). He really did make it an exciting day and we were thrilled to see all that we did. We were a little confused when at 6pm we left the park and all the jeeps went one way and we went another down a track but trusting Chooti we just went with it and ended up at the most beautiful beach at sunset where we were presented with an anniversary cake - wow, was not expecting that! Thank you to all involved for making that happen 🙏 Also a special mention to Pradeep, our driver who picked us up at 0400 and returned us safely at 2130 still smiling. And to Sam at BTM for amazing communication and organization.
What an amazing experience! Our second activity through this organization and they arrange everything down to the last detail. We didn't have to think about anything today because everything was included. Pick up at the hotel, entrance to the park, lunch, water + soft drinks. We had a very experienced guide, he saw the animals very well. Partly because of good teamwork we saw 2 leopards and 1 bear, and of course many more beautiful animals. Great! Definitely recommended to book your whole or half day through this organization
it was absolutely extraordinary, fantastic!!! Shashi is our king of Safari!!! We saw almost everything what is possible to see and we have been always in the first row, the road crossing leopard, the elephant mother with a baby, the elephant family, the sleeping leopard… And not to forget the style of Shashi driving, once he has his next target. I guess it’s not everybody’s choice 😉, but we enjoyed this special entertainment supplement ! So completely exhausted, full of mud, with a huge amount of Great Pictures and memories We are very happy and lucky to have chosen you for this trip. Thank you very much!
We are incredibly satisfied with the organization, the contact with Sam was perfect, at any time of the night and day I could count on a response. The driver was a very nice and helpful man. The trips we chose met our expectations 100%!
Evereything was superb and according to our taste. Communication - high level, transfer - smooth and safari guide was excellent. After host reccomendation we chose afternoon safari and we saw so many animals and birds, including elephants and leopard. We higly recommend this service, thank U ❤️
The day starts really early - 4am, but this is neded as you travel quite a way - you are also able to sleep while your driver takes you; which is a plus!! A jeep is waiting for you at the meeting place which will take you for your safari. During our trip it rained most of the day, but this does not deter the driver or the guide as they want to give you the best trip possible. Even though it was raining (quite hard I might add) we managed to see 2 leopards, water buffolo out in the lake as well as a crocodile, an elephant walking by himself as well as a small herd. Once finished we were taken back to the meeting point to have lunch and to meet up with our own driver. On our way back to the hotel our driver also took us to a local turtle santuary - which was just amazing. Our driver, Danish, was just outstanding. With his knowledge and guidance of the trips and Sri Lanka made every trip/day just outstandingly amazing.
