Yala morning safari from the south coast

Yala morning safari from the south coast is Majeste's private day tour from Mirissa. It takes about 11.5 hours door to door and costs $139 per person for two, including your own car with an English-speaking driver, and a private jeep with a safari driver and the park tickets. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. Nothing to pay now.

A 04:00 start for a dawn drive in Block 1, back by mid-afternoon.

Elephant and calf walking along a red sand track between green trees in Yala National Park
Photo: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

StartMirissa
Hoursabout 11.5 hoursDoor to door
Distance240 kmRound trip
Also from these towns
StartHoursKmPer person for two
Galleabout 13290$150
Hikkaduwaabout 14330$159

About this tour

The expressway runs almost to the park, so from Mirissa you can meet your jeep in Tissamaharama at 06:30 and be in Yala Block 1 by 07:00 for a four-hour drive. Leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and Block 1 has jeep jams at sightings. About five hours in the car from Mirissa, six from Galle; a night in Tissamaharama is more comfortable.

  • Private 4x4 jeep in Yala Block 1 with park tickets included
  • Leopards, elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles are all possible; none is promised
  • Lunch in Tissamaharama by the tank

Your day

Planning times from Mirissa, not promises. From another start town the times change.

  1. Pickup at your hotel; E01 to the Hambantota exit.

  2. Jeep pickup in Tissamaharama; 30 to 40 minutes to the Palatupana gate.

  3. Yala morning safari, about four hours.

    About Yala morning safari (private jeep)

  4. Lunch in Tissamaharama, paid directly.

  5. Start the drive back.

  6. Arrive in Mirissa.

What is in the price

Included

  • Private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking driver for the day
  • Fuel, expressway tolls and parking
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Mirissa, Weligama, Galle, Unawatuna or Hikkaduwa
  • Every jeep and activity listed under tickets and fees

Not included

  • Lunch is at a local restaurant, paid directly, about USD 5 to 15 a head
  • Breakfast box from your hotel
  • Tips for the driver and any local guide, at your discretion
  • Drinks, snacks and personal spending

Tickets and fees

Amounts are for two adults. Entrance fees for Sri Lankan residents differ. Message us and we price them for you.

Entrance fees last checked 7 November 2026. Activity prices last checked 7 November 2026. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026).

Good to know

  • The main blocks usually close for several weeks in September and October. If part of your plan cannot go ahead, we offer another date or a substitute and show any price difference. You decide whether to take it. In a closure that is Udawalawe or Bundala.
  • Marketplace listings for this day mostly exclude the park ticket (about USD 72 for two); ours includes it.
  • Dusty and bumpy; a 04:00 start is hard with young children.

Good months: February, March, April, May, June, July.

Harder months: September, October, November.

Optional extras

Not in the price. Add them in the price box.

Read more

Where the figures come from

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