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Activity provider: Tiger Safaris
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A dawn Yala game drive on the way from Ella down to the quieter end of the south coast, with drop-off at Tangalle or Hiriketiya.
Highlights
- A dawn Yala drive built into the move rather than a separate day
- The world's highest recorded density of wild leopards
- Sloth bears, elephants, crocodiles and 200-plus bird species
- Drop-off at Tangalle or Hiriketiya, past the busier south coast
- Arrival early afternoon with the beach day still usable
Yala Safari from Ella with a Drop at Tangalle or Hiriketiya: Key Facts
| Price | From $35.23 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
Tangalle and Hiriketiya are at the eastern end of the south coast, past Mirissa, and they are where the beaches open out and the crowds thin. Hiriketiya in particular is a horseshoe bay that has gone from unknown to well known in about a decade and is still a fraction the size of Unawatuna.
Yala sits between Ella and that stretch of coast, which makes the transfer day the right day for the park rather than a return trip from either end.
Block 1 holds the highest recorded leopard density anywhere on earth, along with sloth bears, elephants, mugger crocodiles and over two hundred bird species. It also holds around three hundred jeeps on a busy morning in season, and both belong in the same sentence.
The dawn drive is the one that works. Animals move at first light and shelter by nine, and by eleven the park is heat and vehicles.
After the drive it is about two hours west along the coast, arriving early afternoon with the beach day intact.
One caution about this end of the coast: the currents at Tangalle are among the strongest on the south coast and there are no lifeguards. It is a beautiful place to look at the sea and often a bad one to swim in.
Tour Itinerary
Itineraries are customisable as per your request
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
3:30 AM
Pickup in Ella
A night departure with luggage.
5:45 AM
Yala gate
Permits before the park opens.
6:00 AM
Game drive
Four hours at first light.
10:30 AM
Leave the park
Breakfast, then west along the coast.
1:00 PM
Drop-off
Tangalle or Hiriketiya.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "03:30", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "Group pickups take longer; the van may collect several hotels."}, {"time": "06:00", "title": "In the park", "description": "Four hours. On a shared trip the timings are fixed."}, {"time": "13:00", "title": "The coast", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]
Includes
- Shared transport from your Ella hotel, a 4x4 safari jeep with driver and tracker, the game drive, drop-off at Tangalle or Hiriketiya, luggage carried throughout.
Excludes
- The national park permit, paid in cash at the gate, meals, gratuities for the driver and tracker.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 11 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible
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Main Tour Price
Starting from $35.23
$35.23
Tour Type
TransferWildlifeSafari
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Frequently Asked Questions
Shared transport from your Ella hotel, a 4x4 safari jeep with driver and tracker, the game drive, drop-off at Tangalle or Hiriketiya, luggage carried throughout.
The duration of the Yala Safari from Ella with a Drop at Tangalle or Hiriketiya is typically 11 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
No. It is a living town of about four hundred families, not a heritage site with a gate — you walk in. Go late afternoon: the ramparts face west, so that is both the light and the sea breeze, and the day-trippers leave around five. See our Galle Fort guide.
Roughly November to April. From May to September the southwest monsoon builds the sea and strengthens rip currents, and swimming becomes genuinely dangerous even on calm-looking days. The east coast is the reverse — dry and calm May to September. See our south coast beaches guide.
November to April, with January to March the reliable core. Boats leave Mirissa harbour at 6-6.30am and are back by eleven, so staying in Mirissa or Weligama the night before is effectively required. Outside the season, Trincomalee on the east coast takes over. See the Mirissa whale watching guide.
No — and an operator promising one is promising something they cannot control. Sighting rates in season are high; the honest operators offer a free repeat trip instead of a guarantee. Choose a smaller boat with a naturalist aboard that commits to the 100 m distance rule.
Rarely. The main resort stretches sometimes have them; most beaches do not. Red flags mean what they say, and an empty sea on a hot afternoon is information — locals know which days are dangerous. If caught in a rip, swim *parallel* to the beach, not against it.
Two nights. One full day for the countryside cycling and Galle Fort at sunset, and a second morning for the whale boat. Our Galle 2-day itinerary sets out the hours and why they matter.
They vary a great deal. The better ones release hatchlings the same night they emerge; the worse ones keep them in tanks for visitor photographs, which sharply reduces survival odds. Ask what happens to the hatchlings before you pay.
A 20-25 minute walk downhill from Ella town through tea and jungle — uphill on the way back. A tuk-tuk to the Demodara side is quieter and saves the climb. It is free, with no ticket and no official viewing area. See our Nine Arch Bridge guide.
Roughly every two hours, but Sri Lanka Railways runs 30-90 minutes late routinely, so any blog quoting exact times is quoting a timetable rather than reality. Ask at Ella station on the morning — staff will tell you what is expected and how late it is running.
Little Adam's Peak for almost everyone — 45 minutes up a stepped path for arguably the better view, out through the Ella Gap. Ella Rock is three hours return, largely unsigned, and people get lost on it regularly; take a guide or an offline map. Compared in full here.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways are. Send your luggage ahead by road if you have a driver. See getting to Ella.
January to March for the clearest Ella Gap views. June to September is dry but hazy from the Uva wind; October to December is wet. The real risk is cloud, not rain — at 1,000 m the view can be inside a cloud on a dry day, and mornings are clearer than afternoons in every month. See best time to visit Ella.
Two nights, which gives you two dawns — Little Adam's Peak on one, Ella Rock or a tea morning on the other, with the bridge mid-morning on day one. Our Ella 2-day itinerary sets out the order.
Do everything before nine in the morning. The Gap view is clearer in the morning in every month, Little Adam's Peak has a queue by nine, and the Nine Arch Bridge has hundreds of people on it by ten.