Peacock

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Yala is a large (1260 square km) wildlife preserve, located on the southeast coast and accessible from Tissamaharama just to the south. Tours are conducted by knowledgeable and friendly park rangers in 4-wheel-drive vehicles. One can see many bird species; peacocks are everywhere, like this one perching in a tree. Leopards and elephants avoid the noisy trails, but many other animals are easily seen (following pages).