Foreign visitors pay a fixed entrance fee to enter Yala National Park, set by Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation and collected at the gate. The rate does not change with the season, and it is the same at every entrance.
Foreign visitor entrance fees
| Category | Adult (12 and above) | Child (6–11) | Under 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign, non-SAARC | USD 25 | USD 15 | Free |
| Foreign, SAARC citizen | USD 20 | USD 10 | Free |
SAARC rates cover citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan, and are given on production of a passport at the counter.
The charges added on top
The per-person ticket is only part of the bill, which is why a quoted “entrance fee” rarely matches what you hand over:
- Service charge — USD 10 per jeep, not per person.
- Vehicle fee — Rs. 300 per vehicle.
- Tracker fee — a park tracker rides with every jeep.
- VAT at 18% — applied to the whole subtotal.
Because the service charge is per jeep, a couple pays it once and so does a family of six. Two foreign adults come to USD 72.57 all in; a family of two adults and two children to USD 107.97. You can work out your own party with the entrance fee calculator.
What the ticket does not cover
The entrance fee buys you into the park. It does not include the jeep, the driver, meals, or any overnight permit. Hiring a vehicle is a separate arrangement, and it is the part that varies most between operators.
Our safari packages fold both together, so the figure you are quoted is the figure you pay — park fees, taxes, the private jeep, your driver-tracker and bottled water included. Compare the morning, afternoon and full-day options.
Paying at the gate
Fees are quoted in US dollars but collected in rupees at the day’s posted rate, which is displayed at the counter. Bring the passport you booked under: ticket category is checked against it, and a booking confirmation on its own is not enough to claim the SAARC rate. If you have booked a safari with us, the entrance charges are settled as part of your package and nothing is collected from you at the window.