Where to stay in Yala National Park is a town outside the fence, not a room inside the park. Sleep in Tissamaharama, Kirinda, Palatupana, or Kataragama if you want the 5:30 AM pickup. We do not sell the room. We book the jeep that leaves from the hotel you name.
- Those four towns are the 5:30 AM list. A coast hotel outside them is quoted separately.
- From Tissamaharama, Palatupana is about 20 to 25 minutes. Palatupana and Katagamuwa open Block 1. Galge opens Blocks 5 and 6.
- On the park table, Katagamuwa is 14 km from Kataragama, Galge is 30 km, and Palatupana is 41 km. Those figures start in Kataragama, not at a hotel door.
- From 14 September to 15 October 2026, Blocks 1 and 2 are closed. The jeep is Galge. We do not sell Blocks 3 or 4.
- A half-day private jeep starts from USD 57 per person in a group of six, with park fees included. The room is a separate bill. Prices checked 22 September 2026.
Gate kilometres are on the Yala gate location map. Tickets, blocks, and the wider trip sit on the complete Yala tour guide.
On this page
- The four towns
- Morning and afternoon clocks
- Which gate the night is for
- The 14 September closure
- The jeep is not the room
- Hotels outside the 5:30 AM list
- FAQ
The four towns
Pick the town by the boom the jeep will use, not by a brochure photo. Tissamaharama, Kirinda, and Palatupana use Palatupana when Block 1 is open. Kataragama uses Katagamuwa for Block 1, and Galge when the rest dates close Block 1.
| Town | Gate when Block 1 is open | Morning pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Tissamaharama | Palatupana, about 20 to 25 minutes | 5:30 AM |
| Kirinda | Palatupana | 5:30 AM |
| Palatupana | The Block 1 boom is on that road | 5:30 AM |
| Kataragama | Katagamuwa, 14 km on the park table | 5:30 AM |
Morning and afternoon clocks
Park hours are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on the park homepage. For a morning jeep we collect the four towns at 5:30 AM. Inside the park the morning drive runs from 6:00 AM to about 10:30 AM. An extended morning runs to about 12:30 PM. An afternoon drive runs from about 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM. A full day runs from that 5:30 AM collection until 6:00 PM.
Tissamaharama is the town we use for most first jeeps. It has the shops and the short run to Palatupana. Kirinda is on the same 5:30 AM list and the same Palatupana gate. We do not print a kilometre from a Kirinda door. Palatupana hotels sit on the road to the Block 1 desk, so the transfer is the last part of that road, not a drive in from another town. Send the real hotel name. A town name alone does not give the driver a desk.
- Tissamaharama, when you want the shops and a Palatupana morning.
- Kirinda, when you already have a hotel there and still want that same gate.
- Palatupana, when you want the Block 1 desk on the same road, except during the closure below.
- Kataragama, when the morning is Katagamuwa, or when the Galge distance on the park table is the one you want.
Where to stay in Yala National Park, on this page, means that match between town and gate.
Which gate the night is for
Kataragama is the base when you want Katagamuwa instead of the Palatupana queue. The park table puts Katagamuwa 14 km from Kataragama, Galge 30 km, and Palatupana 41 km. We do not drive a Kataragama hotel to Palatupana for a default morning, because that is the long leg on that table.
| Gate | From Kataragama | Block | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katagamuwa | 14 km | Block 1 | A Kataragama hotel, and Block 1 is open |
| Galge | 30 km | Blocks 5 and 6 | The rest dates, or a Block 5 morning |
| Palatupana | 41 km | Block 1 | Tissa, Kirinda, or Palatupana, not a Kataragama default |
From a Tissamaharama base, Galge adds about 20 to 30 minutes compared with Palatupana. That extra time is from the same Tissa base. It is not a measured run from an unnamed hotel, and it is not a Kataragama figure.
A few named properties have their own notes. We do not sell those rooms, and a page about one hotel is not a directory of the town. See Blue Wild Yala, Thisara Pool Resort, Jetwing Yala, and the note that Yala Cabana is not one hotel.
The 14 September closure
From 14 September to 15 October 2026 the park homepage closes Blocks 1 and 2. Blocks 3, 4, 5, and 6 stay open. We do not sell Blocks 3 or 4. In that window the jeep is Galge, including for a hotel in Tissamaharama, Kirinda, Palatupana, or Kataragama. A room beside the Palatupana boom does not open Block 1 while that boom is shut.
You can keep the same town. The gate changes. Tell us the hotel the night before. If the Department of Wildlife Conservation moves the 15 October reopen, the bed can stay and we change the boom. What is open in September is on is Yala open in September. That closure is a dated notice. It is not a forecast that waterholes have refilled, and it is not a ranking of leopard months.
The jeep is not the room
Our jeep is private, for your group, up to six people, and it is not a self-drive. A half-day starts from USD 57 per person in a group of six, with park fees included. A full day starts from USD 72 on the same basis. Children aged 6 to 12 pay less, and children under 6 are usually free. Bring passports. The deposit is USD 30. Prices checked 22 September 2026. The hotel bill is separate. We do not mark up a lodge we do not operate.
Official jeep hire, tickets not included, is on the park safari-ride page. Block 1 at Palatupana or Katagamuwa is LKR 21,450 for a half day and LKR 31,350 for a full day. Galge, for Blocks 5 and 6, is LKR 23,100 for a half day and LKR 32,900 for a full day. Tissamaharama and Kirinda pickup is included in that hire. Other pickups are on request. Prices checked 22 September 2026.
Foreign adult permits start at about USD 25 before service charges and VAT. Locals and SAARC sit on different bands. The permit bands are on the entrance fee guide. Our package puts the permit inside the jeep quote, so you are not paying a separate dollar table at the desk. The permit itself is still settled in LKR.
Hotels outside the 5:30 AM list
Tangalle, Ella, and Bentota are not on the 5:30 AM list. A pickup from those towns is quoted on its own, and the time is part of the quote. We do not print a clock for that run. Sleeping in one of the four towns is what keeps the morning jeep on the 5:30 AM collection.
Udawalawe and Wilpattu are different parks and different nights. An Udawalawe desk cannot hold this jeep, and a Wilpattu night does not clear a Palatupana or Galge morning. If the trip is this park, the bed is one of the four towns above.
FAQ
Where should I stay for a Yala morning safari?
Tissamaharama, Kirinda, Palatupana, or Kataragama. We collect those hotels at 5:30 AM. From Tissamaharama, Palatupana is about 20 to 25 minutes.
Can I stay inside Yala National Park?
We do not book a room inside the park. You sleep in one of the four towns and enter at 6:00 AM with a permit and a jeep.
Where do I stay when Blocks 1 and 2 are closed?
The same four towns still work. From 14 September to 15 October 2026 the jeep is Galge, because Blocks 1 and 2 are closed. A Palatupana hotel does not open Block 1 in that window.
Does the jeep price include the hotel?
No. A half-day starts from USD 57 per person in a group of six, with park fees included. The room is a separate bill. The deposit on the jeep is USD 30. Prices checked 22 September 2026.
Is Tangalle on the 5:30 AM list?
No. Tangalle, Ella, and Bentota are quoted separately. The time is part of that quote. We do not print a departure clock for those towns.
Book the jeep on Yala safari tours and send the hotel name. How the private jeep is booked is in the step-by-step booking guide.