The Yala National Park entrance fee for a foreign adult starts at about USD 25 before service charges and VAT. You pay the desk in LKR at the gate. A jeep is a separate bill unless our package wraps the ticket.
Key takeaways
- Foreign adult permits start at about USD 25 before service charges and VAT. The desk total is in LKR.
- Children aged 6 to 12 pay a lower band. Children under six are usually free. Bring passports.
- Locals and SAARC passports sit on different bands. We do not print a fake rupee table.
- Official Block 1 jeep hire, tickets excluded, is LKR 21,450 half-day. Our private half-day with fees in starts from USD 57 per person in a jeep of 6.
- Blocks 1 and 2 are closed from 14 September to 15 October 2026. The ticket still does not open Palatupana on those dates.
So this page is the ticket spoke. Use the complete Yala tour guide for the month table and the gates. Here we say who pays which permit and what the desk adds on top.
What the Yala National Park entrance fee covers
- Who pays which band
- How you pay at the boom
- The closed dates
- Jeep hire beside the ticket
- Other parks
- FAQ
Also, the permit is for one person, one block, one entry. So it is not a week pass. Also, a second morning is a second ticket. Therefore we lock the date the night before we cut the permit.
Also, the permit covers the person, not the Toyota. So jeep hire, the hotel, and the drive from the coast are separate lines. Meanwhile, a tracker rides with the Block 1 jeep and is assigned at the boom with the ticket. Then you do not tip a second government desk for that seat.
Also, bring the passport that matches the name on the booking. So a photo on a phone is a weak backup. Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan NIC is what the local desk asks for. Then the band is set by the document, not by the accent at the window.
In addition, an afternoon entry uses the same person-band as dawn. So you do not buy a cheaper ticket by arriving at 1:30 PM. However, the leopard window is still the 6:00 AM boom. Therefore we book morning first when the date is open.
Who pays which ticket
Foreign adult permits start at about USD 25 before service charges and VAT. However, the desk total is paid in LKR and moves with the dollar. Last updated: September 2026. Also, we quote the planning number the night before, then the window posts the rupee total that morning.
So children aged 6 to 12 are charged at a lower band. Also, children under six are usually free. Then a family of two adults and a toddler does not buy three foreign adult permits. However, the child still needs a passport at the window.
Also, SAARC passports sit on a separate band from other foreigners. So we do not quote that band as the same USD 25. Meanwhile, locals pay in LKR at a lower desk rate. Instead, we do not print a fake local table. If you hold a Sri Lankan NIC, tell us before we quote, because the permit line changes.
What sits on top of the permit?
In addition, service charges and VAT sit on top of the base permit. So the cash at the boom is higher than the planning number. Also, the same foreign adult can pay a different LKR figure in June and in September. Then we still brief the USD 25 line the night before.
Also, our half-day quote already wraps that desk total. So you do not hand a second stack of notes to the ranger if the booking says fees in. However, a guest who hired only the cab on the park site still pays the permit in LKR at the window. Then the two bills are easy to mix up if the quote is vague.
Meanwhile, tell us the passport country when you book. So a SAARC document is not the same band as a European passport. Also, a Sri Lankan NIC is not the foreign adult line. Instead, we re-cut the permit if the document at the hotel does not match the quote.
What do foreigners pay?
So about USD 25 for a foreign adult, before service charges and VAT. Also, the desk collects LKR. Therefore bring the passport, not a screenshot.
What do locals pay?
So a lower LKR desk rate, with a Sri Lankan NIC. Also, we do not publish a rupee table that the desk can change. Meanwhile, tell us you are local before we lock the quote.
Are children free?
So children under six are usually free. Also, ages 6 to 12 pay a lower band. Then everyone in the jeep still needs a document at the window.
How the Yala National Park entrance fee is paid at the gate
So you buy the permit at the boom before the jeep enters. Also, a hotel cannot sell the government ticket the week before. Meanwhile, our packages wrap that permit, so you are not counting cash at 6:00 AM. Then the tracker is assigned with the ticket, not as a second bill at the fence.
Also, Palatupana is 20 to 25 minutes from Tissamaharama. So we collect Tissa, Kirinda, Palatupana, and Kataragama hotels at 5:30 AM. Then you are in the Block 1 line before the 6:00 AM boom, with passports in a pocket, not in the hotel safe.
Katagamuwa is 14 km from Kataragama and also opens Block 1. Meanwhile, Galge is the Block 5 gate, 30 km from Kataragama. Palatupana is 41 km from Kataragama. Those distances sit on the Yala National Park official site. Last updated: September 2026.
| Gate | From Kataragama | Block | Ticket desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatupana | 41 km | Block 1 | Default dawn from Tissa |
| Katagamuwa | 14 km | Block 1 | A Kataragama hotel |
| Galge | 30 km | Block 5 | Rest dates, same permit rules |
Which gate do we use?
So Palatupana, from a Tissa hotel. Also, Katagamuwa suits a Kataragama room. However, Galge is the gate when Blocks 1 and 2 are closed.
Season and the closed dates
February to July is the dry window the Yala about page names, because the tanks drop and animals use the open ground. Also, June and July are the peak months we see for leopards in Block 1. So book the permit before you land. The ticket does not change the 5:30 AM door.
From 14 September to 15 October 2026, Blocks 1 and 2 are closed. Therefore a Palatupana queue will not open. So we move that morning to Galge. However, if the reopen date moves, the hotel can stay and the gate changes. The permit is for the block that is actually open.
| Months | What the ticket is for |
|---|---|
| Feb to Jul | Driest window, Block 1 when it is open |
| Jun to Jul | Peak leopard months in Block 1, same 5:30 AM start |
| 14 Sep to 15 Oct 2026 | Blocks 1 and 2 closed, so the permit is for Galge |
| Nov to Jan | Northeast monsoon, confirm the open block the night before |
Meanwhile, park hours on an open block are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Also, an afternoon jeep enters about 1:30 PM. For example, we leave a Tissa hotel about 1:00 PM. However, the permit is still one entry, and dawn is the stronger booking for a leopard.
Block 1 holds one of the highest recorded densities of Sri Lankan leopard. So the ticket buys the chance to be in that block at 6:00 AM. Also, a sighting is still not a promise. Then the permit does not list a cat.
Jeep hire beside the Yala National Park entrance fee
So official Block 1 jeep hire, tickets excluded, is LKR 21,450 half-day and LKR 31,350 full-day. Also, Galge jeep hire is LKR 23,100 half-day and LKR 32,900 full-day. Meanwhile, those LKR lines are the cab only, for up to six people. Last updated: September 2026.
Also, a private half-day on our packages starts from USD 57 per person in a jeep of 6, with park fees in. So full-day private jeeps start from USD 72 per person in a group of six. Meanwhile, a USD 30 deposit holds the jeep. Then the room is a separate bill.
In addition, six is the max in our Toyota. So a seventh guest needs a second jeep and a second set of permits. Also, children count toward the six seats. Instead, you do not share our cab with strangers who want a different gate.
Also, a shared jeep from the gate still needs one permit per person. So the cheaper seat does not cancel the desk. Meanwhile, our private cab is one group, one tracker, and one block. Then the permit names match the passports in that Toyota, not a mixed queue.
Does the jeep price include the ticket?
So on our packages, yes. Also, the from-price wraps the permit, taxes, and local pickup. Instead, official park-site jeep hire does not include tickets. You pay those in LKR at the gate.
Is the fee the same in September?
So the planning number stays about USD 25 before tax, and the LKR desk total can still move. Also, from 14 September to 15 October 2026 the Block 1 gate is closed. Therefore the permit that week is for Galge, not Palatupana.
Wilpattu, Udawalawe, and the Yala National Park entrance fee
So a Yala permit does not open Wilpattu or Udawalawe. Also, Wilpattu sits in the north and needs its own night. So do not ask a Yala driver to add it after the 6:00 PM boom. Also, the tracker, the permit, and the hotel are a different day.
Meanwhile, Udawalawe is the elephant park. Also, the park wildlife page puts about 500 elephants there. So a guest who wants herds, not a Block 1 ticket, should say so before we lock Palatupana. However, a Yala permit is still the document for our 5:30 AM door.
If you want the permit and the 5:30 AM pickup in one quote, book a private morning jeep. Send the date, the hotel, the guest count, and whether anyone holds a Sri Lankan NIC or a SAARC passport. We lock the cab with a USD 30 deposit.