Yala West or Ruhuna National Park is one of the famous parks in the world to observe and photograph leopards. There are about 35 leopards in the park, which is considered one of the highest leopard densities in the world. In addition to them, there are many other mammals, reptiles, fish, birds and amphibians. You can see the majestic elephants, ever-watchful deer, ferocious bears and other smaller animals such as foxes and rabbits roaming about. Yala is also known for its bird population; apart from land birds, there are around 90 species of water birds, out of which roughly half are migrants. The flora varies from grasslands to moist and dry monsoon forests and thorns. You may also witness marine wetlands, marshes, and sandy beaches as Yala borders the Indian Ocean.
