Elephants, water buffalo, spotted deer, jackals, crocodiles, wild boars, squirrels, hares, tree snakes, land monitors, mongoose, langur monkeys, wild dogs, and the painted stork, black wing stilt, pelican, hornbill, hawks eagle, jungle fowl, peacock, bramany kite, blue crane, green bee eater, spotted dove, blue tailed bee eater, kingfisher, koel, oriole, egret, western reef eagle, cormorant, paradise fly catcher, red wattle lapwing … we’ve spotted all of them and it’s supposed to be the “off season” at Yala National Park!

There are no fences at Cinnamon Wild Yala so wildlife roams at will. Guests require an escort to their cabins after dark as wild boar roam freely in search of food.

Langur monkeys frolic in the trees at dawn, they are sweet faced and very cheeky but will trash your cabin looking for food if you are foolish enough to leave a window or door open.

The food is wonderful and the weather is perfect … it will be hard to leave, but another exotic location awaits us.