Review Author: samanindra, Sri Lanka

Review Date: 04 Sep 2019

Review Body: It is always a pleasure to travel to a wildlife national park in the south namely Yala, Bundala, Lunugamwehera ( Block 5) or Udawalawe with Samitha {Theekshan Lakshan of Daya Safari} .The most recent visit to Yala Block 5 on the 29th of last month with Samitha will never forget us .It was another repetition of taking 3 Leopard cubs in one frame. in the same park.We are very frequent visitors to Yala National Park for wildlife photography.Invariably we visit Yala at least one visit every month with him.He is very pleasant, his attitudes towards clients are amazing. he will never satisfy with the seen no of leopards, he wants to show some more leopards. Same time his tracking & spotting skills of leopards are very unique..Not only leopards he has the ability of showing Sloth Bears,Tuskers, Elephants or birds.We presume he got these incredible skills with his tremendous experience in the field.We were inspired by Samitha to visit Yala Block 5 on our last visit to Yala.This is after a long time we decided to visit this park We had a fantastic, remarkable experience seeing and taking photographs of 3 leopards in one frame for the 2nd time in the same park after several years.They are sub adult siblings.We saw them playing, chasing behind birds , drinking water etc..His skills of taking the vehicle to the best place in no time to take a wonderful photo to us is amazing. When ever we are guided by Samitha he has never failed to give us the best in wildlife. Each visit of ours we collect some unbelievable photographs as memories. Our favourite hobby is to upload all the fascinating pictures into the face book. So all our friends are astonished to see the memorable quality photographs that we have taken during our visits to the National Parks. Samitha has a great future ahead All the best to you.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: robsarahadventures, United Kingdom

Review Date: 19 Apr 2019

Review Body: If you go on safari, go with Daya Safaris you will not be disappointed. After much research before booking, we decided to go with this company the safari was just for the 2 of us. Excellent communication prior to booking & in the few days prior to our safari. We were picked up as promised on time at 4.30 am the driver (Guyan)?was waiting for us. We were one one of the first Jeep’s into the park when it opened at 6 am and saw a leopard within the first 20 minutes. The leopard crossed in front of us & was incredible to see. We saw many animals during our 7 hour safari and the driver was very informative & knowledgeable & provided us with binoculars for a better view. We had a stop at the beach for breakfast & Toilet stop (watch out for the frogs in the toilet bowl)! The driver said he had heard that a herd of elephants were heading to the watering hole so he parked up and waited for around 10 minutes & we saw them emerge from the jungle into the watering hole, the driver was in the perfect spot! Later in the day we joined a massive ‘melee’ to see another leopard asleep in the tree. An amazing day, can’t recommend enough. Thank you Daya for a wonderful experience!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Meitantei, Canada

Review Date: 01 Jan 2019

Review Body: We'd like to thank Daya Safari for an amazing first day of 2019. First of all, the booking process went very smoothly, Daya Safari was one of the fastest at responding to my emails, and gave a very competitive price, so I've decided to use their tour service. Our driver Samitha came to pick us up at 4:15am and we raced other cars to be the third car entering the park. This paid off as we spotted a leopard 15 mins into the drive. As the day went on we saw 2 more leopard cubs, elephants, crocodiles, deers, buffalos and at least 20 bird species. Just when we thought the day couldn't get better, our driver brought us to see a leopard that was just chilling by the road! And as the jeep crowd got bigger, the leopard started to move away... into the direction of our jeep! It was incredible as we watched the leopard (at that time just about 1 meter away) slowly walked past our jeep, giving us the perfect photo ops. We had been on a 2 week safari in Africa before and never had we been this close to a leopard, so this made our day just that much more special. Again we'd like to thank Daya Safari for such an amazing safari experience!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Chosdan, India

Review Date: 21 Apr 2019

Review Body: I have booked their services for our group from France and I should say that this is one company everyone should book their safari with. Our tour driver and hotel owner in Tissa were proposing some other companies but I decided to book with Daya as I saw they have the lease negative reviews and fare price compare to few top companies. We had Samitha as our driver and he was perfect. He knew where to go and how to avoid the mass and rough driving group in the park. By 9:00 most of the driver started leaving the national park but we stayed till almost 11:00 am and we were able to visit some more places and spoted somemore wild animals. I forgot to mentioned that we were the first few to spot leopard that day, I doubt if everyone have seen the beautiful creature. But, it could be luck or coincidence. We are more than happy with their services and we will definitely book their services in the near future. Thanks Samitha and Daya for the incredible experience.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: frederic2016, France

Review Date: 23 Aug 2018

Review Body: We are a family of 3 and we just returned from an 11 day trip in Sri Lanka where we booked a Safari in Yala with Daya Safari Jeep Service. We stayed in the park at the Cinnamon Wild Resort. We contracted with Daya Safari for a 5 hour guided trip and our experience with this company has been great from start to finish. All the promises were kept including the price for the safari. We obtained a good deal and even though the owner made a mistake in the estimate for our family, he maintained the discounted price. We were very pleased with the driver, Chanaka, who arrived on time to pick us up at 4:30 am. He has been very kind, and made every effort to find all the wild life we were looking for. Yes, we saw a leopard, crocodiles, elephants, buffalos, wild bores, eagles and all sort of birds. He made our trip very pleasant and we highly recommend this company for the visit of the Yala National Park.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: nuwangiR2010, Sri Lanka

Review Date: 21 Aug 2019

Review Body: We had a brilliant wildlife safari with the tour operator Samitha of daya Safari in yala last month. We experienced lots of sightings including leopards, Tuskers, migrant birds and lot more. Samitha is very knowledgeable and by letting him show us the best wildlife watching sites we were amazed. The most rare sightings are the leopards which Samitha made possible for us not just once but 6 sightings of 10 leopards. We were fortunate to see mother and 3 cubs together which is a very rare opportunity thanks to Samitha. He is a very friendly person and incredibly quick to spot animals. We have been to yala several times with both Samitha and Thanura of Daya Safari and I would highly recommend them if you are really in to wildlife and photography. They are the best. Every time we visit yala they never disappoint us. They make sure we leave the place with millions of photographs.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: nalin r

Review Date: 31 Aug 2019

Review Body: I am a wild life photographer and I wanted to visit Yala before the park is closed as it normally does for September and October. I had to make a choise because at wilpaththu national park sightings were really good for past few days but i made my mind to go to yala and choose Daya Safari which I have used previously as well. Decision was such whether we go to block one or block five. The experience game driver Theekshana Lakshan’s Experience and thoughtfulness made our day a fantastic life time experience as we were able to sight three leopards cubs together. Thank you very much Daya Safari for that beautiful moment and I would recommend that everyone should use their service to get real Sri Lankan wildlife experience. I have attached few pics for your reference thank you

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nalin R

Review Date: 02 Aug 2018

Review Body: I did two full days safari with Theekshana Lakshan who has so much tracking experience attached to Daya Safari. I had very successful two days with lot of had full experiences which the credit should go to Theekshana. I was able to capture lots of leopards into my camera lens which made me so happy. We would like to make a special note of the friendliness and helpfulness of Theekshana which created a family bond. I would like to recommend Daya Safari to any one who is planning to visit Yala National Park in terms of getting wonderful Sri Lankan safari experience. I am pretty sure you all too will write a similar review because the experience you will get will be world class.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tower0102

Review Date: 22 Feb 2019

Review Body: I had a wonderful time experiencing wildlife with Daya Safari. My driver Samitha, was very knowledgable and it seemed he knew the park inside and out. He made every effort to make sure we saw as much wildlife as possible during our afternoon run. We were lucky to have seen many birds, elephants, and yes we saw a leopard from the distance. Over all it was a great experience, and I would highly recommend this company to anyone. Booking was also very easy and a smooth process. We were picked up form the hotel on time and dropped off accordingly. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Harsha W, Sri Lanka

Review Date: 12 Jul 2018

Review Body: These guys are pretty good. I have gone on safari at least 10 times already. Samitha and Thanura are very good and will do their best to make sure you see everything Yala has to offer. Vehicles are clean and comfortable. They usually pick us up at 04:30 in the morning and we either spend the whole day or half a day inside the park. Highly recommended if traveling to Yala. They tend to get booked out very fast so it’s best to contact them ahead of time and go. Ideal if your in to photography they will make sure you get the best spot to take the best shot.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: uwaism2019

Review Date: 30 Aug 2019

Review Body: Daya Safari Jeep Service - Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka is an awesome Safari operator in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. I have participated in many Safaris with them. Usually Theekshana Lakshan (Shamitha) accompany us during the safaris as a tracker / guide / driver. A trip with them is always a memorable experience. Shamitha was very keen and has a thorough knowledge in leopard behaviour and territories. I can rate them 5 stars and recommend them for anyone looking forward for a great safari experience. Uwais Mohideen

Review rating: 5

Review Author: NikHongkong, Hong Kong

Review Date: 30 Aug 2019

Review Body: We had an amazing trip to Yala thanks to Daya jeep safari. The guide really knew where to go and was very knowledgeable about the animals and the local culture. We were picked up on time from our hotel and take in through the back without much delay or waiting. We saw leopard, bear, deer, monkeys, elephants, crocodile, wild boar, peacock and many other animals in the short four hours that we were in the park. Would highly recommend this service. Intend to use them again when I go back to Yala.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tom G

Review Date: 09 Jan 2019

Review Body: We had 2 great days in the Yala and Bundala parks. Chanaka was our driver and guide, and he did an excellent job. He is very knowledgeable on the parks, we saw all the animals in Yala except the bears... He was kind enough to lend me his good binoculars, so I could see the leopards, the elephants, the crocodiles and all the birds very well. He is a good driver, we felt very safe in his truck even when he was rushing to see the animals. To be recommended !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: ArashWw

Review Date: 30 Oct 2019

Review Body: It was a really great experience. We booked the half day safari and it was absolutely worth it. We were very lucky with the animals we saw (lepards, crocodiles, elephants, peacocks, Buffalo ...) in such a short time. Our guide, Lakshan, was punctual, very good driver and extremely experienced. He always knew where to drive next and made it a very special day. Thank you very much ! We would always recommend it to friends and family

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Chandika J

Review Date: 18 Jan 2019

Review Body: The best safari operator in yala. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride and they will take care of everything else. Samitha in perticular is fantastic and know exactly where to go and where to stop so you get the best sighting of any animal. He’s also an expert at finding leopards. Would recommend them to anyone and they will be the only operator I will be using for my regular trips to yala.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sankha W, Sri Lanka

Review Date: 17 Jan 2019

Review Body: When it comes to Photography and Safari, its really important that the Safari Drivers are experienced enough to understand the angle you need as a photographer, animal movement and specially whereabouts of animals inside the park...etc. We were in Yala recently and was able to spot experience some amazing sightings. I highly recommend Daya Safari to be one of the best in Yala National Park.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Katy C

Review Date: 29 Jan 2019

Review Body: We chose Daya based on previous ratings and reviews and also the fact that he runs HiLux vehicles which are far more comfortable on the park tracks. We had a great day out with very friendly service and excellent spotter skills by our driver MANJU. Would highly recommend Daya and his guides to anyone wanting a quality and value experience.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: karl025, Denmark

Review Date: 01 Mar 2017

Review Body: We had 3 safaris in Yala and Bundala with a fantastic driver and guide - Thanura. He knew the parks very well and showed us lots of animals and birds - we saw 6 leopards!!! He is very enthusiastic and competent and did his very best to give us the best experience. We can highly recommend Daya Safari and our guide Thanura. Karl Top (Denmark)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Dylantricks

Review Date: 25 Apr 2019

Review Body: Our family had an excellent time with Daya in the Yala park! Our guide Nuwan was prompt, helpful, and very friendly. He guided us quickly to the leopards in the park, and showed us many other exciting animals. They also had a brand new truck that was one of the nicer ones in the park, very comfortable seating! Highly recommend

Review rating: 5

Review Author: AleTravelingtheworld, Germany

Review Date: 10 Sep 2019

Review Body: If you are to head to Yala, Daya Safari is the go to place. Very knowledgeable staff who know the behavior and movements of the animals. Jeeps are very comfortable and spacious. Disciplined drivers who respect the rules of the park. Will definitely go with them again the next time I’m back in SL

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Today you will be going to see greater flamingo and other Flora Fauna

Itinerary Description: 5.00 AM: We’ll enter the park. We’ll be able to listen to the nice Bird Songs and then we drive towards the wetlands area and find birds. 9.00 AM: We go back to the hotel.