Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park to be closed during next month (September)

Sri Lanka’s best known nature reserve, Yala National Park will be closed for the visitors during the month of September, the Minister of Wildlife Resources Conservation Vijith Vijayamuni Soyza has said.

During the month the park officials will renovate the visitors’ bungalows. The park is normally closed for tourists during the dry season, from September 1 to October 15.

According to the government, there are 62 sanctuaries, 22 wild life parks, three high conservation parks, and five natural conservation parks in the island and visitors’ bungalows in all other parks have now been renovated to provide additional facilities to the visitors.

Minister Soyza at a media briefing Wednesday (July 31) has also revealed details about a program initiated to teach foreign languages and to provide scientific knowledge about the animals to the guides in the sanctuaries and wildlife parks.

The government says the Yala and Horton Plains National Park in Nuwara Eliya bring the highest revenue to the Wildlife Department. However, Yala due to its vast extent needs a substantial amount of maintenance work.

Last year, the Yala National Park earned revenues of Rs. 30 million and the Park also recorded the highest revenue of Rs. 2.5 million on a single day earlier this year on February 13th

After the end of the war in 2009, tourists have been flocking to the Yala National Park which is one of the best known nature reserves in the world and a popular tourist destination.

[Via ColomboPage]