Terms & conditions.

About these terms

Yala Leopard Trails is a trading name of [registered business name], business registration number [registration no.], Kirinda Road, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka. These terms apply to every safari you book with us, whether through our website, WhatsApp, email or phone. Please read them before you book, especially the sections on cancellations, safety and our responsibility to you.

Booking a safari

• Sending a booking request through our website or messages is a request, not a confirmed booking.
• Your booking is confirmed when we reply with your date, pickup time and tracker's name. That's when these terms start to apply.
• The person who makes the booking accepts these terms on behalf of everyone in their group, and must be at least 18.
• Please check your confirmation carefully and tell us straight away if anything is wrong.

Prices and park fees

• Our prices are per jeep, not per person, and cover up to six guests. The Private Photographer's Jeep takes a maximum of three.
• Groups of seven or more need two jeeps, and each jeep is charged separately.
• Park entry fees are not included. They're charged per person at the official Department of Wildlife Conservation rate and added to your booking at cost. Rates differ for foreign visitors, residents and children, and the park can change them at any time.
• Prices on our website are in US dollars. The price in your confirmation is the price you pay. We won't increase it after we've confirmed your booking, except where park fees change.

Payment

We don't take a deposit. You pay after your safari, in cash (Sri Lankan rupees or US dollars) or by card. Payments in rupees use that day's exchange rate. Tips for your tracker and driver are welcome but always optional.

If you cancel or change your plans

• You can cancel or move your safari to another date free of charge, as long as you tell us at least 24 hours before your pickup time.
• Because we don't take a deposit, there's no charge for a late cancellation either. But please give us as much notice as you can, so we can offer the jeep and tracker to someone else.
• If a booking is repeatedly cancelled late or nobody turns up, we may ask for a deposit before confirming future bookings.

If we or the park cancel

• If the park is closed, for example by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, or if weather or road conditions make a safari unsafe, we'll offer you another date. If that doesn't suit you, you won't pay anything.
• Yala Block 1 usually closes for part of September and October. During the closure we run our safaris in Block 5, and we'll tell you before you book.
• If we have to cancel for any other reason, we'll tell you as early as possible and offer another date or a full cancellation at no cost.
• If your safari has to end early because of something outside our control, such as sudden flooding or a park order, we'll charge only a fair share of the price for the time you had.

Wildlife sightings

Yala is a wild national park, and its animals move freely. We can't guarantee any sighting, including leopards, sloth bears or elephants. The sighting odds on our website are a guide based on our trackers' own records, not a promise. No refund or discount applies if a particular animal isn't seen.

Safety and park rules

Your safety, and the animals' wellbeing, come first. While on safari, you agree to:

• stay inside the jeep at all times, except at designated rest stops when your tracker says it's safe
• follow your driver's and tracker's instructions
• keep noise to a minimum, and never feed, call or disturb the animals
• take all litter out of the park with you
• not fly drones, which aren't allowed in the national park
• follow all Department of Wildlife Conservation rules

If a guest seriously breaks these rules or puts people or animals at risk, we may end the safari early. In that case the full price is still payable.

Health, fitness and children

• Park roads are rough and dusty, and drives last from about three and a half to fourteen hours. Please tell us before you book about any pregnancy, back or neck problems, or other conditions that the bumpy ride could affect.
• Children are welcome. Parents and guardians are responsible for their children throughout the safari. We fit child seats free of charge if you ask us when booking.
• We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers activities like wildlife safaris.

Our responsibility to you

• We'll provide your safari with reasonable care and skill, using licensed drivers and trackers and properly maintained jeeps.
• Wild animals are unpredictable. We take great care to keep a safe distance, but we can't be responsible for animal behavior that we couldn't reasonably have foreseen or avoided.
• We're not responsible for loss of or damage to personal belongings, including cameras and phones, unless it's caused by our negligence.
• We're not responsible for indirect losses, such as missed flights or onward travel, caused by delays outside our control.
• Nothing in these terms limits our responsibility where the law doesn't allow it to be limited, including for death or injury caused by our negligence.

Photos

You're welcome to take photos and videos for personal use. Our team sometimes photographs sightings to share with guests and on our channels. We'll never publish a photo in which you can be recognized without asking you first.

Photos on our website illustrate the wildlife of Yala. They don't promise what you'll see on your safari.

Complaints

If something isn't right, please tell your tracker or driver on the day, so we can try to fix it straight away. You can also email hello@yalaleopardtrails.com within 30 days of your safari. We'll reply within 14 days.

Law and changes

These terms are governed by the laws of Sri Lanka, and the courts of Sri Lanka will deal with any dispute. This doesn't take away any rights you have under the consumer law of the country where you live.

We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your safari is the one on our website when your booking was confirmed. See also our privacy notice.