yala national park , confused on what to do ????

Hi all ,Im due to travel to Kani Lanka on 02/09/08.My plan was to do as many trips as possible , one of them being the national park , however due to the civil unrest which I only was alerted to recently after discovering various internet sites Im unsure as what to do with travelling to Yala !

I read this on the government site , Im probabley worring over nothing , so wondered if anyone else has been this year or plans to so it might put my mind at rest.

Many thanks, claire

yala national park , confused on what to do ????

Hi Claire,

If you search the forum you WILL find a few people that went to Yala this year and had no trouble. So although not-far-away Udu Walawe park is a decent alternative, you might simply go.

HOWEVER, it seems that most UK travel insurances don%26#39;t cover any damage (also non-terrorism-related, e.g. theft or jeep accidents) if a tourist visits an area which is advised against by FCO. And as long as Yala has such an advice, maybe not clever for a Brit to go there; as said, enough alternatives like Udu Walawe...

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

yala national park , confused on what to do ????

I say go to Yala, these warnings are usually over the top as I found out living in Bangladesh for several years. They are really harfmul to the economy of these developing nations who need all the currency coming in from travellers that they can get - in Sri Lanka they are really hurting in many places because of post tsunami hysteria (still) as well as the worry about civil strife be many foreigners. I%26#39;ve been to Yala twice this year without any worries whatsoever and will be back in Sri Lanka twice more before Christmas.

Advising UK citizens against UK FCO travel advices makes no sense to me, when UK travel insurances do not cover even commonplace damages.

It is harfmul to the economy of the jeep drivers at Yala, but hardly not to the Lankan economy in general as there are fairly good alternatives (Uda Walawa, Minneriya, Kaudulla) available.

Hans

Hi

I agree with Hans on this one. Keep an eye on the advice on www.fco.gov.uk but if the advice is not to go then dont go. The risk of invalidating your insurance if something should happen is not a good idea. I love Yala, though did have difficulty spotting leopards. Uda Walawe is a great alternative for Elephants, even getting charged by one.

Many thanks to you all , I think Im going to look at the alternatives that you have suggested , that seems to be the best option as reading into the travel insurance you are correct in that it doesnt cover us in the event of a problem and I know that you have extensive costs for medical treatment!!

Thanks

we are going on a tour package in October and our itinerary has been altered removing the Yala element. I think it%26#39;s wise to follow the FCO advice

Thank you for this information about the MEF. Please do you know where its located and what it would cost for an elephant ride please

Ian