Which airport is better for Yala, Colombo or Mattala?

Mattala Airport (HRI) is actually more suitable for going to Yala National Park because it is close by; you’re looking at just about a one-hour drive. Meanwhile, if you start at Colombo Airport (BIA), the trip to Yala tends to run around four and a half to five hours by car.

That said, the big downside is that Mattala operates only a handful of international flights, so getting there directly becomes tricky. Unless you manage to arrange a particular charter, or there is a regional flight that can land at Mattala, you will probably end up flying into Colombo anyway and then handling a ground transfer to the park.