Yala Block 5 vs Block 1 do you actually see anything in Block 5 or is it just less crowded

Honest answer from someone who runs both blocks. Block 1 (Palatupana entrance) has the worlds highest leopard density and the highest single-jeep sighting probability - around 65-75 percent chance of a leopard sighting on a half-day safari, but you may share that sighting with 20+ other jeeps. Block 5 (Lunugamvehera entrance) has lower density but real leopards, with maybe 30-40 percent sighting probability, and the trade-off is you might be the only jeep at the sighting plus much better elephant, sloth bear and birdlife encounters. Landscape difference is significant: Block 1 is the famous open scrub-and-rock leopard country; Block 5 is more wooded with reservoir edges and grasslands. For pure "see a leopard" odds, Block 1; for a wilder, more naturalistic experience that may also produce a leopard, Block 5. Do BOTH if you have two days. Block 5 has limited jeep operators, so book ahead.