Wonderful Safari in Sri Lanka
Sunglasses – Check!
Sunscreen – Check!
Water – Check!
Camera – Check!
The Jeep arrives and, following tip-offs from other trackers, you're speeding off on your first safari.
Why has the Jeep slowed to a walking pace so soon?... Ah, that's why! An Elephant is in the road, its swaying trunk, searching for juicy vegetation and you haven't even entered the National Park yet.
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You speed up again, the warm, early morning breeze in your hair. As you enter the stunningly beautiful National Park you swap tarmac for red, uneven, dusty tracks. Now you have become true explorers. Bingo! You’ve been so lucky to spot one of the very elusive Sloth Bears so soon. It’s a good day already for sure! The Jeep stops again and the tracker shouts Crocodile! As he points to the right, all you see is an unremarkable log in the middle of the lagoon. Look a little harder and still think – where? Ah, there, it’s not a log, it's a Crocodile, deceptively calm and basking in the sun with its wide open mouth, keeping cool. Once again you're on your way, scattering hungry, vivid green and blue bee eaters in your path, the dense vegetation overhanging. The tracker points skywards.There, sitting inches above your head and imperiously surveying all below, is a quietly majestic Fish Eagle.
But where, oh where, is that Leopard? You can smell something musty now; as you round the corner, your eyes are met by the wonderful sight of a whole family of Elephants, grazing so close that you could touch them. Quick! Where's the camera? That baby elephant looks so cute, playing with its brother. Shhh!... be quiet; you don't want to scare them! You could sit for hours watching them, it’s so therapeutic.
Now it's time to leave the Elephants and as the Jeep bumps and rumbles, sometimes at hair-raising speed along ruts in the well-worn dusty track, you pass Deer with their young, transporting your mind back to childhood memories of Bambi, Wild Boars with their vast families, noses and horns rooting around in the vegetation. Water Buffalo wallowing in the shallow lagoon, casually chewing the cud. Above you, Monkeys chatter and leap through the tree canopy.
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Sadly it’s time to leave now and you still haven't seen a Leopard! Never mind, maybe next time...
Suddenly, the Jeep stops and all is quiet except for something that sounds like a dog barking. The tracker tells you it’s a Barking Deer meaning that a Leopard is sure to be close by and signals everyone to be quiet... after a while he whispers Leopard! and points. You look, and all you can see is dappled shade, but suddenly there’s a subtle movement and there it is, staring straight back at you – a Leopard, apparently indifferent to your presence. After the merest moment it stealthily moves away, disappearing into the dense vegetation once more.
It really is time to go now. You’re left feeling awestruck at Mother Nature at her best,
After all that jiggling about, you’ll be glad to have booked that spa session at the hotel when you get back!
The wildlife of Sri Lanka wants to play hide and seek with you...
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Hotels
With hundreds of hotels at our fingertips let us help you plan your next holiday.
Something completely different awaits on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Bordering the Yala National Park, twenty-eight uniquely designed, cocoon-like tented lodges are discretely nestled in their own jungle setting, a stone’s throw from the Indian Ocean. Kick back and simply soak in the surroundings and the lodge’s quirky interiors, or why not join one of our naturalists for a day safari adventure in Yala, where Elephants, Leopards, and an extraordinary array of wildlife are waiting to be discovered!
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Set amongst lush greenery and sandy golden dunes. Chena huts makes the most off Sri Lankas tropical beaches and exotic wildlife. Fourteen luxury secluded cabins with their own plunge pools await you. Enjoy fine dining, in the heart of the wilderness, pamper yourself with one of the many personal spa treatments on offer. Sit back and unwind, with a long cool drink at the poolside bar which is concealed behind a gorgeous waterfall
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If you like to get close to nature (we mean really close), Cinnamon Wild is the perfect stay for you. At the end of a dusty track, only five minutes from the entrance of Yala National Park on Sri Lanka’s south coast, Cinnamon Wild’s jungle chalets, safely raised above ground level, provide plenty of character and comfort. You may be lucky and see families of wild boar and elephants while the nearby lake is home to many crocodiles. Or be woken by the joyful thundering over your roof of a troop of monkeys. The buffet at Tuskers serves delicious local or European cuisine (you are recommended to call and ask for an escort during night time hours). Relax in the rooftop Peacock Bar, overlooking the jungle, ocean and lagoon by day, or marvel at the Milky Way by night.
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