Sri Lanka Travel Blog

Camping in style with Leopard Trails in Yala

Posted by Ayanthi Samarajewa on June 07 th, 2013 in Accommodation

It’s that time of year again when after five months of really late nights and stressful phone calls that some of us in travel get to take the peddle off the metal. Come mid-April we get a few weeks where it is time to catch up with all the new hotels and old ones by visiting them and refreshing our minds.It is one of those perks in the job that we get to see and stay at some of the most amazing places in Sri Lanka, some very luxury hotels and some great eco lodges which just take our breath away.

We planned a visit end of April so that we can see some of the newer places in these areas which included camping at both National Parks – Uda Walawe & Yala. It didn’t take long to convince me to come on this trip knowing my love for the wilds. I even got up early enough to make sandwiches for everyone for a snack on the way. We headed to Yala to camp with Leopard Trails – a relatively new but quite different camping operator in Yala. I had not been to Yala National Park for a few months and was really looking forward to going on safari.

We were met by Radheesh & Amrith who are directors of Leopard Trails and also their Naturalist Aaron who was going to be our guide for the next two days. We were off on the dirt track to the camp site. The road was a bumpy ride due to the recent rains, but it all added to the experience. As we got off the jeep we got cold towels and an ice cool drink – exactly what we needed on a super-hot April afternoon. As we sipped our drinks Aaron briefed us about the do and don’ts of the camp site and what we should do in case there was an emergency. I think this was very important not only for the people who were camping for the first time but even as a reminder for seasoned pros. We were shown to our amazing tent which had queen-sized beds, lots of space to walk about, lots of luggage space, an attached w/c was an added bonus. The shower was just outside which added to the experience.

We sat down to a really nice rice and curry as we were famished by then, however some of us did manage to drown a few beers before lunch! We were ready for a safari by 3pm and set off in two jeeps to the Katagamuwa entrance of Yala National Park to enter the park. We didn’t get a park guide as the Red Dot jeep drivers knew the park like the back of their hands. Superior service not available to all.

As we went along on safari it was refreshing that we didn’t meet a hundred other jeeps racing to get to a well-known haunt of a leopard either seen that morning or the afternoon before. We went past the water holes and ‘wawes’ which are man-made lakes inside the park. Lots of good birds were seen and photographed. A Grey-headed Fish-eagle was on a dead tree waiting to pounce on a prey. We also got a great shot of a Mugger Crocodile basking in the sun on the middle of the road.

There is so much to see in this wonderful park that you don’t really need to run around looking for leopard and end up miss seeing so many other interesting things. We met a herd of elephants feeding on the side of the road and it had two very small babies in the herd and they offered good views. Some of the trees were in flower as well after the rains and added to the beauty of the park. Our two jeeps went in two separate ways so that we can try to see as much as possible. As luck would have it, the other jeep with all of the others in it had a superb leopard sighting with a female leopard just sitting by the side of the road as they watched.

We drove back to the camp site, all lit up for the evening, and we settled down after a nice shower to have a few drinks, watch the stars and have a great BBQ dinner by a camp fire. We ended up having a very late dinner which was really great and some of us just could not stop eating! We dragged ourselves to bed though we wanted to stay up and enjoy the company and keep hydrating our selves, not necessarily with water…

After a sound night of sleep we work up early morning to the sounds of the birds. After a quick coffee we opted to go for a nature walk with our naturalist along the shrub jungle around the campsite. This was a very interesting walk where we saw many birds, butterflies and some wild buffalo as well. The crisp morning air was just what we town folk needed.

All in all it was a wonderful stay thought a short one with Leopard Trails and I wished we had longer to stay. This is truly a great way to experience wildlife without the crowds in Yala National park.

World Turtle Day Observed at Bentota Beach

Posted by Sean Stephen on June 04 th, 2013 in Activities, Destinations, General

A thousand baby turtles made tiny imprints in the sand as they scuttled across the Bentota beach to the sea. Bentota Beach Hotel along with the Victor Hasselblad Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Center, Sri Lanka recently released 1,000 newly hatched baby turtles into the sea to mark ‘World Turtle day’.

The baby critters were released to highlight the hotel’s commitment to conservation.

With 7 recognized species of turtle around the world and with all but one species classified as endangered, sea turtles are often unfortunate victims to the negative human imprint.

Out of the seven species, the Sri Lankan shores are home to five, including the Green Turtle, Olive Ridley, Hawksbill, Loggerhead and the largest of its species, the Leatherback.

Thousands of turtles are killed across the globe every year owing to pollution, poaching, bad fishing practices and the loss of egg laying habitats among others and Sri Lanka’s Southern sands have always been a popular haunt for turtles to lay their eggs.

The Hidden paths through the Knuckles

Posted by Sean Stephen on May 30 th, 2013 in Activities, Destinations, General

Situated North East to the Hill Capital Kandy is a mountain range that is more often admired from a distance. The clear outline of the Knuckles Mountains – so called due to its resemblance to a clenched fist of knuckles – can be observed from the town of Matale, North of Kandy. We however were heading along the back roads through Corbet’s Gap for 3 days of serious hiking.

Getting to most of the small access roads in the Corbetts Gap region is best by van or 4 x 4. However, the marked roads and excavators hint that the area will soon be accessible even by bus.

We stayed at Corbet’s Rest, a simple property with an amazing view of the mountains. The food at the property was also quite special as I have a thing for spicy food, and when we asked for the food to be extra spicy, the cook included two of my favourite chilli varieties (Cobra Chilli and Garden Bird) that are considered among the spiciest in the world, which he plucked fresh from the garden. The following morning after a light breakfast we set off on our first hike. I was told by Mark who was accompanying me to pack light and while I did leave behind a few stuff, my bag still weighed at least 10 kilos. I thought I’d be okay, and boy was I wrong.

Since we were walking downhill to the Meemure village, the first bit of the trek was quite easy and there was always something to keep us entertained like the numerous butterflies and wood spiders who seemed to follow us and provided perfect opportunities for the avid photographer in me.

We passed probably one of the most rural schools around where children, all in their white uniforms, rather than sitting behind books, were using their green fingers in the school’s tiny vegetable patch.We diverted off the main road to a downhill descent through the woods, and once we reached the first of many rivers we stopped to take a breather and unlatch the bloodsucking protectors of the realm – leeches!

Some may say that travelling with open shoes and shorts is the best thing through leech territory; I however was wearing a pair of hiking boots and cargo pants, with the cuffs tucked into my socks. I had also before the hike generously applied a balm rub on my feet as a failsafe and I had fewer encounters than my friend Mark who was in shorts and a pair of sandals and constantly under attack.

From the river it was a tough climb back uphill. When we passed the paddy fields of the Meemure village, we were back on the village road. The lack of trees on our route and the incessant sun beating down on us forced us to take a much cooler route through the woods. As it was close to noon, there were hardly any villagers on our route.

If you are a birder or butterfly enthusiast, the hikes will be a treat as we saw so many species of both. We also discovered overgrown routes that were built during the colonial era for planters who used to travel on horseback.

By now the effect of my heavy bag was killing me, but there was hope! We came across another stream with mini waterfalls – perfect for the odd swim – and this time we weren’t going to pass it by. I could tell that the water was icy cold by how my feet went numb, but it was probably due to how exhausted we were, that we didn’t find the waters too cold. We plunged from rocks into the cool pools created by the waterfall and watched as the fish gave our feet a free spa treatment.

The rest of the journey was all uphill and threatening rainclouds began rolling in. The bag now was really weighing down on me and all I could do was hope that the end would come soon. We had made our way back to the road we started on and continued to clamber on. I wished I hadn’t asked Mark and our guide how much longer there was to go, as even though we had a couple of hundred metres to complete our 8km hike, the last bit was the toughest.

We got to the wooden gate of Corbet’s Rest just as the heavens were beginning to open. Luckily the threat only turned out to be a drizzle, meaning that our next hike the following day was still on the cards.

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