Sri Lanka's only Wildlife & Tea Experience
Elephant – Leopard – Bear – Crocodile – Purple Faced Leaf Monkey – Blue Magpie -Loris
DAY 01
Meet & Greet on arrival and transfer Colombo stay if required
The ideal option to maximize your experience will be transfer to Wild Elephas River Resort www.wild.lk in Udawalawe which is the epitome of Luxury Safari in the Wild. The Lodges include all modern amenities including Air Conditioning.
Dinner & Overnight stay included.
DAY 02
Wake up to the sounds of peacocks and birds in the garden followed by a late breakfast and a leisurely country walk through sugar cane plantations.Once the sun gets bright dip in the pool and sooth away the journey pains.
Visit the Elephant Transit Home where you can interact briefly and watch the heartwarming feeding time of the baby elephants which will excite and endear to all age groups.
Lunch (optional)
Afternoon Safari in the Udawalawe National Park
UdaWalawe National Park situated 5 min drive from Wild Elephas. This park is considered to be one of the best spots to view and study the Asian elephant. Surrounding the tank there are vast plains stretching for miles and miles and the plains they are much sought feeding grounds for grazing animals after the monsoon rains. This includes some of the largest herds of elephant in Asia; at times exceeding two hundred in number. Other mammals include many types of deer, elk, jackal, types of mongoose, crocodiles and monitors, wild boar and wild cats. Peacocks and the National bird; the jungle fowl found in abundance add color to the green plains. This safari would be an unforgettable bird watching experience as "Udawalawe" is one of the best parks for bird watching too. The park is home to a variety of exciting birds like Serpent Eagles, Hawk Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Black Eagles, Black Capped Bulbuls, Racket Tailed Drongos, Malabar Pied Horn Bills, White Necked Storks, Open Bills and Ibis are found in fair numbers. Among the migrant birds are the forest wagtails, Indian Pitta, Whiskered Terns, Osprey Sand Pipers and Terns. Sun sets are so panoramic and at times elephants present themselves in silhouette in the back-drop of the gloriously setting sun.
Drinks & Dinner
DAY 03
Early in the morning (5.00am) proceed to Bundala National Park with packed breakfast.
Crocodiles in Bundala
Bundala is the only National Park in Sri Lanka, where you get to observe both species of crocodiles existing in the country. The estuarine crocodiles live in the lagoon areas and in the estuary of the KirindiOyariver , while the mugger or the freshwater crocodile dwells in the small freshwater lakes and in the upper regions of the KirindiOya.The estuarine crocodile is the largest reptile alive today.
Birds in Bundala
The wetland habitats in Bundala is a favorite to about 100 species of water birds and half of them are migrant birds. The high species richness of birds in the BundalaNational Park resulted in it being declared as Sri Lanka's first Ramsar site in 1990, a wetland of international importance for migratory waterfowl. The park consists mainly of dry thorny scrubland and lagoons. In particular you may find Indian Cormorant, Yellow Bittern, Black-crowned Night and Purple Herons.
The following are also commonly seen the painted stork, black headed ibis, open bill stork and during the migratory season if you are lucky the greater flamingo.
Late morning leave Bundalaand proceed towards Tissamaharama to rest and for Lunch (optional)
Afternoon depart to Yala National Park for an evening safari
YALA National PARK lies 24 km northeast of Tissamaharama. The park consists of 97,878ha. The altitude is 90m from sea level. The vegetation in this park comprises secondary forest, possibly a few hundred years old at the most. It is predominantly semi-arid thorny-scrub, interspersed with pockets of fairly dense forest. Small patches of mangrove vegetation occur along the costal lagoons. Your best chance to see a leopard is generally first thing in the morning and then again at dusk. The male leopards in Yala are very confident animals and they are often seen walking the tracks during the day. Young males in particular seem to have no fear of the jeep, which can lead to some excellent photographic opportunities.As well as leopards there are a large number of elephants living inside the park and these can be seen bathing in the numerous lakes within the park. You can also see spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, wild buffaloes, sloth bear, jackal and mongoose. The bird life is also fantastic and it is amazing how close you can get to them from the confines of the jeep, you can see Rosy Starlings, Paradise Flycatchers, Crested Hawk Eagles, Blue-Tailed Bee-Eaters and Common Iora's
Return to Udawalawe in time for a late dinner
DAY 04
After Breakfast leave for the Sinharaja Rainforest which is a world heritage site.
On the way to Sri Lanka's only LEED Platinum certified hotel the Rainforest Ecolodge, Deniyayawww.rainforest-ecolodge.orgyou will drive past undulating hills of low grown tea and climb to a height of 1000 meters above sea level. This unique property combines the rainforest & Tea experience.
Lunch (optional)
Sinharajais undoubtedly a rich treasure trove of nature with a great diversity of habitats and a vast repository of Sri Lanka's endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Bird Watching in this ecosystem is particularly interesting because it is home to 95% of the endemic birds. This rain forest is steeped in deep legend and mystery. The word 'Sinharaja' means, Lion (Sinha) King (Raja), and it is popular belief that the legendary origin of the Sinhala people is from the union between a princess and the lion king who once lived in the forest! The Bird Waves with their mixed species and the red faced malkoha, Blue magpie, Sri Lankan White eye, Sri Lanka Spur fowl, Scaly wing thrush, Sri Lanka Hanging parrot, Sri Lanka frog mouth and the always popular Malabar Trojan.The experienced guides will organize an afternoon exploration of the Arboretum and the tea estate spotting the endemic Purple faced leaf monkey.
DAY 05
A 7.00am early start to witness the famous Bird wave and to spot the prized endemics.Return for breakfast and leave for a Nature and Waterfall Trail. Being the rainforest and home to the famous blood sucker (leech) the Eco lodge provides first and second line defense
(leech socks and Dettol sprays).
Lunch (optional)
Afternoon rest in preparation for the exclusive Night Walk which highlights the forest and its nocturnal activities and besides the reptiles and other interesting creatures the target is the nocturnal Loris.
Dinner
DAY 06
Day 8 – After breakfast leave for the Airport