Nuwara Eliya to Yala National Park Tour Extension …

Mon, 12th November – Wed, 14th November :
We chose to do the three day extension to the Splendours of Sri Lanka Tour; Nuwara Eliya to Yala National Park, and we are so glad that we did. This surpassed our wildest dreams … … …

Day 1: Nuwara Eliya to Yala (Chaaya Wild)
After breakfast this morning we visit the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, one of the pleasure gardens of King Ravana of the well known epic Ramayanaya. This garden was expanded during the British period and has a wide variety of flowers including an excellent collection of orchids.

Rawana Ella Falls is our next port of call en route to Yala, and they are a lovely sight. However, Neil and I have now been spoilt by the beauty of the Himalayas and this waterfall doesn’t come close.

One final stop before Yala takes us to Buduruwagala where the great sculptures of Buddhas date back to the 9th or 10th Centuries. The central figure of the group is Buddha standing at 51 feet from head to toe, attended on either side by two figures of ‘Bodhisattvas’ each standing 40 feet in height. The statues are approached through a jungle area where almost suddenly the face of the Buddha statue emerges through a dark arch of the forest.

Finally, we check in a Chaaya Wild, where we spend the remainder of our evening at leisure. When will we cease to be enthralled by the accommodation this tour has given us?????

This resort is designed to resemble a local village and is set on the banks of Lake Habarana. This is just drop jaw wild wild wild … it’s not long before Neil, who has gone off for a beer, is stopped in his tracks by an elephant just wandering through the grounds chomping at the vegetation as he does so. Just being at the hotel, we see an array of wildlife in the grounds; wild boars, crocodiles, buffalo, birds and monkeys, monkeys, monkeys!!!!!! oh yeh and the frequent visit of the elephant! Just out of this world!

Day 2: Yala National Park (Chaaya Wild)
5.00 am this morning we proceed on our first game drive of Yala National Park by jeep 🙂
Yala is the largest National Park in Sri Lanka and situated in the southeastern corner of the Island. It is placed over an ancient civilisation that dates back to the 5th Century BC. Whilst it is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka, it is also assumed that the park is host to one of the highest densities of leopard in the world. Sitting at the arid region in the Island with less than 1000mm of annual rainfall, the park receives its major rains mostly during the North East Monsoon (Dec-Feb). Being Sri Lanka’s showcase of conservation amongst Yala’s 32 plus mammals, the Prince of Cats still steals the limelight as the star attraction. The park is also home to spotted deer, jackals, sloth bear, wild elephant, wild boar, wild buffalo, crocodiles and large flocks of migratory and indigenous birds can be found here.

There are many jeeps on safari this morning and there is a huge amount of excitement as a call is received that a leopard has been spotted and it’s a buzz as we pick up speed to get to the area it was spotted. Unfortunately, we are too late and we have to satisfy ourselves with a picture of its footprints, lol. We thoroughly enjoy the drive and see everything else ranging from kingfishers to dingos to wild boar, elephants, eagles, but no bears nor the elusive leopard! However, this does not get us down as it has been so rewarding in so many ways and we always have this afternoon’s safari to look forward to.

We return to the hotel and sleep, setting the alarm for our afternoon tour. It's soon 3.00pm and we set off again on a different route. We scoot past many many many animals and birds and high on the agenda is to get that most precious of experiences – the leopard in its natural environment. Its not long before the driver gets a call and the adrenalin pumps as he races to 'the area' … once there we are confronted by at least 20 other jeeps vying for the spot to view the leopard. Neil and I, along with the other jeeps full of guests, are now very hopeful that we will be rewarded with that view!!!!!!! Our cheeky driver and guide only push the jeep to its full capacity and drive it over some rocky terrain right down the middle of the queueing traffic!!!!! OMG imagine the despair on the faces of the other people some of whom start complaining to their guides; but they can do nothing, the area is very tight and, by the actions of our driver, we cannot reverse back. Our embarrassment soon turns to delight as, to everybody else's dismay, we can only go forward into the small area of opportunity and its not a long wait before we get to see that elusive leopard with our own eyes and, of course, get that valuable picture. In this moment, it is all worth it … the animal is so so so beautiful. He is sprawled out across a rock fast asleep. We can only see the back of him but it is wonderfully rewarding and another amazing moment to add to our ever growing list!!!!! Fantastic 🙂 Nothing can dampen our spirits, not even the verbal abuse from the french family as we leave the area, pmsl. I am sure he would have told his driver not to push in, NOT! Our driver rises above the moans and keeps that cheeky grin on his face – no doubt thinking of the very good tip his actions have secured, lol.

Day 3: Colombo via Galle (Mount Lavinia Hotel)
We have a long drive ahead of us today and we are already dreading being cooped up in the car all day. After breakfast we set off, joining the coastal road which we will follow all the way to Colombo. It’s a pretty route and we see areas which still show signs of the damage incurred by the Tsunami in 2004 – 44000 people in Sri Lanka alone lost their lives. En route we visit Galle, a world heritage site and once the chief port of Ceylon, which is still well known for hand-made lace. Here we visit the Galle Fort which spans over 90 acres. Built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch in 1663, it is an imposing 17th century fort with ramparts and churches being fascinating relics of the past.

From the ramparts of the fort you get a wonderful aerial view of Galle cricket ground. No need to buy a ticket when the test match is on, just watch from this fantastic location. Nearly completely destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami, the Sri Lankan cricket authorities wanted to rebuild the ground elsewhere but a certain Mr. Shane Warne invested a significant amount of money to help rebuild the ground in Galle – the ground was where he played his first test match and was therefore very special to him.

We return to the Mount Lavinia Hotel overnight before heading off for a ‘holiday’ in Hudhuranfushi, Maldives 🙂