Sound like a fantastic trip! I have always wanted to visit the Tea Trails so can't wait to read your report.

I'm eager to hear about your trip, Femi. Sorry you didn't get the elephnat herds that we did, but I hope the rest of the experience made up for it.

I'm along for the ride, too. I expect you will love Tea Trails.

Can't wait to read your report, Femi. Yala was pretty much closed when we went due to the civil war so I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

Pook Tea Trails is of course highly recommended. The cuisine, both Western and Sri Lankan, is excellent an the setting is very picturesque.

Kathie the other experiences definitely exceeded my expectations.

Robbie Tea Trails was definitely other-worldly.

Craig I feel extremely lucky to have been able to visit Yala and Wilpattu which were both closed for the war.

My routing was via Paris and Bangalore on Air France. One of my concerns was the new rule for travelers who wish to return to India within a two month time frame. I explained my intentions to the immigration officer before he could stamp my Indian visa. My type of itinerary does not seem to be common practice. There was a little head scratching and consultation and I was asked to step over to a separate area. Certain parameters were explained to me which I didn’t quite understand, but I chose not to worry, because it seemed I would be allowed to proceed as requested. Eventually I received a sort of temporary visa stamp in my passport which is blurred and difficult to make out but has guidelines about three and fourteen day time frames that the officer had tried to explain to me which I still don’t understand. All of this took about twenty extra minutes and I was allowed into the country. I was able to withdraw money from the ATM without a problem.

My visit coincided with the Indian AERO show, a weeklong conference which meant that even though I was booking almost a year in advance, most hotel rooms were sold out, and those that had openings had tripled their rates. I was unable to find any rooms on my own, but Ayanthi from Reddot was able to find space in the Chancery Pavilion, and they demanded that the booking be paid in full at that time to reserve a room. It is a nice, fairly new hotel, with some signs of wear and tear, but otherwise quite comfortable.

There was very little that I found to be of interest in Bangalore. An acquaintance suggested a visit to the dance village Nrityagram. It is a few kilometers away from Downtown, but involves a nice ride through rural countryside to Hessarghatta, a blessed release from the noise, traffic and pollution of the big city. Nrityagram trains resident and visiting students in the classical dance of Orissa. From what I observed the training is quite rigorous, and holds very high standards. The duration of programs varies from three to six years. The site is not really geared toward tourists; one can take pictures of the grounds, but not of the students or the training.

Next door to Nrityagram is the Taj Kuteeram hotel. It looks like a lovely relaxing location, but not much to do by way of activities. Their website states they can arrange for a performance by the dance school, something not available to casual visitors.

After a late lunch at Nandhini's I returned to the hotel to get ready for my flight to Sri Lanka. There was some to-do at the check-in desk as I was not aware I needed to bring the credit card I had used to purchase my ticket (Bangalore to Colombo roundtrip). At the very last minute the staff figured out a way to process my booking, and I was allowed to board. The flight was an uneventful 70 minutes. When I landed I was able to once again use the ATM without any difficulty, and Nimal, my driver/guide was waiting for me. After a half hour drive through the dark empty streets we arrived at my hotel for the night, the Wallawa. It is a very stylish boutique hotel, my only complaint being they are rather low on amenities in the bathroom. I would have enjoyed a longer stay, but as we had a long drive ahead of us, we were on the road less than eight hours after my initial arrival.

Ayanthi said she would assign me to a naturalist guide, and Nimal is a passionate birder. My knowledge of birds grew by leaps and bounds, and I came to realize how patient he was with me in the beginning, and he was very encouraging of my development. Toward the end of the trip I would report any new (for me) sightings I had seen on my evening walks, and we would ID birds that we spotted as we drove past. We would have discussions as to why we thought a specific sighting was one species or another. This all came at a price though, as bird watching took priority over all other activities – that is if I allowed such to happen. I did have to rein him in occasionally.

I also had to restrain Nimal when it came to visiting historical sites and reciting facts. To his credit, I didn’t have to remind him too many times, and in the end he would catch himself when he started reciting his script. I had informed Ayanthi and many other agents and guides in the past that I have very little interest in ruins, temples, or any other historical sites that require the use of lots of imagination for understanding. I have become more absolute in this as time goes on, because if I relent in the slightest it opens the door for recitations of historical fact and legend that bore me to tears.

So, we were on the road to Yala. The original plan was to drive along the coast with a stop in Galle. Mohammed (here on Fodors) had warned me this would result in an extremely long drive, so I was not surprised when my guide suggested we take the inland route. Plus we had a deadline to meet with Noel of Leopard safaris. We drove past Udu Walawe National park on the way, and we saw individual elephants standing against the electric fence that kept them off the road and within the park. There were stands selling fruit across the street from the fence. Apparently passersby will buy produce from the stalls and toss it over the fence to the waiting elephants. Nimal was very upset by this as he said it stopped the elephants from browsing and going about their natural business and turned them into beggars.

great start... thanks for the descriptive of the immigration process... i've decided to do just what you did

Looking forward to the rest of this too! Thanks Femi for taking the time to write this. Sri Lanka has long been on our radar.

Aloha!

Femi, I'm not sure that I understand the problems you had with Indian immigration.
But for our Sri Lanka trip we travelled via Mumbai on the outward and Delhi on the return. We are pretty seasoned travellers, though we hsve no India experience. But both transit stops were absolutely hellish. I don't think I want to set foot in Indaia again, even in transit.
So I take my hat off to you. Very well done.

Bob- I included the Indian visa bit especially for you

Aloha HT!

Leigh- The rules about entry into India changed last year, and now there are restrictions on reentry into the country withing a two month period. There sem to be no hard and fast rules on who will or will not be allowed a waiver.

After about 7 hours, we arrived at the Yala museum near the front entrance and Noel of Leopard Safaris was waiting for us. My belongings were transferred from Nimal’s car to Noel’s vehicle and we were on our way. A few words about Noel. He is THE Leopard Man and has spent a lot of time studying leopard behavior and plotting their movements. As a result he can practically guarantee (but won’t) a leopard sighting during a two night stay. From what I saw, he produced sightings for most guests within less than a day of arrival. A lot of thought and effort has also gone into setting up camp, which is what would be considered a mobile safari camp in African terms, in that all equipment can be packed up and moved without leaving any impressions on the environment. There are about five tents set up with single or double beds, a couple of shower tents and a few more toilet tents with chemical toilets. There is a container of water outside each tent for washing your hands and the like, and bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth. There are about 5 or 6 guys who staff the camp amongst whom are a biologist/guide and a fantastic cook who provided me with a wonderful introduction to Sri Lankan cuisine.

Noel does warn you to keep the tents zippered closed and to enter and exit as quickly as possible, and this was successful in keeping the interiors creature free, for the most part. I shared the interior with a centipede- which the guys got rid of when I told them, and a strange earthworm looking thingy with a hammer or ‘T’ shaped head.

A rather large lizard had made his home between the canvas layers, and at first I was rather put off by hearing him scrabbling all around. Once again it was the camp guys to the rescue. They must have zipped and unzipped about 20 different panels before the lizard was finally dislodged. He sprinted up the tree beside the tent, and the instant the guys put the tent back together and walked away, he sprinted back in to his cozy home between the flaps where he was snug and safe from the raptors. We decided the tent was big enough for both of us after all.

Atleast you did not have a centipde up your pants like I experienced once at Kalpitiya - yikes! Great to see you enjoying Sri Lanka and that you finally saw and enjoyed Yala. How many nights did you do there?

Some people pay Thousands of $$$$ for a rare pet lizard - consider it a good luck omen.

I hope to be in Yala next week 11th - 13th, will be staying at he Sri Lanka Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Bungalow.

LOL, sharing a bed with my centipede was close enough, thank you very much! I spent four nights total at Yala, and I could have spent more. The hardest thing about the camp was summoning up the courage to visit the toilet in the middle of the night!

Game drives started at 6AM and 3:30 PM. The vehicles were much more comfortable than the other standard park vehicles, and Noel had even rigged things up so you could charge your camera batteries.

I was initially worried that the game drives wouldn't be as interesting as Africa, but I need not have been. There was plenty to keep me occupied, particularly the birdlife. I tallied about 80 species that I could ID on my own after my stay at Yala, and that rose to about 110 by the end of my trip. I was hooked!

I can't find my guidebook in which I marked off the different mammalian and reptilian species we saw, but of course we saw leopard. At one point in time we stopped to admire an owl in a tree, only to later discover that a leopard had been in another tree watching us the whole time!

sounds great... lets get to the cats

Femi, this is very interesting to me. I am a devoted East Africa wildlife traveler and have never been to Asia. Interested in dipping my toes in and am curious about any comparisons you might have.

Very much enjoying your report Femi.
Kind of parralel to our trip. Same length, more or less same dates, but a very different trip.
I'm envious of your leopard experiences.
It seems we were both staggered by the huge variety and abundance of wildlife.
Tea Trails was very much on our radar during planning, but in the end we gave it a miss.
We're very much into five star accommodation on our travels, but always feel a little uncomfortable with a butler, which I believe, is what you get at Tea Trails.
It just seems a bit intrusive for us. You know, every time you return to your room, everything has been put in it's place.
Toothpaste, toothbrush, razor etc. all lined up like little soldiers. Shoes put neatly away. Clothes all neatly folded.
It's just a bit ott for us.
But with hindsight, i wonder if we should have spent some time there. Maybe next time.
So I'm waiting eagerly to read of your experience there.

Leigh- your concerns about the butler are valid. After about my second day, I gave up moving the tissue box in my room and left it where they thought it belonged, LOL! But it really wasn't bad, and I do like to have things in order. Preferably my order . Service was unobtrusive and for the most part very good. It was a tad slow for me sometimes, but I think that boils down to cultural differences as I thought it was slow everywhere. Ultimately every accommodation will have its quirks.

Bob- I was done with the cats, but here's a little more detail... We saw a total of about 9 (my vehicle mate kept count) the distance of which varied from right beside the vehicle, to only being able to spot with binoculars. I was quite happy with that, but Noel thought it could have been better- always the case with him I suspect.

Leely- Before this trip I also wondered how an Asian safari would compare with an African one, now I can say- thanks to Noel of Leopard Safaris- that it was different, but just as enjoyable. I do not think I would have felt the same if I had not been camping within the park, as the day trips were not nearly as enjoyable. Birdlife was amazing. The birds in Africa didn't make as big an impact on me, perhaps because I stumbled upon birding season in Yala and had guides who were particularly interested in birds. I must also say that I am now more open to the idea of mobile camping in Africa than I was before this trip. I would not recommend the camp for families with children, as we had leopards and elephants roaming through.

This seems to be a good place to mention the quality of the guides. In every park we were assigned, seemingly randomly, a safari guide. They ranged from awful to mediocre and were of no value to me. While in Yala with Noel the guide was of much better quality, but I think this was because he worked for Noel and not the park.

The worst incident that happened on one of our game drives was the safari guide instructing the driver to go off-road because elephants were scarce. This was completely against park rules and my wishes. He refused to listen when I requested we return to the road. I tried to explain to him how upset the elephant herd had become when we stormed in on them and that I didn't want pictures of unhappy animals but he wasn't hearing any of it. He had no qualms about asking for his tip at the end of the drive. Nimal said later that guides were often tipped more for this sort of behaviour.

Found my guide book, forgot it listed only mammals. There were quite a few lizards and land and water monitors.

Mammals:
Indian Flying Fox- Huge roost (probably thousands)

Golden Jackal- Yala. Pack of about six.

Ruddy Mongoose- Yala and Cinnamon lodge. May have seen other species of mongoose but not certain.

Civet or fishing cat? – Not sure which, moving too fast for ID. Spotted body and ringed tail. Wilpattu.

Leopard- Yala.
Elephant- Yala, Udu Walawe
Water Buffalo- Yala
Indian Gerbil- Yala in our camp.
Black Naped Hare- Yala

Primates:
Southern Purple-faced leaf monkey- Polonnaruwa
Slender Loris- supposedly common around Polonnaruwa but only seen at the animal hospital
Toque Macaques- Common
Hanuman Langur- Common. Mostly around Cinnamon Lodge

Deer:
Spotted Deer- Just about every park
Sambar- Yala
Barking Deer- Wilpattu

Squirrels:
Palm Squirrel- Fairly common, especially at Cinnamon Lodge
Dusky Striped Squirrel- Morning walk at Tea Trails
Grizzled Indian Squirrel- Also fairly common. Most easily seen at Cinnamon Lodge

Femi, thanks, very interesting information. I'm not averse to mobile camping, so perhaps I'm already halfway to Sri Lanks.

Oops, Sri LankA not Sri Lanks.

Femi,

thanks for posting. I have been thinking about a Sri Lanka and India safari and this detail is great. Interesting about those entry restrictions in India.

Regards,

Pol

For reptiles, I forgot to mention crocodiles, both marsh and salt-water. Be aware that the marshies lurk in just about every body of water. It was amazing to see them on the roads at dusk, making their way from one pond to the next.

If anyone wants a list of the birds I saw, I could post that too, but think that it may be a case of TMI (Too Much Information).

So after four nights at Yala, it was time to head up to tea country. As he was dropping me off, Nimal had asked that I meet him at 7AM, as we would have a long drive ahead of us. That was an understatement! It was 12 hours of bumpy, curvy (I feel queasy now just thinking about it), construction laden tedium. See Leigh's report for more detail. We passed a van with its side plastered in 'upchuck'. Thankfully I wore a scopolamine patch, or our car might have worn the same effect.

The day did include a stop at Udu Walawe National Park and most of the 'bad road' - I came to dread that term- didn't start until later in the day.

Udu Walawe National Park was a bust. Probably because we didn't get there until 11AM when the sun was already high overhead, scorching everything in sight with a blistering white heat. Coming from Yala, the landscape appeared to be rather barren as an enclosed herd of elephants will make short work of any trees in the vicinity. The lack of shade probably made it seem a lot hotter than it really was.

We had left Yala late which gave me extra game time, so I was not unhappy, and we had stopped to see the roost of fruit bats (my choice).

This was where we had the most awful guide of the lot. He did find me a herd of about 8 elephants, the largest grouping of my entire trip, but he employed nefarious tactics (see above), so I could not enjoy the sighting nor the rest of the drive.

After 2.5 hours of seeing very little, it was time to get back on the road.

Leely- this trip to Sri Lanka has propelled me further up the path to a wildlife trip in India.

Pol- I considered doing both India and Sri Lanka this trip, but found early on that it would have been too much. Too many places, not enough time.

No! Your bird list is not TMI for some of us. Please post, I'd love to know which birds you saw in Sri Lanka. Who knows, maybe we'll put it on the list, hadn't thought of it before reading these reports.

Birds

(I've just learned how to enbolden font- thanks to Leely)

I used A Photographic Guide To Birds of Sri Lanka by Gehan De Silva Wijeyeratne as my main guide because it was in-expensive($12), well known, and easy to find.

These are the birds I know I saw:

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Oriental Darter / Darter Anhinga melanogaster
Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis
Yellow Bittern
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia
Great Egret Casmerodius albus
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans
Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
Lesser Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna javanica
Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
White-bellied Fish- / Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela
Changeable Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus
Shaheen Falcon
Ceylon or Sri Lanka Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii
Indian Peafowl
Barred Buttonquail
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
PheasantTailed Jacana
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Red-wattled Lapwing or Plover Vanellus indicus
Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malarbaricus
Common Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon Treron bicincta
Pompadour or Ceylon Green-Pigeon Treron pompadora
Green Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea
Ceylon or Sri Lanka Hanging-Parrot Loriculus beryllinus
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea
Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
Sirkeer Malkoha (Southern Sirkeer) Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis
Stork Billed Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti
Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
Eurasian or Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
Ceylon Grey-Hornbill Ocyceros gingalensis
Malabar Pied-Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus
Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica
Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker Dinopium benghalense
Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura
Barn Swallow
Paddyfield Pipit
Blyth's Pipit
Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus
Grey Wagtail
Ceylon Woodshrike
Small Minivet
Red Vented Bulbul
Square Tailed Black Bulbul
Common Iora
Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
White Rumped Shama
Indian or Black Robin
Common Tailorbird
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
Kashmir Flycatcher
White Browed Fantail
Asian Paradise Fly Catcher (Indian and Ceylon)
Indian Scimitar Babbler
Yellow Billed Babbler
Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia zeylonica
Long Billed Sunbird
Purple Sunbird
Black Headed Oriole
Brown Shrike
White Bellied Drongo
House Crow
Large Billed Crow
Brahminy Starling or Myna
Common Myna
House Sparrow
Baya Weaver
Black Headed Munia




And those which the guides say I saw:
Curlew Sandpiper
Little Terns
Common Kingfisher
Fantailed flycatcher may be the same as the White Browed Flycatcher
Jungle (?) Crow
Little Ringed Plover
Little Stint
Bush Lark
Shikra


Frankly there were probably three times as many birds that we saw but didn't even try to ID. Initially I just wanted to know what the colorful and pretty ones were. I must have asked about the spotted dove three dozen times! Those that I know I saw I either got a really good look at or I saw repeatedly.

Wow! What a list, Femi. We picked up that same bird book as we were curious about the birds we were seeing. Of course, we didn't come close to seeing as many birds as you did.

That's quite a lot of birds! I am impressed.

Tea Trails
After an extremely long day we staggered into Tea Trails' Norwood bungalow and received a very warm welcome. The chef asked when I would like dinner and my answer was 'Now'. They were very accomodating, and that night I was served cuttlefish which I was too hungry and tired to turn down, but which turned out to be one of the most amazing seafood dishes I have ever had in my life!

That night I reveled in getting -and staying- clean, and the marvels of indoor plumbing. The amount of laundry I had accumulated over the past few days was daunting, but Tea Trails took it all in stride.

The next morning dawned bright and clear and I was rejunevated. The night before I had anticipated having a day of rest and had probably communicated that to the staff, but now I had changed my mind and I was ready to be out and about again.

Damien the butler suggested I go for a stroll but I wanted more than that so Nadeera the activities manager was summoned, and eventually we decided on a walk to Castlereagh bungalow. During all the discussion I had thought I heard it was a 5 kilometer walk, but turned out to be more like 11kms! As we were walking I did think it was a long 5kms (!) but as the overall direction was downhill it wasn't too bad, and Nadeera is a very good naturalist and was able to answer all the questions I came up with along the way.

When we got to Castlereagh I was welcomed with a cool drink and offers of a snack or lunch, and eventually the van came round to ferry us back to Norwood. It was about a 45 minute drive because of the 'bad roads'.

Wow! Your bird list is amazing. Hmm, now I do think I'll put Sri Lanka on my list! Thanks for posting.

i just saw a robin... i note you did not see any...

i felt you were finished with the cats, but i scrolled back and could not find it..

Superb list Femi.

Femi - as you probably read in our trip report, we hiked to Tientsin from Norwood - 16 km. It took us about 3-1/2 hours over fairly level terrain. Castlereigh is pretty much downhill all the way as it is right on the reservoir that you look down on from Norwood.

I went back and re-read your report. It was Nadeera who explained why I found the walk down to Castlereigh so tolerable. He offered a walk -up- to Tientsin but I chickened out as I had started to take note of the different levels of elevation marked on the signs. Now of course I wish I'd done it.

Thanks for the spelling on Castlereigh. I knew I had it wrong.

Checked the website, it is spelled Castlereagh, which still looks funny to me but oh well.

After the walk with Nadeera I felt more comfortable walking around on my own and decided to go for another shorter walk, the ‘N2’, that evening. The trails are well marked but as I suspected the walk was not as enjoyable as going with someone familiar with the surroundings. I spent most of my efforts on staying on the path and not getting lost.

The next morning several of us Tea Trails guests were scheduled to attend the tour of Norwood Tea Factory, which was everything I could have hoped for and more. Andrew Taylor gives a fascinating presentation on tea history and production from start to finish.

In the evening I spotted some ladies in the field and went to join them for a bit and it was an eye opening experience and even more of my unasked questions were answered. All in all the process of tea picking is not quite as romantic as I had previously imagined. You’re exposed to the elements, fierce sun and tropical downpours, and hoist heavy loads up and down hills. There’s not much room to maneuver between bushes which explained the stiff aprons the ladies wore and the scratches on their arms. They were weeding as well as plucking. I’m thankful I didn’t run into any creepy crawlies but I’m sure there’s a fair bit of that about as well.

I couldn’t decide how to spend my last full day at Tea Trails, and after chatting with the general manager I went for a bird watching walk in the morning, and was supposed to do the same in the evening but that got cancelled by a rainstorm. I explored the option of taking the scenic train ride but as a solo traveler it would have cost about $200 so I declined.

Overall I think my stay at Tea Trails lasted about 1 day too long. It’s the perfect destination for R&R but there was rather more downtime than I would have wished.

It was time to move on to Habarana. On the way there we stopped in Kandy for a tour of the Temple of the Tooth and from what I saw of the city I was pretty happy to keep my visit short.

Cinnamon Lodge was different from the other places I’d stayed in that it was big enough to cater to one busload of groups after another. It stayed very busy, but the room was adequate and had everything I needed and the buffet dinners had a nice selection on offer. Breakfast was more hit or miss. The best things going for the lodge are that it sits within a central location within the cultural triangle and the extensive grounds harbor a nice variety of birds and wildlife. I was finally able to sit and observe monkeys, macaques and langurs, to my heart’s content.

Pictures:
http://tinyurl.com/FemiSrilankanPictures

Femi, your pics are amazing. I will be adding Sri Lanka to my wish list now.

"Spotted body and ringed tail".... sounds like a civet, they are often seen at Yala moving away quite quickly just like you describe. They are beautiful but hard to photograph.

Lovely photos.

Great photos Femi.

Thanks for the compliments.

Love the photos, Femi - especially the insects!

Nice pictures and thanks for sharing them Femi.

For my first full day in Habarana we set off for Sigiriya. Temps aren't too bad, and we stop at another one of Nimal's 'Secret Places' to look for birds. We discuss whether we're looking at an owl or a tree stump. We wander back a few minutes later and the 'stump' is gone. Nimal is upset. Why did he listen to me anyway? He's the expert afterall!

I had posted on Fodors a while back on my Sigiriya dilemma. Seems like almost every country I visit plays a version of Make the Tourist Pay to Climb 1,000 Steps. You guys talked me into paying my money and taking my chances. The climb up is not horrendous, but by the time we get to the top I am soaked as it's probably about 85F and there's no shade. Reddot returns one of Nimal's many calls, and he chats on the phone while sauntering up steps 683-900. I'd wondered how he stayed so trim. Crellston does a pretty good job of describing the climb in his report so I won't go into too much detail here.

I'm rather out of sorts when we get to the top and Nimal lures me from one vantage point to the next with promises of bird sightings. I flat out refused to walk along one crumbling ledge, but I was amazed to see how quickly I got across it when he claimed to see a wotsit just around the corner.

Sigiriya was fairly interesting, and I'm glad I did it, but I won't be doing it again. My efforts were rewarded with sightings of a Shaheen falcon though. We actually spent more time poking around the base of Sigiriya, looking at the different dragonflies and other wildlife than we spent at the top.

I had no idea what a treat was in store for me that afternoon!

Ayanthi from Reddot had suggested a visit to Polonnaruwa Temple Troop, the longest running primate research project in the world. This was something no other agent had suggested, nor had I heard of it from anywhere else. I told her that I was not at all interested in the ruins, and I would only visit the site to see monkeys.

It took quite a while to find, and it had started to drizzle, but we eventually arrived at the given address. The staff didn't seem to be too enthusiastic. Not an auspicious start. We were asked to watch a video, quite a good production, of a show I'd seen a few years ago on monkeys. I even think it may have been my first introduction to Toque Macaques. I can't remember the name of it.

I told the staff that I'd seen the video before, probably more than once, and was surprised to see how much I remembered of it. They decided to cut it short and move on to the next bit of my program, and I can't even remember now what that was. They spoke about the different types of primates in the vicinity and I said I wanted to see the Loris. We wander about the garden, in the rain, looking for them with no luck. Things are not looking good.

Finally it's time to move on to Polonnaruwa. One of the staff, Sunil, says he'll travel to the site on his motorcycle and meet up with us there. We arrive in Polonnaruwa first, and I reinforce my rules with Nimal; No ruins. Just wildlife.

Well, there's wildlife galore to be found at Polonnaruwa! There is an area that's teeming with the biggest flock of parakeets I ever saw (or heard). While we're waiting for Sunil to arrive, I check off a few more species in my bird book. Sunil calls and tells us where to find him, as he's located a troop of monkeys. We have a hard time making it there because there's so much to see on the way. We arrive at the designated spot and Nimal dissappears to 'park the car'. I suspect he has a (barely concealed) disdain for monkeys (and crows- but that's a different story).

Sunil and I stroll over to a troop of Tocque Macaques and little by little he comes alive. We start with the basics and he patiently and clearly explains the answers to my increasingly complex questions. I can only explain that I felt I was in the prescence of a genius. There was no question he couldn't answer and it all made sense!

I couldn't bear to leave but eventually the troop decided it was time and they wandered away. Or so I thought. Sunil (who seemed to recognize every individual monkey) could hear a much larger rival troop closing in and so could the macaques we were observing.

Sunil got back on his motorcycle and we trailed him in the car. He would point out wildlife left, right and above us. By the time we got done looking at what he had indicated (such as woolly necked storks and purple faced leaf monkeys), we would have to scramble to find and catch up with him.

He decided on a troop of langurs and narrated the drama being played out before us. I saw an apparently careless mother who was dangling her baby without any signs of the caution I had come to expect. Sunil explained that a subordinate langur's baby had been kidnapped by a higher ranking adolescent. Although mom was probably beside herself with anxiety she didn't dare upset the higher ranking female. Baby was desperate to get back to mom and squealed piteously, but the teenager ignored his cries for help. After a few heartstopping near misses the teenager grew bored, tossed the baby aside and moved on with the dissappearing troop. Mom and baby were reunited, and I don't know who was more relieved, me or them. And that was just one story!

In the end I only agreed to leave because it was dark and I could hardly see. Sunil had risen several notches in Nimal's book because he could ID every bird we saw with calm explanations. With darkness setting upon us Sunil and Nimal insisted I couldn't leave the site without stopping at the Gal Viharaya. I'm glad they did.

My primary reason for wanting to return to Sri Lanka right now is to spend more time with Sunil!
http://www.primates.lk/

Wow! What an experience! Polonnaruwa was a favorite place for each of us - for entirely different reasons!

Great pictures!

Kathie I told Nimal I would willing visit more ruins if they were like Polonnaruwa. He said there was no other like it

We spent the next morning walking through the grounds of the Cinnamon Lodge and there were quite a number of bird species to be found which I would never have seen alone because Nirmal was much more persistent about getting closer. I was more worried about coming across snakes.

That afternoon we headed for Minneriya National Park. It was a nice drive but again it was a mostly unproductive trip. What little we did see was pointed out by the driver rather than the guide who was very pleasant, but just didn't seem to be familiar with the park.

I've found that most jeep drivers spend the safari tearing from one corner of the park to the next, but I'm not sure how this strategy is supposed to work.

After checking out of the Cinnamon Lodge we headed for Wilpattu, bumping along on more 'bad roads'. Now that the war is over the park has only recently been opened to the public. I wasn't expecting much as it was already late in the day when we arrived and our visits to other parks besides Yala had been rather unsuccessful.

In spite of the factors working against us (time of day/poor driver techniques/mediocre guide), our visit to Wilpattu was excellent. When we stopped or slowed down, which was rarely, there was an amazing amount to be seen. I insisted on stopping the few times that we did to prove that we were missing so much by zooming up and down, but the guide and driver didn't seem to get it. Some roads were almost- or should have been- unpassable. We got stuck on one of the ruts, but eventually the guys managed to rock the jeep loose.

This was the only park in which I saw roadkill.

We almost ran over a civet (thanks for the ID Mohammed) and even then the driver wasn't willing to stop. When I insisted we do so, he started making annoying noises to lure it out. Nimal explained civet characteristics and behaviour to the driver and guide. I met a tourist who was in the park later that evening and she said they had seen a leopard.

I would love to revisit Wilpattu with a more knowledgeable crew.

After Wilpattu we continued on the journey to Kalpitiya and the Alankuda Beach Resort, the plan being for me to go whale watching the next morning. Unfortunately, due to a mix up in my schedule (no fault of Reddot) I was unable to go. Had I known this I would have preferred to stay at the Cinnamon lodge as Alankuda was waaaaaay too rustic for me. Worth it for supposedly the best whale watching Sri Lanka has to offer, but otherwise not.

I finally got a chance to look at your photos (I'm home now) and they are just wonderful! Your descriptions and photos mean Yala will be on our itinerary for our next trip to Sri Lanka. Thanks so much for sharing!

(BTW, we're just back from Kauai where we saw SO many whales. We always see whales there, but this year there seemed to be more than usual, and more of them showing off than usual. Cheryl got some great whale photos!)

This report is excellent. Perhaps with more wildlife-focused tourists the guiding will improve--hope so. I was just yesterday telling the only friend I have been able to hoodwink into going on safari with me (twice!), "You know, it's very possible to take a wildlife trip Sri Lanka. Quite rewarding sightings apparently. I've been reading..."

Thanks, Femi!

I'm seriously contemplating returning within the next couple of years. I wrote to Ayanthi after I returned and asked how I could improve my safaris and she offered me a real specialist guide. Now she tells me??? But, who knows, if she offered it before I may have balked at the cost (not sure what it would cost), but in hindsight I think it would have been well worth it.

Forgot to add; Welcome back Kathie! Would love to see your Cheryl's pics, so please let us know here if you decideto post a report.

...meant to say 'Cheryl's pics'...typing too fast.

Femi,

Kathie and Chery's pictures are here: http://www.marlandc.com/

Gorgeous pictures, Femi

Cheryl hasn't posted her whale photos yet. She hopes to work on them this week. I expect she will post them on her photos site (the address Pook gave). I will let you know.

Great to hear your reports and your trip to Wilpattu etc and that you will return. Wilpattu is by far the favourite park for many serious wildlife and nature lovers in Sri Lanka, there is just something very beautiful about it. Unfortunately the ravages of war and indiscriminate poaching have left it a bit dried up of sighting but we hope this will pick up in about a year as it did in the past. Leapord sighting are becoming more frequent now and other wildlife is also improving. The road is a temporary issue, infcat the road rom Colombo to Wilpattu is very good nd the stretch from Wilpattu to Anuradhapuira is currentkly under repairs and should be good soon. Wilpattu is a big park and it takes a good hour from the entrance to get to the area where animals are sighted. Ideally one needs to stay inside the park as else one will spend a lot of time going in and out. Alankuda has occasional whale sightings, its mostly superb dolphin sightings from about Jan- March. For whales including almost daily blue whale sightings Mirissa is the place to go in Jan and April.

Mohammed you are correct in that reports from most guests at Alankuda were that they had seen only dolphins. So I guess jeep drivers are racing to get to the center of the park? I could recognize that at Yala, but at other parks seems like we spent the whole drive speeding. True we were speeding faster at some times than others.

Thanks for the link Pook, I had completely forgotten about Cheryl's site.

Leely, thought I'd responded to your post earlier. Glad to supply you with any reinforcement you may need for your next episode of hoodwinking

After an early check out we headed for the Pinnawela elephant orphange. It was touristy and crowded, but very enjoyable especially watching the elephants at 'playtime' down in the river. I finally got to see the big elephant herd I had travelled so far for although these weren't quite the circumstances I'd imagined. I could have spent all day watching them, but I had a plane to catch, so after the elephants were escorted back up from the river into their pen (another interesting sight), we were on the road again. I made it to the airport with time to spare for the souvenir shopping that I had not been able to do while on tour.

Spent another night at the Chancery Pavillion in Bangalore, and had the day to kill while waiting for my 2AM flight. After many months of attempted contact with an animal sanctuary called People For Animals, Bangalore I had a lucky break and a former worker sent a phone number. It was a worthwhile visit and they work very hard at rehabilitating wildlife with the goal of eventually returning the animals to the wild if at all possible. The workers and volunteers show great devotion and patience and they seem to be doing a wonderful job. The visit was another trip highlight for me. Visiting the biggest/oldest fig tree in Bangalore was just ok, but it seemed to be a popular spot with the locals.

It was finally time to return to the airport and continue the journey home. This was where I spent the longest stop with immigration as the officer insisted that I should have been given paperwork upon my entering the country that needed to be turned in now. After much head scratching and consultation, he doubtfully allowed me to proceed to the security screening area.

The flights home on Air France were uneventful, which was good.

Overall my trip to Sri Lanka was very enjoyable and exceeded my expectations, particularly when it came to wildlife, setting a high standard for any future trips to the region.

Femi- I have been trying to plan this trip with Red Dot and I am having a few issues. It is possible to speak with you as I am local in Los Angeles as well. I do not now if there is a way to send a private email on Fodors so I can get your advice.

Femi,

I just found this. Funny about the elephants. They got you to Sri Lanka, but didn't really show up.

The head scratching at immigration would have had me sweating!

Looking forward to your trip. Oh no, one more place to seriously consider. But I'll avoaid Indian AERO conference, whatever that is.

I can just see and hear all those tent panel zippers zipping in search of the tent lizard. Better than a centipede up your pants, though.

I've had the request for the original credit card used to book my flight as well. Because the ticket had been purchased so long ago, they waived the rule, which was good because I no longer had the card. I watched a family being denied boarding once on a plane to Mala Mala because they did not have the original credit card.

I can imagine how frustrated you must have been with the guide's behavior toward the elephants, especially when your objections were ignored.

Thanks for the extensive bird list!

I'm up to Tea Trails and on to the photos.

Wonderful photos. You outdid yourself with the dragonflies. It was nice to be able to recognize so many of your birds from India. The grey heron on the buffalo is amazing timing. Such artistry with the tea pickers.

Thanks Lynn. I guess I'll have to go back for another chance at the elephants!

lh- you can send a note to Femi1, an msn account. Just be sure to put something about Sri Lanka in the title so I don't miss it.

As a follow up, I received a call from my credit card company a few weeks after I returned home. Someone in Bangalore had charged several items from many different shops (mostly fashion and jewelry) to my account. Thankfully I'd learned in the past to use cards on my trip that are different from my main cards at home. The card has since been cancelled and replaced and a report duly filed. The only place I used the card in Bangalore was at the hotel.

I've read that you should never let the card out of sight while abroad. They swiped it in front of me at check-in, but took it to the back room during check-out (I think).

I was just reading that hotels are now the #1 place for credit card fraud! But then I just had a fraud problem with a card after using it for the first time in many months on the Kodak photo site. You just never know.

Back to Sri Lanka for me.

A van plastered in upchuck? If I make it to Sri Lanka, I'm taking a whole pack of Bonines.

The monkey mother and baby story is fascinating! To think such dramas play out every moment of every day, whether anyone notices or not.

Your interest in ruins only if they have monkeys vindicates some of my feelings and makes me feel less odd.

Could you list your itinerary for us?