Joanna James
Sri Lanka is blessed with a wonderful wildlife system which is spread across many landscapes. Here are some of the things you can do here if you are a sucker for wildlife and nature.
This is one of the most exciting wildlife activities you can do when you're in Sri Lanka. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage houses more than 80 elephants who were rescued. You have to pay some extra rupees to feed the elephants. You can give them bananas, watermelons, and pineapples and for the baby elephants - who are just so cute!- you can give bottles of milk. There are times to feed the babies at Pinnawala. It is adorable how they guzzle down the infant formulas within just seconds. There are mahouts who take care of the elephants and make sure they don't harm any of the visitors, so it is completely safe. An elephant orphanage is a place where you can be around these majestic creatures and watch them roam freely.
Whale and dolphin watching is one of the most thrilling activities you can do in Sri Lanka. You can do this on the Southern coast in Sri Lanka as well as the Eastern coast. Watching these creatures play among the waves is a humbling experience. You can go whale watching in the morning and evening, but the morning tours are always better as it is when you can see the sun rise over the Indian Ocean. Wear comfortable clothes and lather a lot of sunblocks as the sun can be really strong. There are specific seasons where you can spot many whales and dolphins. However, there are instances where no whales can be seen. However, the trip around the Indian Ocean is breathtaking by itself.
Sri Lanka is a tropical country which attracts a myriad of immigrant birds each year. There are special national parks dedicated to these winged creatures which are open to all bird lovers. Some of the parks are Kumana, Yala, and Udawalawa. Habarana and Sigiriya are places which are popular for bird watching as well. If you don't have a lot of time to travel around the island for the best bird watching spots, you can always book yourself an air taxi from companies such as Cinnamon Air.
The Yala National Park in the southern corner of Sri Lanka has the highest leopard density in the world. This attracts many travellers and wildlife lovers to the country, so they can watch these creatures in their natural habitat. There are other national parks such as Wilpattu which has small leopard populations as well. The best time to observe leopards are early in the morning and late at dusk. There are special leopard watching safaris you can book through tour agencies.
This is one of the more exceptional wildlife experiences you can experience in Sri Lanka. The Minneriya National Park in the months of March gets crowded with more than 300 wild elephants. This is an amazing phenomenon and one worth watching. If you are a photography enthusiast this is one of the best places to capture the wild elephants of Sri Lanka. Pack up your cameras and binoculars because you wouldn't want to miss any part of this be a beautiful phenomenon.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
