Sri Lanka is an island paradise lined with amazing golden sandy beaches & turquoise blue waters. The oceans are rich with life, & amazing coral reefs. The deeper waters are home to marine giants such as the Blue Whale, the largest animal to have ever lived. It is a country that boasts a rich natural heritage, with amazing wildlife & biodiversity & incredibly, for an island of its size can boast of iconic megafauna such as leopards, elephants & sloth bears. Sri Lanka is also regarded as a biodiversity hotspot teeming with endemic birds, reptiles, amphibians as well as plant species found nowhere else on earth.
Our Sri Lankan Wildlife Photography Safari will be of 15 nights/16 days duration in order to see the best of what this incredible country has to offer, from safaris to Yala & Wilpattu for leopards & sloth bears; Udalwe for jungle cats & Asian elephants; boat trips to see the super pods of Spinner Dolphins & also pods of Sperm Whales, Orcas, Short Finned Pilot Whales, Pink Dolphins & other beautiful cetaceans. We’ve even arranged to take a floatplane out to sea to do aerial photography of blue whales! And if this wasn’t enough, we will also spend one-night photographing sea turtles as they come ashore to lay their eggs.
This photography [wpts_spin]holiday truly is the ultimate Sri Lankan Wildlife Safari experience!
Our lodge in Yala is located at a completely different entrance from the main entrance & so it is far less crowded. We will enter the core leopard areas first where most sightings are great with little crowds. Other residents in the park include Sloth Bear, Asian Elephant, Jackal, Sambar, Spotted Deer & Grey Langur. In Yala, we will experience some spectacular game viewing across 6 early mornings & afternoon game drives.
Upon leaving Yala, we drive to the South Coast for a spectacular river cruise where you will be able to photograph giant Saltwater Crocodiles at eye level. These saurian remnants of the prehistoric era can be found in numerous numbers on this riverine ecosystem, from young hatchlings barely a few inches long to giant males who exceed 15 feet!
Whilst the following day sees us up early for a whale watching tour in the deep ocean to look for the Blue Whale, Spinner Dolphins, Bryde’s Whale, Sperm Whale, Orca, Risso Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin & Striped Dolphin. Afterwards, we return to dry land & head back to the hotel for a late lunch.
As dusk arrives, we will head to the beach for a nighttime spotting of sea turtles. Five of the world’s seven species of sea turtles have been recorded coming ashore to lay their eggs at the beach we will be visiting. The Green & Olive Ridley Turtles are the most routinely encountered species, while the Hawksbill, Leatherback & Loggerhead Turtles are also seen intermittently.
After seeing the marine life at sea level, the next day sees you boarding a seaplane to fly over the ocean to photograph blue whales from the air. This is the best way to photograph these enormous leviathans! The flights are 45 minutes per round trip on average, & the plane can take 3 people per flight. After the whole group have taken their flights, we will get back on the road & head towards the lowland rainforests.
Photographable Species: Asian Elephant, Blue Whale, Bottlenose Dolphin, Brydes Whale, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Chesnut-backed Owlet, Giant Squirrel, Green Pit Viper, Grey Langur, Hump-nosed Lizard, Humpbacked Dolphin, Kangaroo Lizard, Mugger Crocodile, Pink Dolphin, Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, Risso Dolphin, Saltwater Crocodile, Sea Turtle, Serendib Scops Owl, Short Finned Pilot Whale, Sperm Whale, Spinner Dolphin, Sri Lanka Keelback, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Striped Dolphin, White-Bellied Sea Eagle, White-faced Starling, brown fish owl, buffalo, crested serpent eagle, elephant, jackal, leopard, orca, sambar, sloth bear, spotted deer
