Our Sri Lankan Wildlife Photography Holiday 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 safari 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
Wildlife of Sri Lanka Photography Holiday Itinerary
day 1
flight to bandaranaike international airport, colombo - transfer to katunayake - overnight in katunayake
day 2
boat trip for humpbacked dolphin - overnight in kalpitiya
day 3
boat trips for various types of whale & dolphin - transfer to wilpattu - afternoon safari in wilpattu - overnight in wilpattu
day 4
full - day safari in wilpattu - overnight in wilpattu
day 5
full - day safari in wilpattu - overnight in wilpattu
day 6
morning safari in wilpattu - transfer to katunayake - overnight in katunayake
day 7
transfer to yala - afternoon safari in yala - overnight in yala
day 8
morning & afternoon safari in yala - overnight in yala
day 9
morning & afternoon safari in yala - overnight in yala
day 10
morning safari in yala - transfer to udawalawe - afternoon safari for asian elephant & jungle cat - overnight in udawalawe
day 11
morning safari for asian elephant & jungle cat - transfer to mirissa - river cruise for saltwater crocodiles - overnight in mirissa
day 12
boat trip for various types of whale - nighttime spotting of sea turtles - overnight in mirissa
day 13
seaplane trip to photograph blue whales from the air - transfer to sinharaja - overnight in sinharaja
day 14
rainforest walks seeking a wide variety of endemic flora & fauna - overnight in sinharaja
day 15
rainforest walks seeking a wide variety of endemic flora & fauna - overnight in sinharaja
day 16
transfer to bandaranaike international airport, colombo
