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Sri
Lanka offers a variety of eco-tourist experiences. A variety of national parks
and protected areas offer memorable opportunities for viewing big game and also
savoring the atmosphere of the tropical forest.
Situated
in Sri Lanka’s arid south-eastern corner, Block I of the 1,450 sq. km. Ruhuna/Yala
National Park complex is one of the best places in which to gain a quick overview
of the island’s spectacular large-mammal fauna. Approximately 5 hours by road
from Colombo, Yala offers visitors exceptional opportunities to see and photograph
many ‘flagship’ species such as the Asian elephant (Elephas
maximus), leopard (Panthera pardus),
sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) and
spotted deer (Cervus axis). The park’s
plentiful lakes and lagoons harbour a rich variety of bird life, some 70 species
being regularly seen (including seabirds and shorebirds).
Comfortable
accommodation is to be had at the Yala Safari Hotel, located on the seaside,
near the entrance to the park. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for
your tour, and suitable vehicles are available for hire either at Yala Safari
Hotel or at the nearby town of Tissamaharama. The park is open from dawn to
dusk, and the best viewing times are in the early mornings (6.30-8.30 a.m.)
and late afternoons (4.30-6.00 p.m.). Guides are provided by the Department
of Wildlife Conservation. Note: visitors are not permitted to alight from their
vehicle. Park entrance fees are US$ 12 per adult and US$ 6 per child under 12
years of age. An additional US$ 2 is charged per vehicle, and US$ 3 for the
(compulsory) services of an official guide.
Sri
Lanka’s only montane national park, the Horton Plains offers incomparable access
to tropical montane cloud forest. Located 2,1002,300 m above sea level, the
park is 3,162 ha in extent, with good road access from the hill resort town
of Nuwara Eliya one hour away, which
offers the closest quality accommodation with a variety of 2 and 3-star hotels
and guest houses (Nuwara Eliya itself, 2,000 m a.s.l., is 4½ hrs from Colombo,
by road). Horton Plains is now one of Sri Lanka’s most visited national parks
(avoid weekends, at all costs), and the only one in which visitors are permitted
to tour on foot. The southern end of the park has a spectacular 1,000m escarpment
known as Worlds End, which is the primary focus of tourist traffic. However,
several less frequently traversed paths exist, offering hikers interesting solitary
hiking opportunities. The park is the habitat of a large number of endemic birds
and small mammals, including the rodent genus Srilankamys
and the long-clawed shrew Feroculus.
The large aggregations of the elk-like sambar deer (Cervus
unicolor) make interesting dawn and dusk viewing. This is one of the few
places in which you stand a good chance of (safely!) seeing a leopard while
moving around on foot.
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If
you like watching elephants, then this is your park. The 308 sq. km. of
the Uda Walawe National Park contain around 500 Asian Elephants (Elephas
maximus), in most areas easily visible from the network of gravel
roads. Much of the park contains grassland and old teak/coconut plantations,
and therefore not a ‘pristine’ jungle setting. |
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Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) at Horton Plains National Park. |
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| A four-wheel
drive vehicle is recommended for your tour, and suitable vehicles are available
for hire either at the hotel or at the park entrance. The park is open from
dawn to dusk, and the best viewing times are in the early mornings (6.30-8.30
a.m.) and late afternoons (4.30-6.00 p.m.). Guides are provided by the Department
of Wildlife Conservation. Note: visitors are not permitted to alight from
their vehicle. Park entrance fees are US$ 12 per adult and US$ 6 per child
under 12 years of age. An additional US$ 2 is charged per vehicle, and US$
3 for the (compulsory) services of an official guide. |
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Udawalawe National Park is one of the best places to see wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Sri Lanka. The photograph shows mating elephants— a rare sight. |
Despite
there not being any hotels within convenient reach, Sinharaja is well worth
visiting especially for those interested in bird watching in a genuine rainforest
ambience. This 88 sq. km. site is one of Sri Lanka’s last remaining genuine
rain forest habitats. There are no formal tourist facilities and no graded accommodation
available in the vicinity, though inns such as ‘Martin’s Lodge’ offer the seasoned
tropical explorer a satisfactory overnight stay with very basic facilities.
There are no motorable roads within the site, and the terrain is humid and hilly.
Here, birdwatchers can expect to see several Sri Lankan endemics and also the
remarkable phenomenon of mixed-species flocks, where dozens of bird species
move around the forest together, a behavior that is yet under investigation.
The
park is best explored in the company of one of several personal guides,
whose services can be reserved in advance for a nominal fee. 4wch will put
you in touch with a panel of guides on request.
Hikkaduwa
Marine Sanctuary
In
addition to these, the warm tropical seas that surround Sri Lanka offer
interesting opportunities for scuba diving and snorkeling. Hikkaduwa is
a small, 45 ha patch of near-shore coral reef which is a popular snorkeling
and scuba site (glass-bottom boat facilities are available for those not
wishing to get wet). Diving gear is available for rent locally, and those
staying 3-5 days in one of several local hotels (up to 4-star) can take
a PADI-licensed scuba course at bargain rates (presently around US$ 150).
Hikkaduwa is not one of Sri Lanka’s best diving localities, but it certainly
is the most popular and most accessible. Together with Negombo,
this is the only resort area in Sri Lanka which offers a truly informal
tourist experience. |
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Sri Lanka is surrounded by coral reefs teeming with marine life. Scuba diving and snorkeling are popular, although in August, during the congress, seas tend to be rough. |
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