Tag: wildlife

Day 20 – 24th February 2024 – Mirissa to Hikkaduwa via Galle and Turtle Sanctuary.

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We were some what sad to leave the Sea World Botique in Mirissa…we loved our sea view room, the pool, terrace, sea and sand watching. The service was great and we’d found a really wonderful seafood restaurant just up the road. We would definitely stay there again…not just because they had the most comfortable pillows we’d had all trip…but leave we must.. and Suminda collected us at 8.30 am and we proceeded on our day of sightseeing, whilst transitioning to our next and final hotel.

Our first stop was at Wagamama just along the coast. The coast was literally packed with surf schools and in the water were hundreds of Caucasians trying to learn the art of surfing. It’s evidently very popular there due to the waves being medium size and the waters being shallow.

We went a little further along the coast and stopped for some photos of the infamous ‘Stilt Fishermen’. Unfortunately it’s all a bit touristy and false now…you pay them to sit on the stilts while they pretend to fish in this out dated rarely used today method.

Further along the coast we watched people pulling in the fishing nets, a much more realistic sight of more up to date fishing methods.

Our next stop was in Galle. We had asked Suminda to find us a book shop because we wanted to buy a book on Sri Lankan Birds to help us identify the birds in our photos. I’d try to write most the names down as we went along but my efforts failed miserably when we looked at our photos against my list of names. We had also decided to buy Suminda the same book as he had admitted to learning much more about the different birds on this trip and we thought it would help him identify the birds when he was with other customers. We went to the first bookshop but the book they had was ‘Common Sri Lankan Birds’ which had hardly any eagles in and the colour and pictures were not a very true likeness. So Suminda phoned around some other stores and found one which had two copies, in English, of the book we had in mind…they were both duly purchased along with a tube of superglue……John and his sandals are becoming a regular focal point of our recent holidays. Last year he packed one dark brown one and one camel coloured one for our African trip….this year he brought the dark brown ones with him, even though I asked if they were the good or not so good pair….they were the not so good pair and the side fastening has freed itself from the sole along with the inner sole flapping away from the sole…oh dear a super glue job is required to see us through the next 3 days….but be assured they are not coming home with us !!!!
Our next stop was Galle Cricket Ground. It is where the test matches are played. Suminda told the security that John had played in England, but instead of saying ‘in’ he said ‘for’ and we were allowed into the ground to take photos…John was extremely happy as he has bygone memories of David Gower commentating on a Test Match and proving that the old tale of a Sri Lankan cricketer hitting the ball into the sea, was exactly that ‘a tale’ as it was literally impossible.

From here we visited the Fortress. This is in fact what we would call a walled city within the city of Galle. The Portuguese had originally built it, the Dutch then took it over and finally the British added to it. From the walls are some magnificent views. For those of you who watched Xander Armstrongs series on Sri Lanka, you may remember a man diving off the walls into very shallow water near the base of a massive rock…..that was here….in fact the same man offered to jump for us for US $20 just like he had for Xander…we declined and he asked why..to which my reply was “ I don’t wish to pay you to risk your life for my entertainment”. He seemed ok with that.

We continued our journey past our next hotel and up the coast to the  turtle sanctuary  at Ahungalla. On the way we passed the place where the tsunami had hit a train full of people. All 1500 had been killed. There is a memorial to those who lost their lives. This memorial is a Buddha who has been built to the height of the wave. There is also a museum with one of the carriages involved in this tragedy. 

On arriving in Ahungalie there was a giant turtle with its mouth open. You enter the sanctuary by walking through its mouth.

The eggs are brought up from the beach and put in sand in the sanctuary, where they are left to hatch naturally. The sand has sticks all over it saying the type of turtle, the date they were laid and the number which are buried. It takes between 45 and 60 days for the eggs to hatch.

The baby turtles are then placed in a tank until their eyes open prior to being released back into the sea.  It was very interesting. There are also a lot of other tanks with turtles in. These are rescued by fishermen and brought to the sanctuary. Most have had fishing lines/ nets caught tightly around their necks..the blood makes them easy pray for sharks. These are treated by the sanctuaries vet and released back into the sea when they are completely healed. Other turtles have eaten plastic bags and the vet removes these  and again after a period of rehabilitation they are released back to the sea. There are also some life long resident turtles at the sanctuary. These have either had limbs amputated by boats propellors, or they’ve been so damaged by plastic that their shells have domed meaning that they can no longer dive or they are albino. The sanctuary has 2 albino turtles, they occur approx 1 in a million and our guide had only seen these two in the past 14 years. One was a youngster and the other fully grown. They can’t be released back into the sea because they have no protection from the sun. 

We then went through a Sharks mouth into an area with aquariums containing, Black finned Sharks, puffer fish, moray eels, starfish, rainbow fish etc. It was all very interesting and we found that their conservation of these endangered species was both ethical and professional. 

We returned back down the coast to our new hotel Sapphire Seas Hotel. We were met by the manager who informed us he had given us the best room in the hotel with a wrap around balcony and two walls of glass doors which looked at the sea from two different aspects…it was on the second floor…..’oh no’ I thought…but this friendly gentleman said I need not worry as they have a lift….great news… we were shown to our room, which was so large John said he’d probably double his daily step count !!!! It didn’t take us long to don our costumes and head for the Sun loungers and pool. We spent a couple of very pleasant hours watching some pretty big waves chase along the beach with the surf producing a ‘ follow my leader’ type of image. We also had a nice refreshing King Coconut  to drink. Before retiring to our room for a late afternoon siesta.

We ate in the restaurant that evening. The chef came and talked us through what we wanted….he said he would make the seafood Tom yum ( Thai soup) not so spicy. Well! thank goodness for that because his not so spicy made our eyes and noses run. We followed it by having sweet and sour king prawns …very nice indeed. The manager, a nice friendly man, came to chat with us before he finished his days work. It was a lovely meal. Unfortunately the lift was out of order, due to fluctuating electricity strength, so I had to walk up to the second d floor….I am getting better at stairs…let’s face it I’ve had enough practice this holiday.

Time for bed now…to the sound of the waves on the beach ….

Day 14- 18th February 2024 – Full Day Safari Yala Block 4 & 5

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We were picked up at 7.00 am by a different driver today, because we were going to an area of Yala about 1 hour 15 minutes away. The area is known as block 4 & 5 ( incidentally Block 2 & 3 are not accessible to tourist jeeps). Our driver was a scruffy barefooted elderly man who spent the whole day chewing beetle ( it makes you high, evidently) and he had no interaction with us at all. Once again he provided the lunch which came from the same place as the lunch the day before. We took a packed breakfast from the hotel, their cheese and tomato sandwiches were very pleasant as was their fruit platter.
During our morning Safari we saw the peacock perform its mating dance, a splendid sight, lots of Bee-eaters, buffalo’s, grey Langer monkeys, a selection of herons, storks and eagles, some very young white spotted deer and elephants to name but a few.


During the Safari we went alongside the Weheragala Reservoir and viewed the massive sluice gates. A picture of these appear on the back of the Sri Lanka 5000 Rupee note….On the non-reservoir side of the sluice is a small river. We were amazed to see 3 jeep loads of local people bathing in this river in the middle of the national park. Apparently this is a normal activity for a Sunday.

We stopped for our curry lunch by the same waters edge where we had had breakfast. Suminda is becoming an expert on serving curry from the back seat of the jeep…because unless we go to another designated picnic area you are not allowed to alight from the jeep. Our guide reiterated this to us when we asked to stop there for lunch….the 3 of us promised not to get down. On arriving at the area our guide told us he had recently seen leopard there and then promptly descended from the vehicle and went to the waters edge to wash his hands, face and feet !!!!


After lunch things went from rather uncomfortable to an endurance test…fortunately John Suminda and I passed the test ..just….
Having had at least one beetle too many the driver set off on some mission to see how many side roads he could take us down…these were not rock and roll, or even tango side roads more like tsunami wow, wow, wow….. let me tell you holding on for grime life is futile and actually only rips muscles as you are tossed and turned in unexpected directions. It’s better to put your arms out sideways to try and balance and ride the storm on your coccyx, hips and buttocks and just pray that your spine is still attached when you make flat land…ready for the next .. We got badly stuck in the mud twice. The first time Suminda shouted at him where to turn the wheel…the second time we sort of hit a brick wall, crashing our knees into the seat infront and jolting every bone in your body ..we were almost on our left side with the mud over the back wheel and almost into the jeep at the front…he kept going back and forwards in the same place spinning the wheels and showering everything with mud…eventually Suminda instructed him where to turn the wheel and when to accelerate…. At this point John and I decided to call it quits and Suminda told him to take us home… at one point I looked over my shoulder at Suminda and he was holding on with both arms up to the roll bars on the roof and swinging…he looked at me and we both burst out laughing… he shouted over the roar of the engine “I bet I look like a monkey” my reply was “ I Thought you were in the gym doing pull-ups” Even on the dryer roads the ruts were atrocious.

One the way out of the National Park we did see some absolutely amazing Malabar Pied Hornbills, a fantastic sight and some Indian Rollers. Needless to say when we got back to Tringa Villas our driver only got a tiny tip.


During supper that evening the 3 of us couldn’t stop laughing..I think it was the relief of being alive and in one piece as we talked over the days activities and adventures. Our supper was once again not good…if you like dry rice and over fried chicken leg it would be fine, but we don’t. Suminda very kindly took pity on us and offered to drive us to a nearby restaurant the following evening. We all had an early night as our bodies were very sore from the bumping, crashing, bouncing around. I have an extra tip for any ladies who may be stupid enough to do a Safari like this …….put a rolled up pair of socks down the middle of your bra to stop your boobs crashing into each other…… we Safari a lot but this one beats the lot 10x over when it comes to rough roads.

Day 8 – 12th February 2024- Wasgamuwa National Park.

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We were up bright and breezy, excited to be wildlife viewing in a new National Park. The previous evenings meal, a buffet, had been a bitter disappointment…..the usual fried rice or fried noodles were on offer with devilled chicken ( small spicy chicken pieces on the bone) and what should of been grilled fish and steamed vegetables only they were both finished. There was also what was described as battered mushrooms…there was lots of strips of batter but absolutely no mushroom. This was followed by some melted ice cream and some cubes of jelly….and no Coke Zero, so it was water again…

We met in the reception with Suminda and the Safari driver at 6.00 am……alas no one from the hotel was around with our pre-ordered packed breakfasts… 6.20 we were finally loaded on to the, marginally easier to access, jeep with breakfast and off we went. The main gate was less than 10 minutes away. We feared that our late arrival would mean queuing…we couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact for the majority of the day we were the only people in the park, late afternoon another vehicle joined us….what a shame such a beautiful park is so under utilised. We set off, having picked up a spotter at the gate, bumping along the tracks, which were in far better shape than those in Wilpattu. We quickly came across a large herd of very skittish white spotted deer. Our spotter then took us to a river where we alighted the jeep and walked a little way to a sandy beach. There were literally hundreds of endemic fish, we think he said they were Systomus Asoka, which are Asoka Barbs. We saw dozens of Iguana basking in the heat of the sandy roads.

It soon became clear that we were in a bird watchers paradise. Every few minutes we had another type of bird pointed out to us. These included Jungle fowl, (hens, cocks and chicks) , Button Quail, Sunbirds going in and out of their nests, Bush Larks, Pygmy geese, junior Hawk Eagle, Purple Herons, Painted Storks, Peahens and Peacocks, Lapwings, Green and Blue Bee-eaters, White Throated Kingfishers, Black Headed Munia, Stick Weavers going in and out of its funnel nest, Open billed storks, Asian Paradise Flycatchers, Malabar Pied Hornbills and many, many more whose names we failed to commit to memory !!!!!

At around midday the driver took us back to the Parks reception. We were supposed to disembark the jeep and stand around for an hour, in the heat of the day waiting for the driver to go back to the hotel to pick up our packed lunch and have his own lunch. The park doesn’t allow re-admission without repayment which at approx £80 we didn’t want to have to pay. However, I needed the toilet and the park doesn’t have any “foreigners/English” toilets and my knees are not capable of holding the squat position and standing back up unaided. My request to be able to return to the hotel to use the loo without paying the re-entry fee needed 9 men to discuss it, there was much debating going on, a phone call was made to the boss but he was unattainable…..some 15 minutes later it was decided we could leave the park to use the toilet and come back in again…..we really had to laugh at the hearty discussions with regard to my necessary bowel movements!!!!!
On the way back to the hotel we were amazed to see that half the road had rice laid on it to dry. The rice was raked over and some which had already dried was swept up and placed in sacks which were then collected by tractor pulled trailers or small vans. Seeing this could easily put you off eating rice, when you think of the dogs, cows, vehicles, people who have walked and done other unmentionable things on the road. We now understand the term ‘dirty rice’ which is cheaper than other rice in many African countries……fascinating.


On returning to the park we continued our viewing. We saw 2 Mouse Deer ( the smallest of the Asian deer family) these are a reddish brown deer the size of a rabbit, a barking deer (muntjac), a lizard on a branch, many more birds and the icing on the cake….lots of elephants ..a total of 27 in several smallish herds.

Just as we were leaving the park a Peacock put on a display for a passing Peahen. She took no notice so he turned his efforts towards us…a fabulous sight.

Happy from a days game and bird viewing we returned to the hotel. Supper was much more substantial…soup followed by a grilled chicken breast with not too much spice, potatoes and vegetables and of course the obligatory rice. Desert was ice-cream or fruit, John had both. Thank goodness for Suminda who had spoken to the hotel with regard to the previous nights meal….We went to bed with full tummies and happy hearts.

Day 4 & 5 – February 8th & 9th 2024 – Wilpattu National Park

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We bade Brenda, and Ron at the Ayubowan Guest House a fond farewell. It was definitely a place to recommend, very clean, very convenient to restaurants in Negombo, a nice place to stay with a refreshing pool.

We headed up north for our first experience in a Sri Lankan National Park. It was about a 3 hour drive through interesting villages and countryside. We stopped to have a look at a roadside temple.

We arrived at the Cloud Nine hotel around lunchtime. It had been advertised as a luxury hotel with views of the lagoon. We think someone was using poetic verse when they wrote the description. We entered our super deluxe room to see a giant corner spa bath and a massive bed and very little else. The balcony overlooked the forest/ jungle which evidently went down to the lagoon….we would have needed a machete to actually see the lagoon. The spa bath would have been heavenly for John if the taps actually worked and when we finally got some water out of them we’d have had to wait 2 hours for it to fill up !! The evening light show in the room was unexpected, the lights dipped, flickered or went out completely when the fridge tripped in and out..but hey! It was different.

We had a quick freshen up in our room before heading off to the Wilpattu National Park. The drive to the gate was 25 minutes. On arrival you walk across a bridge not dissimilar to those used to exit the jungle on “I am a Celebrity get me out of here”. Our Safari driver met us in a very beaten up Jeep. Evidently a bull elephant had taken a dislike to him 2 days prior and it had actually lifted the front wheels off the ground with its tusks, causing quite a mess to the front of the vehicle.

Climbing aboard was not for the faint hearted. We’ve boarded hundreds of Safari vehicles before but never one quite like this one where one really needed tiny feet, long legs, and a back able to bend in all directions…phew finally in and ready to go.
Over the following day and a half, we bumped around having Sri Lankan massages, over the very rough roads, through deep water, traversing the jungle and plains. We spotted a superb assortment of wildlife and bird life. One of our first spots was wild boar quickly followed by small herds of elephant. We also saw Spotted deer, Sambar Deer, Barking deer( muntjac), iguanas, buffaloes, mongooses, crocodiles, and the much sort after sighting of a leopard.

The bird life included the most magnificent peacocks, peahens, wooly necked storks, lesser adjutant storks, Indian pond herons, Indian rollers, egrets, herons, serpent eagles, bee eaters, Bitterns, pelicans, sitting ducks, lapwings, jungle fowl (the national bird) and many, many more. A real birders paradise.

On one occasion a frog leapt from the ground and landed on my trouser leg. It was quickly dispatched to whence it had come by Suminda who was sat behind me. Thankfully Suminda was with us and translated brilliantly, as the driver’s English was very limited.

On returning to Cloud Nine each evening we were offered a choice of two set menus…both at a price of LKR 3500 each ( approx £10 each) Our first night was leek and potato soup followed by crab curry and fruit salad or ice cream for dessert. Yummy you probably think and so did we. A plate with two sets of crab crackers, picks and scoops were put on the table. Our expectations were high…even the right equipment for the job…..but alas we really were on “I am a Celebrity”, the crab was the size of an egg cup and the amount of meat we managed to extract was minuscule, not even enough to wet our whistle let alone fill our tummies… The following night we opted for tandoori chicken and the obligatory rice but once again the chicken must have died of starvation or suffered with anorexia because it’s leg had next to no meat on it….so rice and more rice was once again our main meal. We again went to bed hungry and lacking protein.

Our over all opinion of Wilpattu National Park is that it is a total delight, full of surprises, a wonderful place to start our tour of Wildlife Parks. However! It really isn’t for the faint hearted, not just because of the struggle with getting in and out of Safari vehicles but because of the high level of rock and rolling which takes place due to the state of the roads.