During our visit to Sri Lanka we had a three night stay in Nuwara Eliya, also known by locals as Little England. While in this area, we hit all the typical hot spots such as local markets, the Grand Hotel and other equally impressive old buildings and tea plantations, but I would have to say, for us, our most memorable time was a visit to Horton Plains National Park.

As soon as we hit the grasslands inside the park boundary we could see the lovely Sri lankan Sambar Deer grazing and were even treated to a close encounter by the trailhead.

Before you enter Horton Plains National Park you have to pay the entrance fee of 20 American Dollars. The preservation of this National Park is extremely high and this is clearly evident when all persons and bags are searched in order to weed out any plastics (aside from drinking bottles) or flammables. Beware smokers, this is a nonsmoking trail and they do confiscate all lighters and matches upon entry. Obviously not an issue for us, but could result in some not so thrilled hikers.

The 9 km loop trail is a mixture of surfaces and scenery through montane grasslands and cloud forest. Often the clouds and mist role in by early afternoon so it is best to get an early start to the day as the views are amazing when clear.

The huge drop and scenery at Mini World’s End and World’s End is truly breathtaking.

Other animals we saw while visiting were the Horned and Green Lizard. You have to look real hard to see the Green Lizard, both in the wild and in this photo.

One more look at the Sambar Deer before we leave the Park.

Make sure to stop and visit Ambewela Dairy Farm on your way back to Nuwara Eliya. If you don’t have time to visit the farm, just grab some fresh yogurt to go…trust me it’s worth the stop.

After our stay in Nuwara Eliya we drove down through the mountains towards the town of Tissamaharama (Tissa). We chose this location due to its close proximity to a couple of National Parks that we wanted to visit.

As you make your way from Nuwara Eliya to Tissa, the town of Ella is a nice quiet village to break for a coffee and snack. Quite a touristy spot, so though small, there is a good variety of food options here. We stopped at the Good Cafe and had the best coffee we’d had in days. Another spot of interest just outside of Ella, is Ella Falls. The picture above is the view of the falls from the highway.

And as you are cruising from place to place in Sri Lanka, don’t be surprised at what you will see on the road.

On one 94 km drive we counted 126 dogs on the side of the road. Surprisingly, given the driving scene in Sri Lanka, 125 were alive. Trust me when I say drivers here are crazy! A common element it would seem, across Asia.

We stayed at Elephant Stay Guesthouse (http://elephantcampguest.blogspot.com.tr/) in Tissa for a few days while we explored the nearby Udawalawe and Yala National Parks. Our host family was truly wonderful and prepared some of the best home cooked meals I have ever eaten, including Water Buffalo Curd drizzled with Coconut Honey.

 

While the main drag of Tissa is quite busy, the side streets offer a much more relaxed, mellow experience. One thing is for certain in Sri Lanka, if there is a body of water, there will be people swimming.

To visit the National Parks in the area we booked jeep safari trips through Ajith Safari Tours (http://www.yalawild.com/).

Our first jeep safari was to Udawalawe National Park. We loved this early morning safari through the park and this is where my dreams of watching Elephants in the wild were realized.

Watching the females and young Elephants was truly magnificent and I could have observed them for hours. The big males, on the other hand, were a totally different experience. This is the last picture I captured of these two males as the one closest to the road started to charge the Jeep. From that point on I was too busy looking backwards to see where the jeep was going in reverse as quickly as possible. We happened to be visiting while the males were in musth (looking for females) and during this time they can be very aggressive and unpredictable. A real threat, as on average 50 people are killed a year by Elephants in Sri Lanka. Okay, so we laughed about it afterwards, but I have to confess, my heart was pounding out of my chest when that bull was coming at us and even though the Asian Elephant is smaller than its African Cousin, those suckers are HUGE!!

As well as Elephants, we saw a variety of wildlife including; Fish Eagles, Serpent Eagles, Hawk Eagles, Bee Catchers, oodles of Peacocks, Crocodiles and Spotted Deer.

We also watched this Long tailed Macaque walk around on his hind legs in the grass. Our guide figured he was on high alert due to snakes which are not only deadly for monkeys here, but people as well.

On top of the wildlife, the scenery at Udawalawe is beautiful.

The following day we went on our second early morning jeep safari to the coastal Yala Natioanl Park. At Yala we saw more Elephants and other wildlife, but sadly no Sloth Bears or Leopards were to be seen.

Much like Udawalawe, we saw a variety of birds and crocodiles, but at Yala, we also saw Wild Boar…

and Land Monitors. The burl on this tree makes a perfect home for a young Land Monitor.

After Tissa and exploring the parks, we headed towards to the fort city of Galle stopping at Mirissa and Tangalle beaches for a dip and a rest.

We also stopped to see a Buddha that was constructed after the Tsunami of 2004. This Buddha was built specifically for the people to visit and mourn the lost and pray that nothing like that will happen in Sri Lanka again. I truly hope their prayers are answered.

Then we reached Galle Fort which is where we would call home for the next 3 nights. The guesthouse we stayed in was 125 years old and was built by the grandfather of our host family. One morning here we tried a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of Coconut Sambal (top left), Hoppers (middle), Dahl (bottom right), Wood Apple Jam and my favorite, Vadai (bottom left).

The town inside the Galle Fort is gorgeous and rich with history and is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese who were then defeated in the 17th century by the Dutch who extended its fortification. Subsequnetly, the Dutch were defeated by the Birtish Empire who maintained control of Galle and Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) until Febuary 4, 1948.

Inside the fort the roads are narrow and quiet. Great for walking around and discovering all the nooks and crannies of this historical town.

On top of being a perfectly quiet spot, Galle Fort is also close to many beaches like Unawatuna where one can escape from the summer heat. Absolutley gorgeous beaches in the area!

With our time in galle at an end we headed for the train station to start our trip North towards Colombo where we would catch our flight to Turkey and say farewell to Sri lanka. Such a wonderful visit to a wonderful country. For an island about double the size of Vancouver Island and a population of 20.48 million, Sri Lanka has done a wonderful job at preserving their natural habitat.

Good-bye Sri Lanka, I hope we shall one day meet again.