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Sri Lanka: whales, dolphins and Leopards Sunday 25 March to Tuesday 3 April 2012 Saturday 3 November to Monday 12 November 2012 with Lester Perera and Chinthaka De Silva Cost: £1510 plus about £700 for flights (2012) Please click here for details and an explanation of the price breakdown Maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders. |
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In recent years the discovery of large numbers of Blue Whales and other cetaceans in the waters off southern Sri Lanka have made this dazzling island in the Indian Ocean and internationally recognised whale-watching hotspot with 27 species recorded so far. These new short tours will first visit two of the island's premier national parks to look for some of the many mammals that can be found there. These will range from herds of Asian Elephants in Udawalawe National Park to the Sri Lankan subspecies of Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) in Yala National Park. We'll then spend four days based at an idyllic cove on the southern coast which will be our base for a series of pelagic boat trips to search for cetaceans. Our leaders have all been involved in cetacean studies off the Sri Lankan coast and in running mammal-watching tours for a number of years. Day 1: The tour starts with an overnight flight from London to Colombo. Day 2: We arrive in Colombo in the afternoon and transfer to a hotel for the night. Night in Colombo. Day 3: We set out to drive south through the lush Sri Lankan countryside to Embilipitiya arriving there in time for lunch. In the afternoon we'll visit Udawalawe National Park and drive through the park in open-top jeeps. The Park has a reputation for harbouring a large number of Asian Elephants and is home to the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s orphaned Elephant rehabilitation and transit centre. Driving through the open grassland, though dense forest and past areas of open water, we are bound to have many encounters with Elephants but we'll also be on the look-out for Chital, Wild Boar, Ruddy and Indian Brown Mongoose, Indian Hare and feral Water Buffalos. With luck we may chance upon a secretive Jungle Cat as well. In addition there will be an array of stunning birds to distract us such as Malabar Pied Hornbill, Plum-headed Parakeet, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Brown Fish Owl, and Stork-billed Kingfisher. Night in Embilipitiya. Days 4-5: Leaving Embilipitiya we'll continue our drive through the islands gentle countryside, past rice paddies, banana plantations and tall groves of coconut trees, all occasionally interspersed by a giant Bhudda statue or domed stupa rising out of the landscape. After lunch we'll make the first of several visits to Yala National Park, one of the jewels in Sri Lanka's conservation crown. The park consists of many different habitats varying from dry scrub to tall riverine or gallery forest, open grasslands, and a rich mosaic of coastal and freshwater lagoons. This beautiful location is celebrated for being one of the best locations on the island to to view Sri Lankan Leopard and we are hopeful of obtaining some excellent views of this amazing cat. In addition we'll be looking for Sloth Bear, Golden Jackal, Tufted Grey Langur, Toque Macaque, Indian Brown, and Striped-necked Mongoose. Close to any of the lagoons we may come across Marsh or Mugger Crocodiles or one of the huge Water Monitor Lizards. One night we'll explore the area just outside the park for nocturnal mammals such as Small Indian and Asian Palm Civets and if we are fortunate we may encounter some of the more elusive nocturnal mammals as well such as Jungle and Rusty-spotted Cats, possibly hunting for some of the many rodents to found here such as Indian Gerbil. Days 6-8: We now drive to the southern most tip of the Indian subcontinent and to our hotel in a beautiful cove at Mirissa. The seas here are placid and the weather is most conducive for whale watching. We may take up to three separate pelagic trips out into the vast Indian Ocean using vessels specially modified for our needs. Our main quarry will be the magnificent Blue Whale, the largest mammal on the planet which is usually encountered between three and ten miles offshore. These pelagic tours provide very good possibilities to see other cetaceans as well with Bryde’s Whale, Bottle- nosed Dolphins and Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins regularly encountered. Also possible, although less-often seen, are Sperm Whale, Killer Whale, Short-finned Pilot Whale, and Risso’s, Spotted, and Striped Dolphins. This is not the best time for seabirds but we should find Wilson's and Swinhoe's Storm Petrels, Bridled and Sooty Terns, and perhaps a migrant Long-tailed Skua. In addition there will be opportunities to just relax and enjoy the wonderful setting of gleaming white beaches cooled by gentle breezes drifting from the Indian Ocean. Nights at Mirissa. Day 9: After a last pelagic trip trip in the morning we return to Colombo, stopping for lunch on the way. Night in Colombo. Day 10: We take a morning flight back to London where the tour ends later the same day.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
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