WILDLIFE SRI LANKA

Upon arrival in Colombo, you will be met and transferred to The Wallawwa near Kotugoda, a luxurious Dutch warehouse-style hotel just a few miles from the airport. You’ll also be given a welcome pack that includes a mobile phone, so you can contact your driver whenever you need.

Stay: One night in a Garden Suite at The Wallawwa – including breakfast

After paying a visit to the nearby Negombo fish market, you’ll make the 4 ½ hour drive through picturesque countryside to Wilpattu National Park, where you’ll be staying in a traditional mobile safari camp.

Wilpattu is one of the largest and best established of Sri Lanka’s reserves, and features over 50 natural lakes and watering holes that attract a wide range of wildlife. You’ll venture out on game drives with Leopard Trails’ knowledgeable guides in search of elephants, leopards, buffalo, sloth bears, sambar, spotted deer and mongoose. You’ll spot birds like painted storks, little cormorants, owls, terns, kites and buzzards, plus reptiles like monitor lizards, crocodiles, turtles and various snakes.

Stay: Two nights in a Deluxe Tent at Leopard Trails Wilpattu – including all meals and drinks

This morning, enjoy a final shared jeep safari before transferring to your hotel in the Cultural Triangle.

Rise early the next morning to visit the truly astonishing royal citadel of Sigiriya. It’s quite a climb – best not attempted in the heat of the day – up to an impregnable fortress that rises 200 metres above the scrub jungle on the monumental Lion Rock. The view from the summit is sensational, as are the palace ruins and the sights you pass on the way; the mirror wall, for example, and frescoes of the heavenly maidens. There are several rest platforms to break the climb, and you can take it entirely at your own pace – or perhaps climb only halfway to the Lion’s paw.

This afternoon visit Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s first capital founded in the 4th century B.C. Over 100 Sinhalese kings ruled here for over 1000 years. This ancient civilization is credited with inventing one of the earliest and most advanced irrigation systems in the world, enabling their society to flourish amidst the harsh aridity of their land. Set in rolling parklands, Anuradhapura is a complex of many fascinating monuments, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites.

You’ll have day six free to relax or enjoy some of the experiences provided by the resort, such as a village cycle tour, horseback riding, archery or kayaking on the local lake.

Stay: Three nights in an Ulagalla Pool Villa at Ulagalla – including breakfast

Today a five-hour drive brings you to Gal Oya National Park. You will be staying in an environmentally conscious lodge within 20 acres of private forest, constructed from natural and locally sourced materials that blend seamlessly with the surroundings.

The next morning you’ll explore this game-rich wilderness on foot, walking with an expert naturalist to get up-close wildlife encounters and discover hidden corners of the park. Gal Oya is also home to the country’s largest lake, and you’ll be invited to take an unforgettable boat safari to see swimming elephants and all manner of aquatic birds and wildlife at the water’s edge. Crocodiles bask in the shallows and on the mud banks, watching as deer warily come down to drink.

Stay: Three nights in a Bungalow at Gal Oya Lodge – including all meals

Leaving Gal Oya behind, you’ll head in the direction of the Tea Country, where you’ll be spending two nights at a stylish, five-bedroom tea bungalow hotel near Ella.

The south eastern Hill Country region surrounding Ella is a great destination for exploring the great outdoors, with some wonderful walks to enjoy in the local area. The tea estates that surround the bungalow can be explored on your own or with a butler guide. At the local Finlay’s Tea Factory, you can learn about the tea production process on an absorbing guided tea factory tour.

Little Adam’s peak is Ella’s best-known tourist attraction. It is a short 30 minute climb to the top of the 1,141 metre peak, and boasts breathtaking views of an endless valley, tea plantations and waterfalls. Ella Rock is a must climb for those into hiking and trekking (a more challenging climb at around three hours), while the wonderful Rawana Ella Falls ranks among the widest falls in Sri Lanka.

Stay: Two nights in a Demodara Bedroom at Nine Skies – including all meals and drinks

After the cool of the uplands, and the quiet gentility of the tea plantations, it’s time for something completely different. Your driver will take you on a two-and-a-half-hour journey to Yala National Park. This is the natural habitat of one of the world’s largest populations of wild leopards – so you’ll have an excellent chance of seeing these magnificent cats in their proper environment. After checking into your tented camp, you’ll enjoy a shared jeep safari that very afternoon.

Over the next two nights, morning and afternoon game drives will take you into the heart of Yala on the track of leopards and a whole selection of other wildlife that includes majestic elephants, sambars, sloth bears, spotted deer and over 200 species of birds.

Stay: Two nights in a Deluxe Tent at Leopard Trails Yala – including all meals and drinks

Enjoy a final morning game drive before departing for Galle and its iconic fort. This ancient Dutch fortress town – a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site and believed to be the largest lived-in citadel in the world – has retained much of its 300-year-old history and atmosphere, with quaint streets, a beautiful central square and charming mixture of churches, mosques and traditional cottages.

Stay: One night in a Bazaar Bedroom at Fort Bazaar – including breakfast

This morning you’ll transfer to Colombo Airport for your departure flight.