Whales
and Dolphins watching is done in Sri Lanka off Dondra in the south
coast, Kalpitiya in the west coast and Trincomalee in the east coast. In
fact, large scale whale watching commenced almost three decades ago and
was a lucrative past time off the coast of Trincomalee where whales and
dolphins move closer to the coast during certain parts of the year.
Whale watching is done during the times of the year when the sea is not
rough. This is a recreation that is gaining importance in the south in
Dondra where both blue whales and sperm whales can be sighted by
viewers. In Kalpitiya, one can mostly sight dolphins in large numbers
freely moving and playing in the water and this being a fishing area,
the dolphins are quite used to humans moving around in boats all the
time and do not shy away when sighted. To those interested in whale and
dolphin watching as a past time, there are these three locations off the
coast of Sri Lanka, which is a luxury for a small island such as Sri
Lanka. It only takes one to join in a boat trip out into the ocean
through any of these three locations
Yala Safari Game Drive Yala
National Park situated on the south east coast of Sri Lanka is 309km
from Colombo along the coast line. Yala contains different habitats such
as jungles, scrublands, inland freshwater lakes, lagoons, a wide and
generous stretch of the beach and even rivers, all giving rise to wide
biodiversity. As a result, one finds wild elephants and other animals
such as leopards, wild boar, deer, gray languor, crocodiles and peacocks
and other birds, all in their natural habitats. Yala is considered the
best place in the world to watch leopards in their natural habitat.
One needs to spend two to three days leisurely to view and enjoy the
entire park. Tours through the Yala sanctuary are generally made in open
jeeps and elephant tracks and leopard tracks within the park are known
to tour guides. Apart from enjoying wild life, one can enjoy the vast
beach stretch along the deep blue sea that makes a beautiful and
relaxing sight for the visitors. As the park is bounded along the south
by the coastline, once the visitors reach the beach, they can freely
enjoy the open beach, the sand dunes, the natural bays and the mangroves
that line the lagoons. Those wishing to visit the Yala sanctuary need
to note that it is closed in September and October
Up-country train ride A
visitor to Sri Lanka never misses a trip to the up-country full of
luxurious tea plantations and waterfalls. One can tour the hills through
automobile or train. For a relaxed and convenient journey, the latter
is preferred. The railways in Sri Lanka were built by the British during
the colonial times. These sometimes bypass the hills, go round the
hills, pass along bridges between hills and most importantly they go
through tunnels in hills. The train journey to the hill country
is an experience even for a Sri Lankan, so much so that one has to book
seats much ahead of travel dates. There are train journeys to Kandy,
Matale, Nanu Oya, and to Badulla passing through breath-taking views of
the hill country, its valleys, mountains, greenery, streams, and more.
The morning train to Badulla from Colombo has an Observation Salon with a
limited number of seats. Yet if one wishes to travel with the local
community, the second class would be comfortable. As the train winds its
way towards the hills, at various stops one finds vendors passing
through compartments with tender coconuts complete with straw for
quenching one’s thirst and succulent fresh fruits and fried cadju nuts
and peanuts. Later on come hot vadai made of Mysore dhal and prawns. One
is never in want of food on this train journey. To the sight seers, the
train journey is quite an experience. One can deviate to Kandy or
Matale along the route or leave at Nanu Oya for proceeding to Nuwara
Eliya just 10km away or go right down to Badulla. As the train moves up
the hills it gets colder and mistier and some of the railway stations
are fully covered with mist. One passes through quite a number of
tunnels and the scenery becomes more and more breath-taking as one views
the green topped terrains with tea plantations as far as the eye can
see, interspersed with milky white water falls and enjoy the picturesque
scenery of the hill country. The train journey to the up-country is
simply an unforgettable experience
