Yala National Park Photography Tour

Wildlife Trails will help you choose international flights which will arrive into Colombo in the morning so we can start our journey east to Yala national park. We will make our first stop at Weligama Bay and overnight at the Marriott Hotel.

Today we have the morning free for activities which appeal to the group, as the objective is to arrive at Yala national park in time for our first leopard safari in Sri Lanka. For those with ‘sea legs’ we can look at chartering a small speedboat (cost not included) and head out from Mirissa to look for Blue Whales, Sperm Whales and Dolphins. For those who prefer land based activities we can visit some amazing local markets and focus on social photography. After this we will continue with the group in our private vehicle and drive to the beautifully located Ceylon wildlife safaris tented camp. After a sumptous lunch we will head off with our driver and expert naturalist for our first wildlife safari in Yala national park.

The territories of both the female and male leopards will be known to our guides as well as their personal behaviours. Some leopards are a lot more bold than others and will tolerate photographers for a longer period if they feel relaxed and not threatened. We will always be ethical in our approach and move on when we feel we have got some great photos and look for other amazing wildlife found within the park. After recent rains you have more chance to see the shy Sloth Bear, as with the softer ground they can more easily access their favourite food of ants and termites.

We always want to maximise the variety of wildlife and scenery you will see on a Sri Lanka wildlife holiday with Wildlife Trails, so a transfer back towards Colombo always includes something we feel is special to show our guests. One of the best and most famous birding locations in Sri Lanka is the magnificent Sinharaja forest reserve. Of Sri Lanka’s 26 endemic birds, the 20-rainforest species all occur here, including the elusive Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal and Sri Lanka Blue Magpie. After our first exploration we will overnight at the Blue Magpie Lodge.

We will be up nice and early to explore the Sinharaja forest reserve once again with our expert local guide before driving to Colombo and checking into the beautiful Taru Villas, Lake Lodge. We will use this as a base to drive late afternoon to the Talagama wetland. It is a great place to spot many species of endemic birds. Among the endemic and endangered mammals, the Purple-faced leaf monkey is the most noisy and visible around the lake, as well as the western purple-faced langur which is the subspecies living around the lake is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world

Depending on your flight departure time, we can arrange a late check out of short tour of Colombo before a private transfer to the airport to connect with your onward flight.