Chasing Leopards – Xmas 2023

Chasing Leopards in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has 21 National parks and two of those feature here are close to two of our favourite hotels are close to the National parks which give the best opportunity to see leopard. Leopard (Panthera pardus) is the largest of the four cats found in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's leopards constitute an endemic subspecies and are now largely confined to protected areas. The National Parks of Yala and Wilpattu in the dry lowlands are the best places to see them. 

A leopard is about the size of a large dog with a body about one metre in length and a tail nearly as long. Its yellow cost is beautifully patterned with distinctive  black spots that form rosettes on the flanks. males are distinctly bigger than females and can weight up to 80Kgs.A black panther is a melanistic leopard whose coat is rendered black because of a recessive gene. In Sri Lanka, black panthers are an extreme rarity,  Although regular reports of dark leopards of Sinharaja suggest that a darker form may have become more prevalent in the wet zone forests. 

Block 1 of Yala National Park as the highest density of leopards in the worl.  This figure should not be confused with home ranges in Yala of 2-4 sq km; while the adult male may have a home range of 16-20 sq km. The high density, relatively open terrain and the leopards confidence  as uncontested top predator combine to make Sri Lanka one of the best places in the world (and the best in Asia) in which to photograph them.

Sri Lanka - The teardrop island is packed with adventure. National Parks, Ancient cities and temples, Tea plantations, Scenic mountains and golden beaches. Few places on earth, if any have packed the variety of experiences available tin Sri Lanka into such a small area.  This island is only 270 miles long and 140 miles across at the widest point. Distances seem deceptively short on a map but due to the busy roads which wind round the mountains, we would advise you to consider the  times  rather than kilometres. Although the road and rail network has been vastly improved, you should expect long journeys  and bad driving practices.

The Cultural Triangle is Sri Lanka’s historic heartland, is situated in the  northern centre of the island and covers an area which includes the World Heritage cultural sites of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, the Ancient cave temple  of Dambulla and the as you head south.  In addition to the ancient sites, the national parks (Wilpattu sloth bears and leopards, and Minneriya in this area is home to elephants.

Sacred City of Kandy with the Temple of the tooth lies in the low tea country. From here you can take a scenic railway journey to central highlands, into the verdant hill country best known for tea. The glistening green leaves of the shrub and the women who pluck it, provides a lasting memory of the hill country.  With average heights well over 3000 ft and some peaks at 7,000 feet, this region has a cool crisp climate. Perhaps a little too cool and wet for those migratory humans from Europe and North America during the months of December- February. If you are looking for shorter drive times, we would suggest visiting the low tea country only and using it as a base to visit Kandy but still get the experience of a tea estate.

The hills drop sharply down to more national parks and rain forest below. Bundula, best known for birds, Yala for leopards (and large numbers of jeeps) and Udawalawa for elephants for Along the coast you find the old Dutch Colonial fort of Galle.

Sri Lanka is becoming one of the most successful places to see both Blue and Sperm Whales, which can be found off the island's southern coast during the months of December to April off the south coast from Mirissa. The number of boats in the water has made this trip less enjoyable for some. Trincomalee in the east coast is rapidly emerging as another internationally important whale-watching destination. Blue whales in particular (plus smaller numbers of sperm whales) can regularly be seen around six to eight nautical miles east of Trincomalee (about 30min by boat), Dolphins (mainly Spinner) are also regularly seen. Most sightings occur between March/April and August/September, as whales continue their migrations around the island from the south coast (where they mainly congregate from December to April) – this means that Sri Lanka offers around ten months of continuous whale & dolphin watching annually at different points around the coast.

Good health is at the heart of Sri Lanka. 3,000 years of Ayurveda; a powerful mind-body approach to health. Combined with healthy food and yoga, many hotels offer a range of treatments including herbal remedies and soothing yoga or meditation classes.

There isn’t a best time to travel but there are months when there is more rain and may be better to avoid. We call it our green season. May & June and October & November. The temperature is consistently warm, except at high altitude. There isn’t a perfect month and much depends on the area that you are interested in visiting. The southwest coast and central hills are best mid December to April. The seas in the south and west are calmer in this time although we always advise caution when sea swimming due to strong currents . Inter monsoonal months Mid July to Mid September is also a good time in the low hills, south and west although the seas are very rough. In the months April through to October, the north and east coast has the best weather, the calmest ocean and is akin to the Maldives except at a much lower cost.

Sri Lanka is possibly Travel Gallery's favorite destination in the world. Farzana, born in Sri Lanka now spends over half the year there with her husband Neil, in search of new experiences and accommodation, amending suggestions to avoid the crowds as the popularity of Sri Lanka grows. What you will undoubtedly enjoy is the delicious food and the friendly people. What will disappoint you is the long drive times despite the good quality roads, the roads are busy with buses and tuk tuks which ignore road rules and the lack of control of people and jeeps at major sites and national parks. We would like to encourage all visitors to take a slow pace to savour the country and consider a future visit to Sri Lanka.