Any more carefree and it’d have walked up to the jeep and casually asked for the time of day and a cigarette.
The leopard is the latest surprise on a surprise-filled long weekend in Sri Lanka.
The encounter is eyebrow-raising because our guide, Manjula, has passed Managing Expectations 101 with high honors.
“There is a good leopard population at Yala,” Manjula said, “but it’s hard to see them as they tend to want to keep away from us.
“I can’t promise you’ll see any on this safari.”
Rack one up for the guide.
Rack up another for the leopard.
The cat’s appearance temporarily silences the far-too-frequent coos from the couple sharing the 4WD with me.
They congratulate themselves over every bird we spot in Yala National Park.
That’s a lot of congratulating.
Call me fussy, but unless a bird is remarkably colorful or remarkably massive or doing something massively colorful, I fail to get as interested as I probably should.
Lions, tigers, bears — big stuff, that’s what I want to see.
–
Like the tourism industry, Sri Lanka’s surf scene is in its relative infancy.
But with clean beaches, good transport infrastructure and few others to drop in on your wave, the coastline is gaining popularity not only as a surf destination but for its other natural offerings. And hey, even its bird life.
Getting there
Many international air arrivals and departures at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport come between 8 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. Sea planes from Colombo serve Tangalle.
If you’re dealing with an inconvenient arrival time, you may want to spend one or two nights in the Galle upon arrival. The city’s fort area is well worth a day at least.
Amanwella’s sister hotel, the Amangalla, occupies the historic building that once housed the New Oriental Hotel in Galle Fort. The colonial-era building makes for an ideal base for exploring the 17th-century fort.
Amangalla, 10 Church St., Galle Fort, Sri Lanka; +94 91 223 3388; rooms from $500 per night (rates depend on season).
Amanwella , Bodhi Mawatha, Wella Wathuara, Godellawela, Tangalle, Sri Lanka; +94 47 224 1333; rooms from $800+ (rates depend on season).
Maya; rooms from $210+, full villa from $865+ (rates depend on season).
Kulu Safaris offer tented safaris to Yala and other national parks starting at $400 per person, per night.
More information on Bandula’s Surfing School is located here; lessons can be booked directly or via Amanwella and other hotels.
