104 F O R R E S E R V A T I O N S C A L L U S O N 0845 130 6982 Elephants of Sri Lanka 13 days London to London Days 1 & 2. Colombo Depart London for Colombo. On arrival the next day you will be met and transferred to Villa Talangama where you spend the night. Days 3 & 4. Udawalawe & Bundala National Parks [B, D] Today you head for the Oasis Hotel in Hambantota, where you will be based for two nights. Accommodation here is comfortable with all rooms having airconditioning, a balcony and private facilities. More importantly, the hotel provides an ideal base for exploring Udawalawe, and Bundala National Parks. Udawalawe National Park is home to wonderful birdlife including the Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Shikra, Common Kestrel, Brown Fish Owl and Western Marsh Harrier. It is also home to many Elephants, 50-60 often being seen at any one time. Enjoy afternoon safaris wildlife-viewing by jeep. Bundala National Park is home to 150 species of winter migrants and resident birds. Highlights include Greater Flamingo, Lesser Adjutant and Painted Stork. Days 5 & 6.Yala National Park [B, D] Continue to Yala National Park and Yala Village Hotel where you spend two nights. Spend time birding along the lodge's nature trail which incorporates a variety of habitats resulting in a fantastic diversity of birdlife. (See our 'Leopards of Sri Lanka' itinerary for further information on the park and lodge.) Day 7. Kandy [B, D] Transfer to Kandy for a 1-night stay at Hotel Suisse. Take an afternoon visit to the Sacred Temple of the Tooth. Days 8 & 9. Wasgomuwa [B, D] Continue to the exclusive Dunuvila Cottage for a 2-night stay, which is conveniently situated at the edge of Wasgomuwa National Park. The locally designed cottage is ‘eco-friendly’ with mud walls, a thatched roof, verandahs and accommodation consisting of two rooms and a bathroom with an open-air shower and a sunken bath. Of the 23 species of mammals that are recorded in Wasgomuwa National Park, the most important is the Indian Elephant of which there are approximately 150. In addition you may see Water Buffalo, Chital, Water Monitor and crocodile. Birding highlights include the globally threatened Lesser Adjutant. Days 10 & 11. Sigiriya [B, D] Sigiriya Village Hotel is your next port of call and here you spend two nights. From here you may visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, birding en-route on the look out for the elusive resident Blue-eared Kingfisher. Explore the Polonnaruwa Sanctuary and Minneriya National Park where Elephants, Sambar and Chital are a commonly seen. Birding highlights include the Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill and Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl. Days 12 & 13. Homeward [B, D (Day 12 only)] After breakfast transfer back to Colombo, visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage en-route. Spend the night at the Taj Airport Garden Hotel, before catching your daytime homeward flight the next day. Leopards of Sri Lanka 13 days London to London Days 1 & 2. Colombo Depart London for Colombo. On arrival the next day, you will be met and transferred to Villa Tangalama where you spend the night. Days 3 to 5. Yala National Park [B, D] Transfer by road to Yala Village Hotel where you spend three nights. Spend two full days exploring Yala National Park which has one of the highest densities of Leopards in the world. On morning and evening safaris to you may see Leopard, Elephant, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Chital, Wild Boar, Stripednecked, Brown, and Ruddy Mongoose, Blacknaped Hare, Marsh Mugger Crocodile and several civet species. Birding highlights include the Southern Sirkeer, Blue-faced Malkoha, Black-necked Stork, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Rufous-winged Bush Lark, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Purple Sunbird, Little Minivet, Whiterumped Shama and the rare Black-necked Stork. Days 6 & 7. Nuwara Eliya [B, L, D] After breakfast leave for St.Andrew’s Hotel, Nuwara Eliya for two nights. During your stay you will visit Hakgala Gardens, Victoria Park and Horton Plains. (See our ‘Sri Lanka’s Highlights’ itinerary of page 96 for more details.) Day 8. Kandy [B, D] Continue to Kandy for a 1-night stay at the deluxe La Kandyan Hotel. Enjoy a late afternoon city tour which includes a visit to the Sacred Tooth Relic housed within the Temple of Tooth. This is an object of veneration to Buddhists and the most important sacred relic in the country. Cost per person: Jan to 23 Mar, 5 Apr to 14 Jul, 13 Aug to 13 Dec £2,195 24 Mar to 4 Apr, 15 Jul to 12 Aug £2,295 14 to 23 Dec £2,495 Single supplement: Available on request What is included: Flights, meals as indicated, transfers & guided activities Accommodation: Hotels & lodges Departure dates: Daily, throughout the year Indian Elephant Leopard

S E E U S O N T H E W E B AT wildlifeworldwide.com Day 9. Dambulla [B, L, D] After breakfast leave for Amaya Lake, Dambulla for three nights. In the afternoon visit Minneriya National Park where you may see Elephants. During September and October, over 300 elephants gather on the receding shores of the Minneriya Tank. This gathering of Elephants at Minneriya is one of those awesome spectacles which could rank alongside some of the better-known wildlife spectacles in East Africa. Day 10. Sigiriya/Polonnaruwa [B, L, D] Enjoy a morning visit to Sigiriya Rock Fortress and in the afternoon visit Polonnaruwa (a World Heritage Site), the medieval capital of Sri Lanka. At Polonnaruwa you will encounter troops of Toque Macaques and Hanuman Langur, you may also see the dry zone race of Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys. Day 11. Dambulla [B, L, D] This morning you visit Dambulla Cave Temple to see rock paintings and in the afternoon have a final gamedrive in Minneriya National Park. Day 12. Negombo [B, D] Transfer to the Negombo Taj Airport Garden Hotel in Katunayake where you spend the night. Day 13. Homeward [B] Transfer to the airport for your homeward flight. INDIAN OCEAN Wilpatu National Park Minneriya National Park Wasgamuwa National Park Horton Plains Sinharaja Uda Walawe National Park Yala (Ruhunu) National Park Bundala National Park COLOMBO Negombo Bentota Udawattakele Sigiriya Anuradhapura Galle Embilipitiya Hambantota Hamahabama Nuwara Eliya Kandy Dambulla Polonnaruwa 105 Cost per person: Jan to 23 Mar, 5 Apr to 14 Jul, 13 Aug to 13 Dec £2,195 24 Mar to 4 Apr, 15 Jul to 12 Aug £2,295 14 to 23 Dec £2,495 Single supplement: Available on request What is included: Flights, meals as indicated, transfers & guided activities Accommodation: Hotels & lodges Departure dates: Daily, throughout the year Asia / Sri Lanka Langur Monkey Indian Elephant