We promised to come back and we did.
After we made contact, the very professional, friendly, forthcoming and helpful Arshad called us from Sri Lanka to go through our plans and dates. The Leopard Trails team truly care about their guests and that has not changed.
They have arranged for a driver to picked us up from our hotel in Colombo to Leopard Trails. As we were making our own way to the pick up area, the kitchen even called to ask for our lunch preference!
At the meeting point, Indika, the Game Ranger/ Camp Manager, who was our guide on our last trip, came to meet us personally. It was lovely and changes the tone of the trip to a short break with friends sharing the same interests. As per our previous trip, staff were on hand to welcome us with cold towels and refreshing fruit juices.
The lounge and dining areas have been resited. The new lounge is bigger and is air conditioned and offers very comfortable siting areas for guests to share experiences or to get to know the team or other guests. We met the other rangers there, Arran who was on holiday on our last trip and Keith and Dhanu as well as Tori, the new addition to the camp.
Indika, showed us to our tent and explain the additions that they had made to the camp since our last visit. They have very kindly upgraded us to a luxury tent - i.e. one with Air conditioning and inside bathroom facilities to show their appreciation that we had chose to stayed with them again. I pleased to see that the suggestions put forward on my previous trip had been noted and there are now bedside lamps as well as reading lights over the beds! There is also the addition of a water cooler offering hot and cold water!
We booked for 4 nights this time and ended up staying 5 nights! We were up at the crack of dawn with Indika and we were treated to lots that Yala have to offer. While we sit and wait for the leopards we were entertained by plently of wildlife around. We watched a kingfisher caught and ate a fish. A baby parrot popping its head out of the nest and being fed. Apart from the usual, water buffalos, crocodiles, mongoose, spotted deers, rabbits, monkeys, the diverse landscapes in Yala make it an excellent place to see colourful and varied birdlife including some rare and endemic ones.
We were so lucky to see so many leopards this trip. Furthermore, to see Ellie, who was a cub on our last visit, now a mother with her own cubs!! Arran, taught us lots about leopards and how they recognised each leopards from their facial and spots. Leopard Trails has a data base and have identified at least 20 different leopards. As it turns out, there were three cubs who they have been following and who typically hung out in a certain area. That’s how we knew it was Ellie that we saw based on our pictures of her on our last trip.
We also saw “Leopard” the big male leopard gazing down on us and yawning as though he is bored of his view of jeeps, from his perch in between the rock at Kotigala. Then there are the two female cubs napping in the tree. We also saw them separately wandering towards their favourite tree in the evening.
One evening as we were making our way to the park gate,we spotted a young female leopard taking a rest by the side of the road before coming towards us to check us out. She even posed for us . That was trully amazing.
On one of our drives, to look for sloth beers, we came upon a male leopard in his drinking hole before resting on a rock under the shade of a tree. Then there is the male leopard who is wary of the few wild boars but did finally came out to see us.
We saw 7 tuskers among the elephant sightings. A couple of the elephant sightings were of a herd of them with a baby elephant and a couple of younger elephants among them. It is amazing to see how protective the herd are of their young ones. In one of the sightings, the herd was walking towards the lake and the adults provided a protective circle around the young ones until they get to the safety of the lake.
Also on our drives to look for sloth beers, we encountered the larger Sambur deer, a couple of times. We did chance upon a mother sloth beer and her cub one evening on our way back. They were walking along the road side but after a long stare at us, disappeared into the jungle.
However, the lone male we saw foraying in the bush by the side of the road was not shy and ignored us. Leaving, once he had his fill of the berries.
While I loved my time in Yala, it was disturbing to see how little respect some of the drivers had for wildlife by getting too close and revving their engines. And it’s not just one or two jeeps; there are dozens of them, resulting in traffic jams along the road! Understandably everyone wants to see a leopard, but it shouldn’t be at the leopard’s expense where we are interfering with their natural behavior.
The drives each day ended with cocktails by a bonfire sharing what we have seen and swapping stories. The food at Leopard Trails casted a small shadow this trip. They cater for special diets if you let them know in advance. Still prepared on site using local fresh ingredient.We missed, chef Nishantha’s variety of delicious curries. The food was good and plentiful.
We understand that they are trying out new menus but their Sri Lankan food has always been great- with the abundance of fresh local produce and local chefs. We believe that ending a safari in Sri Lanka with the variety of wonderful local curries adds to the experience and adventure in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, the team will get the menu right.
Leopard Trails offers romantic settings for nature lovers and for those who want to be in nature, falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle – while doing it in comfort. It is great that they offer a choice of tents as there are some like me whose knees and back would protest if subjected to “real” camping.
I do believe it is critical to visit Yala with a reputable company like Leopard Trails that employ experienced eco-minded guides. It is not easy to spot a leopard in the shrubs but Indi has a knack. But it is also his vast experiences and patience. Their team of exceptional guides, who are clearly highly experienced, but more than that they all had a vocation and passion which extended to the preservation and protection of the biodiversity of this beautiful country. Keep up the good work, guys.
