Leopards of Sri Lanka

Days 1 & 2. Colombo

Depart London for Colombo. On arrival the next day, you will be met and transferred to the luxurious Galadari Hotel 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.

Nuwara Eliya, once a popular hill station of the British, is situated in the heart of 'tea country'. A full day at Horton Plains, Sri Lanka's highest plateau of over 3,000 hectares, will also give you ample opportunity to see Wild Boar, Sambar, and Giant Squirrel, as well as almost all of the endemic bird species in the country. Supporting grassland together with dense montane cloud forest, Horton Plains is perhaps most famous for the precipice at 'World's End', where there is a sheer drop of 1,050 metres to the plains below.

Day 8 to 11. Anuradhapura [B, D]

Transfer to Anuradhapura and the Palm Garden Hotel for a 4-night stay. The accommodation here consists of large villas with two, three or four spacious air-conditioned rooms, each with private entrances. Public areas include a restaurant and swimming pool. From here you spend two days exploring the dense jungle within Wilpattu National Park where you track both Leopard and Sloth Bear. A visit to the ancient capital city of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, is also included. It is home to the 2,250 year-old Bo-tree, the Brazen Palace, the Abayagiri Dagaba and Monastery, and the 109 metre high Jetavana stupa.

Day 12. Negombo [B, D]

This morning you transfer to Negombo Taj Airport Garden Hotel in Katunayake where you spend the night. The Taj Airport Garden Hotel is situated in the midst of a seventeen hectare coconut plantation bordering the famous Negombo lagoon.

Day 13. Homeward [B]

Transfer to the airport for your homeward flight.