Walking in single file, voices low, we follow our ranger's lead and clamber through the grasslands, taking care not to become tangled in the twigs underfoot. Sajith Withanage has an Indiana Joneslike persona and, armed with a trusty wooden cane and heightened senses, plots our route through the Yala bush.
A deer's distress cry cuts through the air - echoed by a troop of monkeys sounding the alarm. Withanage follows the noise and later detects the scent of a fresh carcass in our midst.
It's the calling card of the jungle's most elusive resident and the top of Sri Lanka's food chain. Yala has one of the highest leopard densities in the world, largely owing to the lack of other predators (there aren't any tigers) and copious amounts of prey. On this occasion, we had missed the spotted creature by just a few minutes.
Readers might be more familiar with safari destinations on the African continent, but Sri Lanka's south-eastern destination of Yala is a worthy alternative. Bounded by a choppy stretch of the Indian Ocean, Yala is home to 130,000 hectares of national park land, where you can find more than 44 species of mammal and 215 bird species.
Expect monkeys playing on branches, water buffaloes mingling in waterholes, and flamingos parading their graceful postures. We spied elephants grazing on vegetation with their large, wrinkled trunks and spotted deer prancing through marshes, while the murky swamps concealed crocodiles.
Yala is the most visited national park in the country, and busiest during the dry season from February to July. The park is divided into five blocks, three of which are open to the public. Avoid congested Block 1 (more Homo sapiens than wildlife to spot) and head to the smaller 6,656-hectare Block 5, which is also blessed with breathtaking scenery of lush forest and contorted trees sprouting from the Weheragala Reservoir and its ancient ruins.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May/June 2024 من Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May/June 2024 من Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Vietnam Airlines to add HanoiPhnom Penh service
VIETNAM AIRLINES has announced the launch of a nonstop service between Hanoi and Phnom Penh. Additionally, the airline has signed cooperation agreements with key partners in Cambodia to foster aviation and tourism development between the two countries.
Malaysia Airlines and China Southern strengthen codeshare pact
ONEWORLD MEMBER Malaysia Airlines and China Southern Airlines have announced an expansion of their codeshare flights to include the Guangzhou-Penang (CAN-PEN), Kuala LumpurBeijing Daxing (KUL-PKX) and Kuala Lumpur-Shanghai Pudong (KUL-PVG) routes from July 10, 2024.
BANGKOK
How to make the most of half a day in Thailand's bustling capital
MACHINE REVOLUTION
Artificial intelligence is transforming the travel industry, with huge strides in data analysis and generative Al set to create seamless, personalised travel for passengers
HONG KONG DEBRIEFED
The frenetic, constantly changing city on the South China coast still has more than a few tricks up its sleeve
Discovering Istanbul Airport
Set to be the world's largest airport, IGA will be capable of hosting up to 200 million passengers annually by 2028
Your attention, please
After a string of recent incidents involving extreme turbulence, we chart the history of the inflight safety video to see if the latest crop is up to the task...
SPOTLIGHT ON SURABAYA
The city in East Java is set to expand as it capitalises on its historic roots and status as an important trading centre
HOTEL HOP, BALI STYLE
Indonesia's tourist hotspot has a wealth of attractions to suit everyone, but it’s all about picking the right place to stay
JAKARTA IN POLE POSITION
Indonesia's commercial hub will thrive long after the nation's new capital is open for business