Day 1: Arrival in Sri Lanka. Transfer to hotel near airport.
Day 2: Head North. After breakfast, drive north to Anuradhapura, near Wilpattu National Part. Evening bird walk in the hotel gardens.
Days 3-5: Game drives in Wilpattu National Park to look for Leopard, other wildlife and a host of birds. One afternoon visit the ancient city of Anuradhapura.
Days 6-7: Head to Habarana, then on to Trinco. Visit Sigiriya rock fortress and a local site for Elephants.
Days 8-10: Whale-watching. Three days of whale-watching, with a 4-6 hour boat excursion every morning. In the afternoons there will be opportunities to visit local cultural and natural history sites, or to relax at the hotel.
Day 11: Head West. After breakfast, drive back across the island to the International Airport.
Note: there is an optional 3-day extension at Trinco for those who would like to spend more time with the whales
CETACEANS
The big attraction of cetacean-watching in Sri Lanka is the abundance of large whales. Both Blue Whales and Sperm Whales are common. We see Blue Whales on 90% of our days at sea, typically singly or in pairs, but we have seen up to 14 together. Sperm Whales are seen less frequently, on perhaps 50% of our days at sea, but in larger numbers: pods of about 10 are typical, but off Trinco we have seen superpods of up to 200. In total we have recorded 15 species on our Sri Lanka trips:
Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus
Bryde’s Whale Balaenoptera brydei
Eden’s Whale Balaenoptera edeni
Omura’s Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima
Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris
Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Indo-pacific Bottlenose Tursiops aduncus
Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus
Shortfin Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris
Longman’s Beaked Indopacetus pacificus
“Best views of sperm whales we have ever seen … many thanks.” C&JS, UK
“One of the best trips I’ve ever been on.” JH, UK
“Whale-watching in hot, sunny conditions? Surely this is decadence beyond human imagination.” DC, UK
“So many Blue Whales. Wonderful company, excellent wildlife and a beautiful country.” MW, UK
“Leopards, elephants, birds galore, fantastic food and the most fabulous hospitality.” FS, UK
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