From Sari to Safari

Officially day 3 of the tour (as the wedding day was officially day 1) we headed back south to collect the rest of the tour group (including bride and groom) from Taprobane Island before driving to the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka and Yala National Park. On the way we saw some of the famous pole fishermen of Weligama Bay and when we stopped for tea and toilet stop a magnificent tree (ficus religiosa) that actually has a palm tree growing out of it.

We all piled into three open jeeps (6 per jeep) and went for a three hour safari at 3pm. Everyone was hoping to see a leopard as the "sightings" board in the hotel lobby said one had been seen earlier that day. Unfortunately no leopard for us but we did see some wonderful birdlife, crocodiles, land monitors, mongoose and elephants, including a female helping two very small elephants to cross one of the small lakes.

The view from the upstairs restaurant of the Yala Village hotel where we were staying was expansive, with the pool in the foreground and the sea in the distance.