Sri Lanka 2023-Back in Lucky's Country

[RB]

Around Arugam Bay
Some sad tales here after the 2003 tsunami ,but the people are wonderful and helpful. There is a mix of tourists and certainly the surfing is a lure for many with quite a few learn to surf companies around. Lots of little shops and bars front the busy main road. Plenty of choice for cafes/restaurants - our experience has been basic food well done but all super slow as it’s fresh cooked from scratch and there are very limited cooking facilities. Tuk Tuk rides seem to be around 300 rupee/$1.35 for anywhere along the local strip. Half litre beers run at $3.60 at bars & restaurants & 430 rupee ( around $2.10) at a wine store.
It is near full moon time & the tides are big with a very solid rip out the front of our hotel. The beach walk is a great long bay but the sand makes it heavy going. The rip did improve later in our stay.
Undoubtedly the highlight for us here was our safari to Kumana National Park (Yala East). Pleasantly less crowded than Yala & certainly no shortage of sightings on the day we visited. Kumana National Park and Safari: A Guide to Sri Lanka's Wildlife Haven - Top Rated Tourist Attraction Places in Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Travel Pages . Again Lucky had organised our jeep & driver/spotter. Young, but obviously very experienced, this guy had a super eye and ensured we saw a broad range of species. We had really comfortable seats with only us & Lucky in the back & there was no phone interaction between the drivers so any sightings were enjoyed without a line of other jeeps swamping the action. A leopard topped the sightings but also we caught sight of a black necked stork- apparently only 10 in Sri Lanka & their nests have never been found. Also a pair of hoopoe fighting, a black winged stilt, some kingfisher, purple heron, a grey headed fish eagle, a mongoose, malabar pied hornbill, pelicans, flamingo, sambar deer, spotted deer, a couple of wild boar, plenty of elephants and masses of crocodiles. Went back to our hotel very satisfied with our outing!

Photos may be out of order or duplicated-we had 2 phone cameras & 2 other cameras





Pretty typical of the road surface


Wild boar is a delicacy but these knew they were safe


Black necked stork




Hoopoe

 

[RB]

More of Kumana Safari





Black winged stilt









Quite a gathering of crocs

 

[RB]

Malabar Pied Hornbill








Kingfisher


I think a grey headed fish eagle

 

[RB]

Last of Kumana Photos

Our highlight


I like the tail hanging down


The ocean is at the back of this photo










Apparently this last male was experiencing a musth episode Elephant Musth Facts: What Exactly Is 'Musth'?

We had a fantastic afternoon and can highly recommend this group

 

[RB]

Arugam Bay to Tissa
Good roads through very busy little villages with local markets in full swing. There is a huge variety of offerings at the markets. Interesting to see huge lines of scooters waiting to fill up as there new quota entitlement had ticked over overnight. Some of this drive was a revisit of roads already covered, but the activity level in the villages had changed.









Fuel quota entitlement day for some


The market days really draw people to town

 

[RB]

Once we were on “Elephant Road” to Tissa the action started. Apparently some elephants have become used to being fed by people on the side of the road (against authorities advice). The 4 elephants we saw certainly had little regard for traffic & were on the hunt for handouts. The artificial road blockages created hazards for all vehicles & one elephant certainly created a terrifying experience for a variety of motorbike riders.

Our first sighting

 

[RB]

A stop at Kataragama mid morning gave us an insight to the importance of the multi denomination temple (Hindu, Muslim & Buddhist). A huge gathering had been held to coincide with the full moon and massive numbers of hotels/guesthouses gear up for the monthly gatherings.

Kataragama temple - Wikipedia
Kataragama- The Abode of the Gods of the South – Classic Sri Lanka

Impressive entry to town


Manik Ganga


Wood Apple or sausage tree

 

[RB]

Tissa or Tissamaharama
We visited here during our previous trip as it has access to Yala for a safari. This time was for a 1 night lazy stay as we had visited Yala from Arugam Bay . Lunch at a local bakery with baked treats for us and a fish curry for Lucky was the princely sum of $4 for the 3 of us. We had a drive along the lake and there is plenty of traffic - Tissa is certainly dependent on safari tourists but looking at the jeeps parked on the side of the road it would appear there is currently an oversupply of them. The town is certainly busy though so the “Golden Triangle” tourist traffic seems to be picking up.

Distant view of Wedasiti Kanda Viharaya as we left Kataragama Wedihiti Kanda | Places To Visit In Kataragama | Wedithi Kanda Temple




Some lush surrounds at Tissa





Richard’s Cabanas Tissa
An outstanding stay. Excellent secluded location near the lake but in a quiet country lane location next to a stream & local temple. The owner was apparently previously involved in safaris but he and his son are now concentrating on hospitality. They run a slick service starting with the room already cooled down by the air conditioning ( only previously done at Gal Oya). We are in a twin room (chosen) & the facilities are excellent throughout - a well cut key that work easily, sensibly located light switches, plenty of spots to sit inside & out, luggage racks, clothes drying racks, a separate toilet/shower set-up, a functioning fridge, fast WiFi, an incredibly inviting pool/shaded rest area in a quiet sanctuary and a restaurant serving excellent food. Dinner orders were due at 6 pm and the breakfast order was done the previous night with a nifty selection sheet for preferences. Food service here was quick, on good crockery & the wait staff had obviously spent time in training. Staff escorted us the couple of hundred metres from the room to the dining area. For a small privately owned operation this was an outstanding stay.

Photo lifted from booking.com


Our photos


With separate toilet

 

[RB]

More of Richard's Cabanas
Excellent choice of shade or sun in quiet gardens







Dining area is hidden by vegetation in the background of this photo


Local temple- our cabana was behind the fence ^ bamboo on the right

 

[RB]

Richard's Cabanas Tissa Food

The curry was approx $9Aust per person











The included breakfast let you choose up to 10 items-could have multiples of an item

 

[OZDUCK]

Was the dog under the table a footwarmer or to pick up dropped food?

 

[RB]

Was the dog under the table a footwarmer or to pick up dropped food?

I had totally forgotten about the dog & didn't even notice it when uploading the photos!

 

[OZDUCK]

I had totally forgotten about the dog & didn't even notice it when uploading the photos!

Unlike Sgt Schultz - I see everything.

 

[RB]

Tissa to Udawalawae
Just a short haul to set us up for an afternoon elephant safari. We checked on a bat colony and the stunning lakes on the outskirts of Tissa. An imposing Buddha surrounded by artificial lotus was multitasking as a water tower and the aerial for the local radio station. A couple of villages were hosting market days and were busy but generally there was sparse traffic on good road surfaces. Plenty of rice cultivation, some bananas grown, plenty of roadside stalls selling buffalo curd and as we neared Udawalawe, a giant sugar cane growing operation became obvious on one side of the road (the other side of the road is marked by elephant fences to stop the crop destroyers). The town also plays host to the sugarcane research Institute of Sri Lanka. The safaris & the associated hotels provide alternative employment.

A not so successful attempt to capture the bats






Still using red flags off the back of the truck


Massive areas of sugar production Bitter sugar produced from our labour in our lands | The Morning

 

[Stewey]

wonderful TR @RB and you have me seriously thinking of putting a Sri Lankan guided trip with Lucky on the agenda.

 

[RB]

Niwahana Hotel Udawalawa
Another 1 night stop, this time for an elephant safari. A small older establishment but superbly clean. Nice gardens and a big dining area that also caters to day tourists enjoying a buffet lunch. We are allocated a downstairs room with a big comfortable bed and a functional bathroom that boasts a shower screen (a rare beast on this trip).
Food here was good and they sold nice cold beers. Super friendly staff could not do enough for us.



View from room- more cane


Kitchen well set up to offer buffet for day trippers


Neat super clean and comfortable

 

[RB]

wonderful TR @RB and you have me seriously thinking of putting a Sri Lankan guided trip with Lucky on the agenda.

We totally enjoyed both trips to Sri Lanka. Excellent people, plenty to see and you can modify your trip to suit your preferences ( must consider the monsoons). Having a driver is to us the obvious way to go and Lucky was outstanding for us

 

[RB]

Udawawalawe National Park

This afternoon safari was concentrated on elephant sightings. The park is extremely dry at the moment and there are tankers of water being delivered for the animals. Our first area is heavily vegetated and it is very hot so sightings are at a minimum. A younger elephant then emerged for a cooling down session in a muddy dam and put on a terrific show. From there as temperatures dropped and we moved to more open areas, the parades of elephants increased. It ended up being a great afternoon with lots of elephants and beautiful scenery after a slow, hot start.



Very dry conditions


For a while I thought this was going to be our highlight-slightly left of centre


First open view

 

[Stewey]

We totally enjoyed both trips to Sri Lanka. Excellent people, plenty to see and you can modify your trip to suit your preferences ( must consider the monsoons). Having a driver is to us the obvious way to go and Lucky was outstanding for us

thanks so much for the Tips @RB

 

[RB]

Photos from later in the day of our elephant safari



Much easier viewing than earlier


Jeep drivers were very aware of giving the elephants room but then other groups of elephants would emerge & cross paths