Wild Sri Lanka

Best of Sri Lanka's wildlife from the national parks to the ocean

Sri Lanka is well known for its cultural heritage and picture perfect beaches, but perhaps less known is that it is also one of the best locations in Asia for wildlife. The wide range of altitudes found in this small island results in a variation of climate and diversity normal only found across a whole continent. Blue whales congregate off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, elephant herds gather in Udawalawe and the elusive leopard rules in Yala. As well as game drives in Sri Lanka’s most famous national parks we visit the steamy Sinharaja Rainforest and relax on the south coast, where the warm waters of the Indian Ocean lap the shore and days can easily drift by from the shade of a palm tree.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit, and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural and social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally-owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
• We have financially co-sponsored a local Tsunami relief project, which has enabled 25 families to be rehoused and for two schools to be equipped with toilets, running water and outdoor swings. 
• In collaboration with a German operator and the village temple, we have helped towards 10 large water tanks and an eye clinic in a remote village with a donation of 200 pairs of glasses.
• We also assisted a principal agent of UNICEF in development of day care and education of school children of the estate sector labourers in the hill country.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• By visiting Sinharaja rainforest (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site), Yala and Udawalawe National Parks, our entrance fees directly contribute to their upkeep. For example, our game drives in Yala & Udawalawe N.P. promotes animal welfare and financially contributes to conservation projects in the area.
• We visit Udawalawe's famous Elephant Transit Home (ETH). The transit home is run by the department of Wildlife Conservation and supported by the Born Free Foundation. It provides a safe environment for orphaned elephants, who are typically looked after at the home until they reach the age of 4, at which point they are old enough to be released back into the wild.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
  
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for re-usable bottles.
• The Exodus Travels Foundation has launched the Community Kickstart Project to help our destination communities recover and rebuild following the impact of COVID-19. In Sri Lanka, we’ve contributed to the Yala Park Driver Support initiative, more details can be found here.

 Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
•  Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally-sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Vegetarian and vegan options are available at majority of accommodation and restaurants.
• This trip favours locally-owned and run accommodation. When we visit Sinharaja Rainforest for 2 nights, groups stay at the Rainforest Eco Lodge. The lodge strives to minimise their carbon footprint through the implementation of various sustainable practices on site.

 Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own re-usable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.
• Please be aware there are a large number of stray dogs in Sri Lanka, and you may encounter some during your trip. Our local operators are aware of this and we are monitoring any animal welfare concerns.
• Cultural respect:
  • One should not touch someone’s head as this is considered disrespectful.
  • It's polite to use your right hand when shaking hands or handing money and small objects to someone else.
  • It is common practice to remove one’s shoes before entering someone’s home.
  • Especially when visiting temples, men’s and women’s clothing should cover shoulders and be on or below the knee.

Visa

Sri Lanka

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally need a visa to enter Sri Lanka. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/sri-lanka
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/sri-lanka
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SriLanka.html

Travellers from most countries can obtain a visa (ETA) before travel through http://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/. It costs US$50 per applicant. We strongly recommend you obtain your visa (ETA) online prior to travel to avoid any complications and delays on arrival.

You should also be aware of local laws and customs in Sri Lanka (see: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka/local-laws-and-customs). The mistreatment of Buddhist images and artefacts is an offence; please note, people have been refused entry to Sri Lanka because of visible tattoos of Buddha.

Vaccination

Sri Lanka

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice. Additionally, dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available; the best form of prevention is to take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and 9 dinners are included.

We suggest allowing about 7,000 rupees (US$20) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in Sri Lanka, but if you mainly eat at the more expensive restaurants, you will spend more than the suggested amount.

Sri Lankan cuisine is a fascinating reflection of the island’s heritage; there is a unique fusion of fresh local produce with spices brought to the island over the centuries by Malays, Arabs, Indians as well as the Dutch, Portuguese and English. Despite (or perhaps because of) these influences, Sri Lankan cuisine is often referred to as simply rice and curry. This is the staple dish in most restaurants and is usually a serving of rice accompanied by assorted meat and vegetable curries as well as various pickles, sambols (condiments), and a handful of tiny poppadum – all using the contrasting flavours of coconut, chilli, curry leaves, cinnamon and garlic.

Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note, the availability of certain products is minimal or non-existent in Sri Lanka. For example, wheat- or dairy-free options outside of hotels are limited. Please be prepared for this and you may need to bring these from home. Spicier food can be avoided easily and lots of the hotels will serve Western options alongside traditional food.

Mineral water is provided by our local operator in large containers throughout the trip so please bring a bottle with you to refill. Please note, restaurant service can be quite slow.

Weather Charts

Galle

Is this trip for you?

Activity Level: 1 (Leisurely) with a Safari Rating of 4.

This is a relatively leisurely itinerary, staying in comfortable accommodation throughout and travelling on air-conditioned buses, private boats and 4WD game vehicles. There are some long drives and early starts, and if you're prone to sea sickness you may wish to take medication for the whale watching excursions. Temperatures are typically hot although the early mornings can be cool.

There are some important things to note about wildlife watching in Sri Lanka:

Yala is Sri Lanka's most popular national park, and in peak season attracts a large number of both international and local visitors. Game drives in Yala are a very different experience to being in Africa; geographically the area is much smaller and wildlife tourism is a relatively new thing, which means that the number of vehicles in parks and communication between vehicles is not being controlled by the authorities at this time. In peak times there can be many vehicles in the park at one time and this can result in 'traffic jams' where a number of vehicles are present at the same sighting. The naturalist guides and drivers that Exodus works with will do their best to avoid such sightings, and although we always try to make sure you see leopard, we ensure this is done in a safe and sensible way away from the crowds as much as possible. Our preference is to focus on the quieter areas of the park to enhance the quality of the wildlife encounters, as and when they occur, and we believe this is the most responsible way to operate game drives in Yala.

Whale watching is becoming an increasingly popular activity and as yet there are very few regulations on the industry in Sri Lanka. Exodus have chosen a responsible operator and our boat trips will always be accompanied by a naturalist guide, with a focus on education. We are careful to use small, private boats for our groups and will ensure that wildlife is approached at a minimum boat speed and only ever from a sideways angle, as approaching head-on can be threatening for cetaceans. In addition we adhere by responsible tourism guidelines to spend no more than 20 minutes at any sightings.

Enforcing these regulations on ourselves, and educating our clients in best practice, is the most simple way of encouraging responsible behaviour around marine life and we hope to see such behaviour adopted by other boats in Sri Lanka.

April Departures, Sinhala and Tamil New Year:

A unique celebration to the people of Sri Lanka, this important New Year national festival, known as Avurudu in Sinhala and Puththandu in Tamil, is not celebrated by any other nation. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities are observed by both Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus across Sri Lanka for two days on the 12 - 13 April 2024 and 13 – 14 April 2025 (may vary slightly year on year). If you are travelling in Sri Lanka over these dates you can expect to see religious ceremonies, family activities, traditional foods, colourful decorations and a general feeling of good will toward neighbours and friends. Parties can go on into the night and it can be quite loud during this period. Your Leader will be happy to show you some of the activities where your itinerary allows. Please note, during the New Year public holiday, most shops, monuments and attractions will be closed however, your Leader will modify the itinerary as required to ensure minimal disruption

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as not suitable for full wheelchair users, but it may be suitable for other persons of reduced mobility. Please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.