Sri Lanka wildlife and whales tour
Highlights
3 whale watching excursions | 6 game drives in Yala National Park | Expert naturalist guidesDescription of Sri Lanka wildlife and whales tour
Sri Lanka is well known for its cultural heritage and gorgeous beaches, but perhaps less famous as a wildlife hotspot. But thanks to its wide range of habitats, this small island is one of the best locations in Asia for wildlife. It contains the variety of altitudes, climates and landscapes you’d typically only find across a whole continent, and all in a conveniently compact package! Blue whales congregate off the southern coast, elephant herds gather in Udawalawe and the elusive leopard rules in Yala.This 11 day guided group tour includes four game drives within Yala and Udawalawe National Parks and a private whale watching tour from Galle. Blue whales, the largest animals that have ever lived, frequent these waters between November and April, and we may also see sperm whales, Bryde’s whales and large pods of spinner and bottlenose dolphins. In the biodiversity hotspot that is Sinharaja rainforest, look out for sambar, barking deer and wild boar, and around 160 varieties of bird.
You’ll travel by private bus, boat and 4WD, staying in comfortable hotels, beach-side cabanas and an eco lodge in Sinharaja. In between wildlife spotting, you’ll have the chance to wander through the cobbled streets of Galle Fort, built by the Dutch in 1663, and relax at Talalla, a quiet and remarkably undeveloped beach, where the warm waters of the Indian Ocean lap the shores and hammocks swing from palm trees.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
Activity:We are very conscious of the environment and try to limit our impact on our surroundings as much as possible. All of our vehicles on this tour are subject to annual eco testing and we monitor this closely in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts. We also leave a positive impression by visiting important National Parks like Yala, our entrance fees to which contribute to upkeep of environment, improvement of facilities for wildlife and staff, and conservation projects.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
The Impacts of this Trip
Accommodation and Meals:
This trip offers 9 nights in comfortable hotels and eco lodges. All of the properties that we stay in are dedicated to hiring local staff and using freshly sourced produce wherever possible. This helps to benefit the surrounding community by providing employment opportunities and income alternatives where they may be otherwise hard to come by. Where meals are not provided, we suggest that clients spread their commerce to small local businesses and try some authentic food.
Local Craft and Culture:
There are plenty of opportunities to engage with local culture on the several visits to towns and villages such as Ahangama located on the south coast.
Activity:
We are very conscious of the environment and try to limit our impact on our surroundings as much as possible. All of our vehicles on this tour are subject to annual eco testing and we monitor this closely in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts. We also leave a positive impression by visiting important National Parks like Yala, our entrance fees to which contribute to upkeep of environment, improvement of facilities for wildlife and staff, and conservation projects.
Charity:
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.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
Activity:We are very conscious of the environment and try to limit our impact on our surroundings as much as possible. All of our vehicles on this tour are subject to annual eco testing and we monitor this closely in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts. We also leave a positive impression by visiting important National Parks like Yala, our entrance fees to which contribute to upkeep of environment, improvement of facilities for wildlife and staff, and conservation projects.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
The Impacts of this Trip
Accommodation and Meals:
This trip offers 9 nights in comfortable hotels and eco lodges. All of the properties that we stay in are dedicated to hiring local staff and using freshly sourced produce wherever possible. This helps to benefit the surrounding community by providing employment opportunities and income alternatives where they may be otherwise hard to come by. Where meals are not provided, we suggest that clients spread their commerce to small local businesses and try some authentic food.
Local Craft and Culture:
There are plenty of opportunities to engage with local culture on the several visits to towns and villages such as Ahangama located on the south coast.
Activity:
We are very conscious of the environment and try to limit our impact on our surroundings as much as possible. All of our vehicles on this tour are subject to annual eco testing and we monitor this closely in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts. We also leave a positive impression by visiting important National Parks like Yala, our entrance fees to which contribute to upkeep of environment, improvement of facilities for wildlife and staff, and conservation projects.
Charity:
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.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
4 Reviews of Sri Lanka wildlife and whales tour
Reviewed on 08 Feb 2019 by Catherine Stothart
It was all great. The diversity of bird life is astonishing - we saw 85 different types of bird - Sri Lanka is wonderful for anyone who likes bird watching... the food was good, the people friendly and it was a relaxing experience. Read full reviewReviewed on 14 Apr 2014 by Chris Rose
finally seeing a Leopard in the wild, it was not without its stress as there were too many jeeps trying to populate a very small space but eventually we were lucky and had wonderful views as an adult female came down to drink at a waterhole. Read full reviewReviewed on 11 Apr 2013 by Susan Fox
the most memorable part was seeing what I went to see - leopards and whales! Read full review
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