Dear my travelers, welcome to the new post on Mr.M blog! Today may be April 1st, but I don’t have an April Fool’s joke for you, but that’s why I’ve prepared a new story and I’m taking you on a new adventure! Today we continue our tour of Sri Lanka and I am very excited to share pictures from the safari experience with you. During the trip, when I shared my Instagram stories, a lot of people sent me emails and messages with questions regarding the safari experience in Sri Lanka. What a safari really looks like on this unusual island and what can really be expected, I will try to convey to you in today’s post. Before I start today’s post I would like to thank the Sri Lankan Tourism Board for this amazing experience and for having the opportunity to continue my adventure on my favorite dream island in South Asia!
If by any chance you did not manage to read my first letter from Sri Lanka or you want to remind yourself of some interesting details, take the opportunity to get acquainted with the jewel of Sri Lanka – Colombo and see what you can visit in this unusual city! You can read my previous story at the following link.
I am sure that many of you are wondering what the safari, wildlife and national parks of Sri Lanka really look like, so I think now it’s the perfect time to describe this amazing experience to you!
Sri Lanka is an island country that is rich in diversity of geographical relief forms with extremely rich flora and fauna. Sri Lanka is a true paradise for all nature and animal lovers. There are 26 national parks and over 500 protected areas on this small island, which together cover about 27% of Sri Lanka’s area. The modest size of Sri Lanka allows you to experience all these little natural wonders in a relatively short period of time.
Before embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, consider whether you would like to go back to a bygone era, where architecture was still earthy, food more “organic”, surrounded by many species of birds and diverse trees. Would it be interesting to go back to an era when animals lived with humans with mutual trust?
If you want to feel the spirit of those times at least for a while, my sincere advice is to stay during your vacation in Sri Lanka at Cinnamon Lodge Habarana, a hotel surrounded by over 2000 trees, which are home to various animals such as serpent eagles, kingfishers and monkeys. This is an interesting coexistence of life, so if you still want to be in direct contact with nature and add a little color that will enhance your vacation, consider staying in this hotel, which will become your “distant exotic home” for at least a few days, the lifetime experience which you will remember for a long time.
Today I will share with you some of the useful tips which national parks you could visit in Sri Lanka and with great pleasure see some of your favorite animals or just simply enjoy the unreal landscapes and the beauty and scents of unusual exotic plants. If you want to see certain animals you can visit the following national parks:
Leopards: Yala National Park, Wilpattu National Park.
Elephants: Udawalawa National Park, Minneriya / Kaudulla National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park and Hurulu Eco Park.
Bears and Sloths: Wilpattu National Park
Exotic bird species: Bundala National Park, Kumana National Park, Gal Oya National Park.
If you want to enjoy amazing landscapes: Horton Plains National Park, Gal Oya National Park.
Hurulu Eco Park is the smallest of all three national parks in the vicinity of Habarana and Polonnaruwa. The animals here are not fenced with electric wire, so it is possible for animals to move within these three national parks (Minneriya, Kaudulla and Hurulu Eco Park).
This eco park is located in the north central province of Sri Lanka, which is reserved for all adventurers who are truly in search of Sri Lankan culture and heritage, but you can also enjoy the unrealistically beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Sri Lanka and the advanced ecosystem with various animal species. Just outside Habarana is the Hurulu Eco Park, on the edge of the Hurulu Forest Reserve.
There are many protected areas near Hurulu Eco Park, such as the strict Ritigila Nature Reserve and Wasgamuwa National Park. This reserve serves as a natural habitat for Sri Lankan elephants, and tourists can enjoy a jeep safari organized to admire these giant mammals up close. Visitors also have the opportunity to see other endemic (local) animals such as the Sri Lankan leopard and various exotic species of birds from the jungle.
There is a dry period of three to six months, from April to September, but a visit excluding these months will be promising. With a special jungle corridor connecting Hurulu Eco Park with two other major national parks nearby (Minneriya and Kaudulla), elephant herds can always move freely between these three places, so the chances of seeing elephants are great for all fans of these giant mammal.
The average annual temperature in this reserve is around 27 to 28 ° C. This area receives 1600 mm of precipitation per year, the extremely dry season of three to six months lasts from April to May to September. The altitude of this area ranges between 90 m and 150 m above sea level.
What does the migration of elephants between Minneria, Kaudula and Hurulu Eco Park look like?
There are three national parks in this region of Sri Lanka. These are Minneriya National Park, Kaudulla National Park and Hurulu Eco Park. All three parks are extremely popular with locals and tourists around the world because of their large herds of elephants.
Generally, every year from July to September, large groups of elephants are in the Minneriya National Park, and then migrate to the Kaudulla National Park during October to November due to heavy rains and the filling of the lake. Shortly afterwards, the elephants set off for Hurulu Eco Park as their last part of migration during December and January.
What does a visit to Hurulu Eco Park look like? You can choose between morning and evening safaris depending on your preferences and desires.
Before entering the park, meet your experienced safari tour driver in front of your hotel or in front of the agreed place and set off on a 2.5-hour tour of the park in special safari jeeps.
You will have an amzing opportunity to see elephants enjoying their natural habitat in the tall grass and forest. Of course, during the visit, you will see a variety of wild animals in the park, including grey langers, purple-faced leaf monkeys and various exotic bird species.
When the tour of the park is over, the driver will return you to the hotel or to the agreed original place of departure. Everything is extremely easy and simple, everything is tailored to your needs and you just need to enjoy and indulge in the beauties of nature. Of course, don’t forget to recharge the batteries of your cameras and mobile phones, because these are the moments you just need to capture!
The evening was slowly starting to fall, the elephants were extremely nice and willing to pose, I enjoyed this visit, but the time for dinner was approaching and little Marko just wanted to see which cakes will be on the menu! I left Hurula Eco Park with a smile on my face and great hope and desire that I will soon return and enjoy the beauty of the safari in this exotic island country!
My dear travelers, we have come to the end of this special post about the Sri Lankan safari in Hurulu Eco Park, which would not have been possible without the help of the Sri Lankan Tourism Board in cooperation with local partners such as Cinnamon Lodge Habarana Hotel. They made it possible for me to feel the beauty of Habarana and Sri Lankan culture, tradition and amzing wildlife. Of course, as always, I tried to share with you my impressions of this unusual experience in Sri Lanka.
Time always flies when a person has a good time! A man is rich at heart if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad to always be able to find partners for my projects that help me discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis COVID-19.
I am honored to have the opportunity to work with companies that are at the top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual island country in South Asia in a completely different way.
How did you like this story of mine about my safari experience in Hurulu Eco Park? Have you maybe had the opportunity to be on safari? Share with me your experiences, I am would be glad to hear!
If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write to me below in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you in the same place in a couple of days, with a new story from Sri Lanka!
Warm greetings from Habarana,
Mr.M
This post is sponsored by the Sri Lankan Tourism Board and Cinnamon Lodge Habarana Hotel. This post presents my personal and honest review of the destination experience.