Best Safari Destination outside of Africa
In the modern day, when most travellers consider going on safari, what immediately comes to mind is the Savanna of Kenya & Tanzania. However, with its natural heritage, Sri Lanka offers somewhat of the same spectacle, albeit in smaller concentrations. Brittany Anas (Forbes, 2019) in her latest travel article have portrayed Sri Lanka, as the next best to the gigantic African continent, for the Best Safari Destination outside of Africa and is one of a suite of stories we need to disseminate to reinforce the country as a top destination for wildlife travel. While Africa boasts of its ‘Big Five’ land mammals, namely, the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino & Cape Buffalo; Sri Lanka has five counterparts: the Asian Elephant, the Sri Lankan subspecies of Leopard, Sloth Bear, The Sperm Whale (the biggest toothed whale species in the world) & the Blue Whale, the largest animal of all in the surrounding ocean. Though Sri Lanka possess some incomparable historical sites from both the colonial era and from much older times, it is the lushness of its natural environment that truly stuns.
In her writings, Anas (Forbes, 2019) speaks of her REI Adventure Itinerary of Sri Lanka, from observing an elephant admirably resurface above water on the Gal Oya Park’s Reservoir, hikes amid lush tea fields, the eminent climb atop the Lion’s Rock and bike rides paving way for intense cardio work outs, to temple tours, culinary experiences & breath-taking beaches. Anas, proclaims Yala as the safari jackpot, with its dry scrub and high density of animals, Yala is perhaps the single best park to get one’s wildlife collection off and running. The leopard, is the main attraction for most visitors and there’s nothing quite like spotting such a lithe, powerful cat up close. On the one hand, the Sloth Bear, with the mussed-up hair of someone freshly wakened from sleep and claws that could slit you open faster than you could blurt out ‘bear’ with a clear head. Irrespective of where you may choose to travel in the country, one can always fit in a safari to see Wild Elephants inside the many national parks, we have the biggest predictably stirring seasonal concentration of wild elephants anywhere in the world.
Though Sri Lanka does not match Africa as a Big Game Safari destination, it is merely the nearest counterpart. The country compensates with two splendid animals, the Blue Whale, the largest animal to have ever lived in the planet and the Sperm Whale, the largest toothed whale. The Gathering of Elephants’ at Minneriya coupled with the recent ramped up publicity that Sri Lanka is the best place in the world for seeing and photographing the Sloth Bear, it should be duly noted, that taking into mind the likelihood and cost of seeing and photographing five alluring mammals on a two week safari is considered, Sri Lanka is by far the better destination.
Today, all five are accessible with diminutive time spent in the national parks of Sri Lanka. Though they don’t exist in isolation, what follows would be a description of a few of the finest places to commence one’s search for the Big Five as well as conveying ideas to other adventure thrills one should not miss while in the country.
Targeting such places on a safari trip will embark you on a journey that opens up new perceptions on a country too often pigeonholed as dangerous. You are sure to experience many natural highs while paving the way to observe other animal species along the way. One may also learn from the humans you encounter, that Sri Lanka deserves a fresh start and a new set of preconceptions. We sincerely hope, more people will take stock of Sri Lanka’s exclusivity, a tiny island that is a big game safari counterpart to a vast continent.
For further information, please refer our website – https://www.jetwingeco.com/wildlife/wildlife-tourism-styles/
