— at Polonnaruwa Ancient City.
— at Polonnaruwa Ancient City.
— at Polonnaruwa Ancient City.
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in Southern Asia located in the Indian Ocean to the southeast of the Indian subcontinent.
I became interested in this island nation after visiting India in 2019. I sincerely believed Sri Lanka would be almost an extension of India, but Sri was so much more and so different from what I expected. Who knew?
Part of the reason Sri is so different from India is due to the influence of so many nations over the course of centuries. The nation was ruled by a succession of kings until foreign invasions began in 237 B.C. by India. The opportunistic Portuguese were the next occupiers followed by the Dutch. Ultimately, the nation fell into the clutches of Great Britain. The British renamed the island “Ceylon” and in 1802 it was formally made a crown colony. By the early 20th century, a nationalist political movement arose culminating with a push to obtain political independence from Great Britain. Independence was granted in 1948, with the country becoming a republic and adopting its current name in 1972. “Sri Lanka” simply means “resplendent island” in Sinhalese.
Where did the name Ceylon come from? The word “Zeylan” or “Seylan”, which was derived from the Arabic word “Saheelan” which means “land of flowing waters.”
Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, my wonderful escort, Sarath, embarked on a 3-hour drive from Colombo to a seaside town on the south coast called Mirissa. First on the agenda was an early morning whale watching tour. We had several sitings (no, no whales leaped up out of the water and re-entered with a dramatic splash of their tails) but we did note waterspouts several times.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Day two found us back in the car headed to Sinharaja Forest Reserve. Located in the southwest section of the island. I spent two full days exploring this area. Sinharaja is the last remaining relatively undisturbed remnant of tropical humid evergreen forest in Sri Lanka and has been designated a biosphere reserve and world heritage site by UNESCO. Needless to say, the rainforest is always teeming with wildlife and we didn’t have to look far or even try hard to see animals and insects.
Bundala National Park
After spending two days exploring Sinharaja, it was off to Bundala National Park before heading to Yala National Park. I didn’t know what to expect with Bundala, but I hoped I would see more fascinating wildlife. Bundala did not disappoint.
Yala National Park
Just when I was thinking it couldn’t get any better, Sarath informed me that I should brace myself because Yala was even better. Yala is a forest, grassland and lagoon reserve bordering the Indian Ocean on the southeastern side of Sri Lanka. Designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 then a national park in 1938, the park, ironically, was initially used as a hunting ground for the elites under British rule.
Yala now serves as home to 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. Among its more famous residents are the world’s largest concentration of leopards, elephants, sloth bears, sambars, jackals, spotted dear, peacocks, and crocodiles. While I didn’t see any sloths or sambars, I did see a massive number of animals at work and play and occasionally battling it out.
I spent two full days on safari there – now, you may be wondering what exactly does that mean? That means we were entering the park when it opened at 6:00 AM and exiting it around 6:00 PM when it closed. Long days but well worth the effort. Patience definitely is a virtue with animal sightings and our patience was duly rewarded every time. I witnessed some things naturalists and guides only dream of seeing…and they frequent the park literally every day. Big thank you to all my guides, drivers and naturalists throughout this trip.
I hated to leave Yala but it was on to my next stop of Udawalawe National Park for an evening and morning safari expedition. The park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir. Because it features both wet and dry zones, water birds and elephants (in particular) seem to like this park. An estimated 250 pachyderms call this park home.
At this point, I couldn’t believe I had been in Sri for almost two weeks. I had already seen so much. Day 10 I visited the Dambulla cave temple and went on safari in Habarana.
Dambulla Caves (Golden Temple)
The Dambulla caves, also known as the Golden Temple, is a World Heritage Site and dates back to the 1st century BCE. Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka and there are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and statues are related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and Ganesha. Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara, and Buddha’s first sermon. We can tell that prehistoric Sri Lankans lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism due to the discovery of several burial sites filled with human skeletons dating back about 2,700 years.
After visiting Dambulla, it was off to another safari outing in Habarana Jungle. This time it was all about the elephants then off to the lodge to rest up because the next day was a trek: Sigiriya rock fortress.
Sigiriya
The morning started off well with an early morning birdwatching session then off we went to Sigiriya. Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress and UNESCO World Heritage site located near Dambulla in Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 660 ft high. The name Sīnhāgiri is Sinhalese for Lion and the fortress is commonly called Lion Rock.
Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century (477 to 495 CE). The citadel served as the new capital and was developed into a complex city. Elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it were crafted, including defensive structures, palaces and gardens. Today, the Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace, including cisterns, located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace and gateway in the shape of an enormous lion (Lion Gate), a section called the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel.
After the king’s death, the capital and royal palace were abandoned, and the site was utilized as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Rock shelters and caves in the area suggest that Sigiriya may have been inhabited by Buddhist monks since the 3rd century BCE. In 1831, Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British army, encountered the “bush covered summit of Sigiriya” and brought it to the attention of historians and archaeologists. The rest, is literally history… It is 1,200 steps to the summit. The day I visited, it was 85 degrees and full sun…not full eastern U.S. sun but full on, blazing, I’m going to burn your skin off Sri Lankan sun. Needless to say, it was a real feat to make it to the top and back down in one piece.
Next was Polonnaruwa, Negombo, Muthurajewela Marsh Reserve and Galle.
Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO world heritage site and was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. The city is treasure trove of ruins, which are all quite well preserved and spread out over several sites.
Negombo is one of the commercial hubs of Sri Lanka and is known for its fishing industry. The shallow waters of the Negombo Lagoon provided safe shelter for seafaring vessels and became one of the key ports along with Kalpitiya, Puttalam, Colombo, Kalutara and Galle, from which the Sri Lankan kingdoms conducted external trade.
Landing here in the early 1500s, the Portuguese constructed a fort in Negombo and took over the trade of cinnamon to the West. The Portuguese restructured the traditional production and management of cinnamon and maintained their control over the trade for more than a century. The Dutch captured Negombo from the Portuguese in 1646 and negotiated an armistice with Portugal for ten years. The legacy of the Dutch colonial era can clearly be seen in Negombo Fort constructed in 1672. The canal system (Hamilton canal) that runs 75 miles from Colombo in the south, through Negombo to Puttalam in the north is another feat of Dutch engineering.
Galle: Galle Fort was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards and this was where my time in Sri Lanka ended – me engrossed in the history of this island nation. Would I visit again? In a heartbeat.
Fun Facts about Vine snakes
Also known as the long-nosed whip snake. A mildly venomous creeper that camouflages itself as a vine in foliage. As you can see, he can easily hide among leaves and stems. When threatened, he expands his body to reveal black and white scale markings and opens his mouth as a defense mechanism. His venom is only moderately potent causing swelling, pain, bruising, numbness, all of which usually subside within three days. By the way, did you notice anything unusual about his eyes?
Fun Fact: This is the only species of snake with horizontal pupils…other vipers have vertical slit pupils.
Fun Facts about cicadas
One of the loudest insects on the planet. These grasshopper-like insects are no stranger to anyone who lives near grassy, warm environments. Cicadas have a special organ called a tymbal that produces sound. The tymbal contains a series of ribs that buckle one after the other when the cicada flexes its muscles. Every time a rib buckles, the rib produces a click. Many Many clicks produce a buzzing sound, the sound these little noisemakers are known for.
While they have a very distinctive sound and the noise can sometimes border on deafening, it is very rare to spot one. Well, guess who saw one…
Fun Facts about Rock Pythons
While the mere mention of a snake brings feelings of anxiety and outright fear in most individuals, I couldn’t wait to see this one. After wading through a creek in water up to my knees, my efforts were rewarded. The locals had corralled the snake on a sandbar. Rock pythons are lethargic, slow-moving, timid snakes that rarely try to strike, even when attacked.
Fun Facts about Tarantulas
Did you know? A tarantula bite is not lethal. In fact, it is deemed no worse than a bee sting in terms of toxicity. They are quite docile and rarely bite people.
Tarantulas defend themselves by throwing needle-like, barbed hairs at their attackers.
Tarantulas don’t use webs to catch prey. They ambush small animals at night by sneaking up on them and paralyzing them with their venom. Once paralyzed, they use digestive enzymes to turn the meal into mush.
A fall can be fatal to a tarantula; they are thin-skinned. Even a short fall can rupture the insect’s exoskeleton.
Tarantulas can regenerate lost legs. Tarantulas will sometimes eat their detached legs as a way to recycle the protein.
Fun Facts about Monitor Lizards
There are 79 species of monitor lizards in the world. While they are referred to as members of the lizard family, they are most closely related to snakes. With sharp and sensitive eyesight, they can identify prey and predators from afar. Most monitor species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known. I have some shots of water monitors toward the end of my trip…stay tuned.
Fun Fact: The skin of monitor lizards is used in making a carnatic music percussion instrument called a kanjira. It is an instrument in the tambourine family.
Fun Facts about Crocodiles
Crocodiles are the biggest reptiles on earth with some measuring over 20 feet long and weighing more than 2,000 pounds…yes, a literal ton.
The first crocodiles appeared around 250 million years ago, at the same time when dinosaurs appeared so you can imagine their predecessors were MUCH larger than they are.
Crocodiles actually do produce tears. While eating, they swallow large amounts of air, which reacts with their lachrymal glands resulting in tears – but it’s technically not crying.
Saltwater crocs have the strongest bite yet the muscles that control their jaws are tiny and weak and a human can prevent a crocodile from opening its jaws.
These reptiles have the most sophisticated heart in the animal kingdom, and actively change the destination of blood that flows through it depending on requirements. Who knew!?
Crocodiles do not have sweat glands and release heat through their mouths. They often sleep with their mouths open.
Fun Facts about Bee-eaters
Bee-eaters live in an extended family with members of four overlapping generations. They appear to recognize parents, siblings, offspring, friends, and nesting neighbors, likely from voice recognition. This cooperative behavior vastly improves survivorship of chicks. Females leave their birth group to join her mate’s family.
Fun Facts about Painted Storks
Painted storks, also known as the janghil or dokh are large birds measuring almost three feet high. They search for fish in shallow waters with their bills half open and shaking their heads back and forth. Occasionally, they will use a wing to direct the fish toward their waiting bills. They nest in colonies with other storks, ibises, spoonbills, cormorants, and herons. Male storks are responsible for gathering the sticks for nest building – that’s right ladies put the men to work! While young storks are able to call loudly, by 18 months of age, they become practically mute.
Fun Facts with Macaques
Macaques are old world monkeys and can be found living in more climates and habitats than any other primate, except humans. Their name derives from the small patch of fur on the top of their head that resembles a little hat – toque is a type of small cap. This species can grow to four feet long, but half or more of that is tail! While they are the smallest macaque species, they have the longest tail in relation to their body size. These monkeys are quite social, living in groups of up to 40. There are usually twice as many females as males in each group and within each group there is a clear hierarchy of dominance ruled by age and sex.
Very mischievous, highly intelligent and quite inquisitive they have no fear of humans and this bolsters their raiding escapades and emboldens them.
Fun Facts about Grizzled Giant Squirrels
The national animal of Sri Lanka – the grizzled giant squirrel. The body of the giant squirrel measures 10–18 inches in length with the tail measuring roughly the same or more, for a total length of 20–35 inches in total. They weigh between 3 to 6.5 pounds – much larger than their North American counterpart, which can measure the same but generally weighs a mere 1.5 pounds! It is very territorial, greeting intruders with loud vocalizations. If frightened, it is capable of leaping up to 18 feet between trees and it is an omnivore, eating everything from bird eggs to tree bark. He definitely gives new meaning to the term “Fat Rat”.
Fun Facts about Water Monitors
This, my friends, may look like a land monitor but it is actually a water monitor. Water monitors are, typically, larger than land monitors and, you guessed it, are found near bodies of water and are excellent swimmers. They are second only to the Komodo dragons in terms of size in the lizard world. They defend themselves using their tails, claws, and jaws and prey on fish, frogs, rodents, birds, crabs, and snakes.
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