3rd March - Gal Oya National Park, Sri Lanka

Today we were going into the Gal Oya National Park.  Located in Sri Lanka’s lesser-visited eastern region. The park was established in 1954, the park protects the catchment of the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir — the largest in Sri Lanka.

It is the only national park in the country where boat safaris are possible, offering the extraordinary chance to see elephants swimming between islands. This is a strikingly diverse landscape, with forested hills, savannahs, turtleback rock formations and low grasslands, providing a serene, varied environment that remains blissfully undeveloped by mass tourism.

Overnight it  became quite cold and with only a sheet on the bed I awoke in the night feeling very chilly.  But in the morning it was beautiful looking out across the paddyfields as we walked to breakfast.

There was plenty of activity around the restaurant.  A male Purple-rumped Sunbird feeding on the flowers of a banana plant.

Sri Lankan Swallows on some overhead wires.

A very vocal Indian Robin.

The bare granite escarpments of Monkey Mountain an important cultural site for the indigenous Veddah tribe.

It was a short drive into the national park, we were going on a boat safari around the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir.  The reservoir was opened in 1949 and was created by damming the Gal Oya river.  It is the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka.  Reservoirs are referred to as "Tanks" in Sri Lanka.  Interestingly Sri Lanka has no natural lakes all the inland water has been created by man, they do have many rivers.

We drove along the main dam of the reservoir to join the boat safari.  As we waited to board there were stunning views across the lake.  The water is dotted with many islands and rocks.

With very little breeze the water was like the proverbial mill pond, very welcome as we were in a very small boat with out any roof, we were given a life jacket though.

Cruising past a collection of rocks there were Whiskered Terns roosting.

On one of the islands we came a cross a pair of Great Thick Knees.  

They are larger than the Indian Thick Knee seen at Udawalawa and have a much more prominent eye and bill with definite black markings around the ear coverts and supercilium.

Away in the distance a large boulder in the water and there was something perched on the top.

As we approached the rock a White-bellied Sea Eagle was flying towards us.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Sri Lanka and as you can see they do not just restrict themselves to the coast.

As we approached closer to the rock it was clear another was sitting on the rock and we were able to get very close without disturbing it.

A portrait.

But it was the elephants you felt the guides wanted to show us and soon we could see several on one of the larger islands.  Here a bull elephant.

As we got closer to the island it became clear there was a large group of elephants including two youngsters.  As the elephants became aware of us the the mothers of the youngsters were quick to move them away from us.

But as the engines were cut they seemed to accept us and we could watch them closely, not the best light though.

They had been feeding on the grass, but started to move towards the water.

Where a mud shower was the order of the day.

Pretty soon all the herd came to the water to shower in the mud and to drink the water.

The elephants here have the security of the many islands and will swim between the islands, using the trunk as a snorkel. Seeing them do so is rare, taking the opportunity to so so at dusk or night.

We waited to see if they would enter the water and even try to swim, but they didn't, after drinking they moved away once again and returned to feeding on the grass.

We moved on, taking in the scenery of the reservoir.  Dead trees poking out of the water, not unlike the dead trees of Souvalei in Namibia.

And another White-bellied Sea Eagle at the top of one of the dead trunks.

We were to be treated to some coffee and cake, so found a small island where we could get out of the boat and paddle.  From here though we could see the bull elephant we had seen first.  Accompanied by four Cattle Egret it moved into the water.

When we left the island we made our way towards the bull, he had now moved into deeper water and was almost submerged, the trunk being held under water, until it was time to breathe, then blowing bubbles he would raise the trunk.

As we turned away from the elephant a Blue-tailed Bee-eater flew from the perches of the dead branches.

By the way we were searching the shorelines of the lake I think the guides were trying to find us crocodiles, but they didn't find anything.  We did come across this nicely posed Grey Heron.

So it was back to the camp and another afternoon of leisure.  I decided to spend it this time by the pool.

Another wonderful sunset as we walked to the restaurant for another lovely dinner, the food here has really been very good.

A distant view of the Monkey Mountain.

We move on again tomorrow, further east to coast.

2nd March - Udawalawa to Galoya, Sri Lanka

It was a leisurely start to the day before leaving for our next location, a Wild Glamping site in the Gal Oya area to the east of Sri Lanka. Our journey would be on single carriageway roads, heading in a north easterly direction through the towns of Wellawaya, and Bibilie.  The journey was just under four hours.  Before leaving there was time to take in the views from our hotel.

Leaving Kulu's Hideaway we turned to the east past the entrance to the Udawalawa park we had visited the day before.  There are extensive electric fences along the side of the road as the elephants have learnt to exploit the small fruit stalls outside the park, some of the bulls holding the buses to ransom in order to get food.  The fences though have not stopped them still trying and as we passed there was a bull close to the fence, this one though was quite special as it was a "tusker", only about 3% of the male elephants in Sri Lanka actually have tusks so this one was a bit special.  As a result we stopped to take the obligatory photograph.

A short wayin to the journey we passed a large lake called Thanamalwima Wewa.  The water was almost covered with large lily pads and running around on the lily pads was a Pheasant-tailed Jacana.

Blessed with large toes it nimbly walked around the lily pads looking for insects on the leaves and the surface of the water.

However sometimes the leaves can't hold the weight of the Jacana and it has to use the wings to stop it from falling into the water.

As we were getting closer to our destination we stopped to watch two Wooly-necked Storks in a field by the side of the road.

Close up the wings show the same petrol colours in the plumage to that of the Glossy Ibis.

We arrived at the top of a dirt track.  Here we were met and transferred to the camp by safari jeep, the road being steep and very undulating.  Wild Glamping Gal Oya is located near the Gal Oya National Park, in the historic Rathugala a majestic mountain-locked village inhabited by the Adivasi people – a Vedda or indigenous tribe that calls Rathugala their home.  We were met by one of the elders of the village in traditional costume.  The public areas and tented lodges have been constructed by people from the indigenous community using locally sourced, eco-friendly materials.  This is a thirty acre farm on which almost all of the produce used in cooking the meals is provided by the farm

After checking in we were taken to our tented lodge, the walk taking us past paddy fields with orchards in the distance.  The lodges were supplied by solar power and were very luxurious.  We were lucky with our lodge being tucked away from the main area.

Views of the farmland and the paddyfields.

We had the afternoon to ourselves, a chance to explore the area around the site.  There were plenty of butterflies about once again, many just wouldn't stop for me.  One or two did though.

This is a Common Sailor

The Interestingly called Grey Pansy.

Seen a few days ago, the Common Crow.

and the Common Four Ring.

There was a lot of activity in the trees around the lodges, A Greater Coucal was calling but was well hidden by the trees.  The sunbirds were easier to see as they were nectaring on the flowers in the smaller bushes.  A female Purple-rumped Sunbird.

And the male.

I walked around the edge of the lodges and found a scrubby area where Merlin told me a Common Tailor bird was calling.  I only managed quick views, it looks a little like a female Blackcap.  However what did appear was a new bird for me, a Yellow-eyed Babbler.

A brahminy Kite was nesting in one of the taller trees overlooking the camp.  I could just make out on bird sitting on the nest.  

I decided to walk up the main track through the orchard.  Red-vented Bulbuls were singing from the trees, but unfortunately there wasn't any sign of the Little Green Bee-eater that had been on the track when we came in.

I found a path that led to the paddy fields and here there were Sri Lankan Swallows hawking over the fields.  So the challenge was thrown down.

They appear very similar to the Red-rumped Swallow, but lack the streaking, the underparts almost all a flame red.  The tail and the manner of flying is very similar to the Red-rumped Swallow.

A call from the the rice plants turned out to be an Ashy Prinia.

Walking back down the main track I had a rather obscured view of a Black-headed Oriole.

And a similar obscured view of a Greater Coucal.

Purple -rumped Sunbirds were probably the commonest sunbirds around the cam, I did manage one view of Purple Sunbird, but it was much too quick for the camera.  I did though manage to get good views of the other Sri Lankan sunbird, Loten's Sunbird.

The name of the bird commemorates Joan Gideon Loten, the Dutch governor to Ceylon who commissioned the artist Pieter Cornelis de Bevere to illustrate the natural history of the region from living and collected specimens.

Close to the restaurant there were several Scaly-breasted Munia.

Back at Kulu's Hideaway there was a large noisy flock of Yellow-billed Babbler, I forgot to photograph them there.  The Babblers were doing much the same here so I thought I needed to get the photograph.

It was a lovely walk to the restaurant with the sun setting behind the distant mountain, passing some golden light across the paddyfield.

When we left Udawalawa I sent my contact in Audley Travel an emails, stating our thoughts on the current situation and our journey home.  When we arrived here we were told there is no wifi.  Panic!  In the end I turned on data roaming and checked messages.  That evening as we sat having a night cap we decided to call.  We managed to get through and were completely reassured we hadn't been forgotten, there was now a plan

We went to bed that night feeling a lot better.