Part 1
Planning
Having taken several family holidays to various destinations in North America and Southern Africa, we decided to look for somewhere different for 2007. As a family, we have a broad range of interests, and Sri Lanka seemed to cater for them all. We all enjoy a broad cross section of wildlife. I’m primarily a birder, Phil is particular interested in butterflies and other insects, whilst Debbie loves Elephants. Sri Lanka also has a number of historical sites, ancient cities and temples, another interest of Debbie’s. So Sri Lanka it was then.
As Phil is 15, we needed to travel during the summer school holidays. Not the cheapest time to travel. Being based in the north of England, we wanted to fly from Manchester. We decided to fly with Qatar mainly due to the fact that they offered the lowest cost option (£620 each). These proved to be an excellent choice, a top quality airline. Other options included Emirates, via Dubai and Etihad via Abu Dhabi. Be careful if you take flights using Emirates as some of these return via the Maldives and can be time consuming. The only direct flights to Colombo were with Sri Lankan Airways from Heathrow.
Because we had taken a beach holiday to Sri Lanka back in 1990, we already knew that driving ourselves would be difficult. Sri Lankan roads are not for the faint hearted. We decided therefore, to look for an agent that could arrange the full trip, including transport and a guide. We sent exploratory emails to several companies, one of which was to Jetwing Eco. It became clear from the very first discussions that Jetwing Eco had a very good understanding of our requirements. We dealt with Ajanthan Shantiranam who was excellent. Ajanthan was always very prompt in replying to our questions, and following the exchange of a few emails very quickly put together an ideal itinerary.
Jetwing’s arrangements included a car, driver/guide, accommodation, dinner and breakfast throughout, jeep hire in the national parks, and entrance fees. The only costs remaining were for lunches (about £10 per day for the three of us), drinks and gratuities. The whole trip, airport to airport cost £850 each.
Saturday 4th August – in flight
We caught our flight to Doha without any issues. Qatar use modern aircraft with state of the art entertainment systems, so the 7-hour flight soon passed. The transfer at Doha airport was straightforward. We had 4 hours to wait before our flight to Colombo. Doha airport is currently being expanded. Existing facilities are a bit limited, but included a small shopping area and an adequate cafeteria. Our flight to Colombo departed about 30 minutes late.
Sunday 5th August
Talangama Tank
The 5-hour flight soon passed and we arrived at Colombo at 8.30am. After collecting our bags, we exchange our cash at one of the banks. The banks were found before entering the arrivals hall, which we thought was ideal as the area was nice and quiet.
On entering the arrivals hall, a representative of Jetwing Eco was waiting. We were soon in a minivan and on our way to our first destination Villa Talangama.
The one-hour transfer to Talangama seemed like an adventure in itself. The roads are very busy, and no one seems to follow the rules, if there are any! Bus drivers seemed to be in a hurry to meet schedules, aiming to get to their destinations at any cost. Tuc-tucs and motorcycles zigzagged in and out of traffic, whilst you also had to keep a look out for animals on the road, such at domesticated Water Buffalo and dogs. We never really got used to the roads throughout the trip.
Villa Talangama is situated in a quiet suburb to the east of Colombo, and is situated on the edge of wetland, part of Talangama Tank. This proved to be an ideal place to recover form the long journey. Ajanthan was waiting for us when we arrived which was a nice touch, and indicative of the personal attention Jetwing Eco provided during the trip.
After a short snooze and light lunch, we were greeted by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, the CEO of Jetwing Eco. Over tea, we discussed our plans and interests, and Gehan kindly provided several identification booklets and posters, which he has produced. These proved invaluable, particularly those on butterflies and dragonflies, as the country still lacks comprehensive field guides on these subjects.
We were then introduced to Wicky, who was to be our guide for the trip. Wicky is a great guy. He proved to be reliable, efficient and never late. He is an excellent birder, very sharp and seemed to know every call heard. He had a good working knowledge of butterflies and dragonflies, but freely admitted that he was still learning. What we liked was when we found an insect we couldn’t identify, he didn’t try to pretend he knew what it was, and we worked together to try to sort it out. Wicky has a great sense of humour and we regarded him as a good friend by the end of the trip.
During the afternoon, we took a short walk around Talangama Tank. The walk gave us the opportunity to get to know some of the more common species. Birds were typical of a Sri Lankan wetland, with a mixture of heron species, Openbill Storks, and Black Headed Ibis. Highlights included Pheasant Tailed Jacana, Ceylon Swallow and Ashy Wood Swallow. Butterflies were everywhere, the most common being Grey and Peacock Pansies, White Forewings, Smallest Swift and Three Spot Grass Yellows. The highlights included our first Tailed Jay and Glassy Tiger. In all 16 species of butterfly were seen on the walk. Six species of Odanata were seen including Variable Glider, Pied Parasol, Pink and Green Skimmers, whilst our first reptiles were Common Garden Lizard and a large Water Monitor. Mammals were represented by the ubiquitous Palm Squirrel.
On the evening, following a delicious meal, we chilled out on the veranda, overlooking the wetland. As it got dark a large number of Bat species emerged from a roost in the roof of the villa, and Fireflies were everywhere. The perfect end to our first day.
Photos:-
1.Typical Colombo Road Scene
2. Little Cormorant
3. Long Billed Sunbird
4. Scaly Breasted Munia
5. White Rumped Munia
More photos from Talamgama.
1. White Breasted Kingfisher
2. Common Garden Lizard
3. Common Pierot
4. Pale Palm Dart
5. Green Skimmer
Hi Sidwemn,
Though I live close to & work at Manc Airport this was one of the very few times we went via LHR (& still refuelled at Male!)
Nice start to the report - I'm sure we saw some of the butterflies & dragons - but I couldn't put a name to them!
We were there during June & used a driver & guide for our trip to Sinharaja - but I didn't think the roads were that bad & would drive next time.
Look forward to more.
Cheers
H