“We had high hopes for the 2 day safari, and were not disappointed! Pila was our naturalist host and he drove the jeep and hosted us throughout the safari. He is a knowledgable and experienced guide, very committed to providing a wonderfully memorable and diverse experience. We saw many varieties of birds, mammals and reptiles, often thanks to Pila’s sharp and expert eyes. He was happy to provide as much information as we wanted, and carried a selection of reference books on the jeep to add background information to what we were seeing. The highlight was seeing 2 leopards, one up close and magnificent! But we were also delighted by the mongooses, deer, mugger crocs, jackals, painted storks, eagles, brown fish owl, langurs, monitors, turtles, woolly neck storks, adjutants, kingfishers, bee eaters, and many other stars. Pila also educated us about the flora and especially species unique to the area. We observed other professional park guides greeting Pila with respect and deference and realised we were fortunate to be with one of the best.
The campsite was in a very natural setting. We had the impression it was actually within Wilpattu National Park, which isn’t the case. It’s about 15 minutes drive to the entrance. However there were only short queues and the campsite location was fairly peaceful and very beautiful, with plenty of natural sights and sounds.
The cook and team produced delicious and beautifully presented food, and all manner of lovely small touches. Cold towels on arrival and each return from game drives, a small library of reference books, torches, campfire, refreshing King coconut water, warm showers on request, solar powered lights in the tent, gorgeous fresh fruit, 4 course meals with plenty to go around.
Our first night was on a full moon night, Poya celebration for Buddhists. It was very special to be served a wonderful moonlit dinner in this amazing setting. The second day we were joined by 2 delightful New Zealanders and their Sri Lankan friend, who were great company on the game drives and during our lovely meals, which also added to the magical and memorable experience.

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