The Stories of “Rosettes” from the Sri Lankan wilderness – Part 01

Its Leopards, Leopards and more Leopards…

Doesn’t that get you excited? The graceful feline wandering on the sandy road in Yala National Park at sunset … golden light of the evening sun in perfect harmony with its beautiful skin…actually, that’s every safari goer’s dream shot…for his or her Instagram story. .

And if you plan your safari experience with the experts at Mahoora Tented Camps Yala – on a perfect day – with a bit of luck on your side, you will probably end up having more than one of these dreamy encounters for sure.

Now you are probably wondering why Yala?

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Presenting the “Odd Couple” of the Sri Lankan Rainforests

What would you say if I tell you that I can show you “Aragog” and “Kermit” living together??

Would you believe it? Well… why don’t you come down to Sri Lanka and take a walking safari  through our world famous rainforest – Sinhajara – with one of the naturalists while staying with Explorer by Eco Team – Mobile Tented Camps Sinharaja, and you  will most probably get a chance to see this. 

Have I confused you? Well, let me explain then…

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“The Jungle Dragons of Udawalawe”

Remember how “Danareys Tagarian” flew over “King’s Landing” on the mighty dragon – Drogon burning the city to the ground in the famous GOT series? The roar, the fire, the screams… 

Frightening right?

What if we say that we have them,“dragons”, living in Sri Lanka?

Well, certainly it will be an exaggeration since our dragons are miniature versions with some major modifications, lol!

They certainly don’t fly and don’t breathe fire but trust me when I say that they have the attitude and a big dragon heart to make up for it ……

Our lizard, the ‘the Jungle Dragon of Sri Lanka’, was spotted by one of our naturalists at the Big Game Camp premises walking through the trees – not flying (that’s a shame, I know) –  at Udawalawe one morning while his mate was having a nice breakfast on a termite mound.

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“ What is it like to be a “Sri Lankan Pumba” ???

Wildlife Facts of “Ahaspokuna” – Wild boar Families.

The wild boar is found in many regions of the globe. As “Pumba ” in Serengeti is busy helping “Simba” keep the peace in the savannah, in the highlands of the Ahaspokuna Bush Walk Camp, we have our own Sri Lankan version with their extended families, “rolling” supreme … in the mud actually.

While on a trekking tour from the site, you’re sure to pass their handy work from the previous night. You will definitely see the borrowings and holes throughout the soft moist soil of the misty mountains which these critters have dug through looking for food.

In an early morning nature walk with a Ahaspokuna Bush Walk Camp naturalist, you might be lucky enough to even spot the families rushing into the undergrowth with their babies to find a place to lay low during the day. They are experts when it comes to tracking wildlife. I meant the Ahaspokuna team, not the boars – take my word on that!

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Story of the “Binara Plant”

You could say that “Blue” is not a very common colour in Nature, especially among flowers.

And that’s why Belle, from “Beauty and the Beast”, asks her father to bring a “Blue Rose” from his travels … blue flowers are pretty special….

Behold the beautiful Binara, a bright blue flower on a slender herbaceous plant endemic to Sri Lanka.
Known locally as “Ginihiriya” this plant grows to about 1m in height – at an altitude of 2000m. Binara (Genus: Exaccum) boasts of eight species and bears a four-sided stem and its colours vary from shades of white, dark blue to hues of purple.

These flowers are offered for worship in Buddhist temples and also used in Sri Lankan traditional medicine (known as Ayurvedic medicine).

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