SAFARI IN YALA FROM TISSA TO ELLA

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Day 5: TISSA - SAFARI EN YALA - BUDURUWAGALA - ELLA

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Ringggggggggggg… .Rinnnnggggggg…. What happens? If it is only 4 in the morning and at this time only the alarm sounds when we travel ... and we are already traveling! Today is the day of the safari in Yala?
It took us a few minutes to focus on what was the reason for the alarm to sound at this time of the morning and more when we have been almost all night turning on and off the fan because of the heat it has made and the mosquitoes have made an appearance in our room more than we expected.
But after a few minutes we have "become people again" and remember that today we expect a Yala safari that we hired yesterday with Sudu.

After taking a quick shower, we went out to the dining room and found some teapots with coffee and tea prepared, along with our picnics that will serve as today's breakfast.

Having breakfast in Tissa before leaving Safari to Yala

It is totally night, but after the first sip of tea, we cheer up and it seems that we have been awake for a few hours!

Before leaving the River Face Inn we pick up the picnics that the hotel staff has prepared for us and at 5 o'clock they let us know that Sudu is already waiting for us to start our Yala safari.
As soon as we ride the 4 × 4 and cross the city of Tissa, we realize that we are about to start one of what will be the sour cherries of this trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
As the journey progresses and when we leave the city, we begin to pick up people in the street, Yala workers, whom we will leave at the entrance of the Park.

Yala Road ...

At 6 in the morning they open the park and we, at a quarter to 6, are already at the park gate ready to start the Yala safari.

Just arrived at the entrance of Yala

Yala entrance. Yala Safari

At the moment we arrived at the entrance, Sudu delivers some documents and we now enter the park and start the safari.
It has dawned while we were touring the park's slopes and we couldn't help remembering our dear Africa ...

Entering Yala

Dawn. Yala Safari

We have as a backdrop an impressive full moon, which makes it much more pleasant to look out, despite the cold it is at this time and feel the wind in the face.
We have to say again that the weather, despite the predictions, is being great. We are very lucky!
With us comes, apart from Sudu, who will act as a driver, a guide of the park, who shows us the different animals that we see.
The first thing we see is a jackal ... we did not expect to see them here and from the first minute of the Yala safari We are left with our mouths open.

First jackal Yala Safari

We like this first contact with the park a lot. We had been told that we might be disappointed and more knowing Kenya and Tanzania, but we have to say that, in our opinion, if you have time, it is a must see in any trip to Sri Lanka.

Dawn ... Yala Safari

First animals of the Safari in Yala

As the morning progresses, the sun also rises and what used to be almost absolute darkness, appears before us as a green terrain, with many shades of color ... and with many animals ... that we see every moment as we continue our journey .

Crocodile in the Safari in Yala

Colors. Yala Safari

Landscapes. Yala Safari

Dawn and life begins in Yala

Yala has 959 hectares and is protected since 1938.
They explain that it is very important, because it is considered a sanctuary for the wild elephant, leopards and several water birds.

Landscapesin the Safari in Yala

Ave in Yala

Of the 215 species of birds in Yala, six are native to Sri Lanka. Herons, ibis, cormorants, flamingos live in the park ...

Yala Safari

Buffalo. Yala Safari

Animal life in a Safari in Yala

Among the 44 species of mammals in Yala, here we find one of the highest concentrations of leopards in the world, about 35, who have already warned us that they are very difficult to see ... And before they explain it to us and before Sudu is Turn and shout tells us to hold on tight.
And without knowing very well why it puts the 4 × 4 at full throttle along the dirt tracks that make us go from side to side of the car as in the best Yala safari that we could have imagined!

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With the cars we cross we also follow the race. It is a kind of signal that we understand means leopard in sight!
After a few minutes, we arrived at an area where we see more 4 × 4 and explains, what we had previously sensed: there is a leopard.
After a while trying to see it, in the end we managed to see it among some branches ...
We have fulfilled one of the goals of the day ... see the leopard !!

Leopard in Safari in Yala

Leopard in the Safari in Yala

After having a good time in the area, waiting for "our leopard" to decide to get up, to see a little more, we continue our Yala safari for a while longer until 9 in the morning, we stop at a beach area, where we can have breakfast.

Landscapes. Yala Safari

Beach at the Safari in Yala

Yala has a large coastal area in the southeast of the country, where the 2004 tsunami affected severely. Not only the ecosystem, but it was also primed with the lives of about 250 people.
Now we are at one of the points where more people died that day.
Undoubtedly, for a long time that has passed, even today, seeing it, there is something that wakes up inside us, recalling the scenes we saw that day.

Tribute to those killed in the tsunami in Yala

After breakfast, we walk around the area, with Sudu, who explains several things in his life as a guide to Yala safari.
Without a doubt and knowing him only for a few hours, we can already say that he is a great person and a great professional.

With Sudu in the Safari in Yala

Memory of our safari in Yala

After filling our stomach with a sandwich and a banana that has been our picnic today and take some photos, we return to the 4 × 4 and continue our safari.
And again to run! Another leopard!
This time we see it among some bushes and we are waiting for a while to move ... the cars are moving slowly, as in procession ... also with an established code, so as not to disturb each other.
And in the end it moves and we can take a picture ...
After the second leopard, we reach a point where we see many crocodiles and we have to say that we are surprised to see them so close!

Crocodile in the Safari in Yala

Crocodiles in the Safari in Yala

The next stop is in a river, where this time we can get off the 4 × 4, to stretch our legs a little.

Stretching your legs in Yala

Sudu goes down with us and we ask him if he could get us a car, so he can take us in the afternoon from Tissa to Ella, stopping in Buduruwagala.
It takes a while to reach an agreement, since he knows several drivers and calls them to ask for a price and to negotiate with us the same. In the end we reached an agreement of 5000 rupees.
We believe it is not a bad price 😉

Monkeys around us in Yala

After a while stretching our legs, we continue with our Yala safari and if before we have been very lucky seeing 2 leopards, although it has been from afar, after a few minutes, we feel doubly happy when we see an elephant walking towards a pond ...

Our first elephant in Yala !!

It takes a few minutes to be completely covered by the water and you will notice that you have little desire to leave because after several minutes, your frolicking in the water is still your biggest concern ...

Elephant in Yala !!

Elephant in Yala

After this experience, we continue with our Yala safari, making a few more stops, to see the last animals of the day.

Buffaloes in Yala

At 12 in the morning, we started to take the road back to the hotel, where we thought that it is best to eat at the same time that we collect the backpacks and thus save time.
But Sudu still wanted to give us something ... and stop in the middle of the road to buy some watermelons and melons and eat them in a kind of picnic area.
He proposes us to take the 4 × 4 for a while on these dirt tracks, but the truth is that we are not too sure to wear a dish like this, which is not a normal 4 × 4 ... it is one of those 9-seater, huge , even if only we go.
Once at the River Face Inn, before taking a shower, we order today's food that will be fried rice, fried chicken, fried bananas, coconut pankake and waters.
East Yala safari It has left us hungry !!
We started eating after 1 noon and we have to admit that we weren't planning to see so much food in our lives!
Exaggerated! But as we are hungry, today, we do not put an impediment 😉

The best fried bananas we have ever eaten !!

After having a tea and resting for a while, we check out and here comes our surprise when Sudu has appeared, telling us that he will accompany us to Ella, since the driver does not speak much English and he will take advantage of the trip to “promote himself” in Ella .
If we were going to talk during the journey of Tissa to Ella and more in the car so comfortable that we have, nothing is further from reality. We have been chatting with Sudu all over the country, his work, ours ...
To get to Buduruwagala, we have to take a fork of the general road through which we go to Ella.
As soon as a few minutes pass the road becomes dirt and has such a steep slope, that at times, we think that with this car we will not be able to climb.
But no ... we pass it without major problems and we arrive at the Buduruwagala site, where we pay 400 rupees at the entrance and Sudu and a guide explain the history of the Temple as we walk the path until we reach the figure of Buddha 4m ... Awesome!

Buduruwagala Temple

Impressed before the Buduruwagala Temple

Despite the explanations offered by the man who comes with us, we can do nothing but look at what we have in front of us ... an impressive carving of Buddha that leaves us with eyes wide open and with a feeling of peace that overwhelms us .

Buduruwagala Temple

After the explanations, we go around the whole site, to find the best perspectives of the size.
Although we have to say, that from any point, the views are stunning.

Buduruwagala Temple

Sudu with Roger in Buduruwagala

We look at the clock and consider that it is time to continue our journey Tissa to Ella, unable to avoid, look back for the last time, to take with us the last image of Buduruwagala ...

Sudu with Roger in the Buduruwagala

Before returning to the car we give a tip to the person who is in charge of guiding visitors in Buduruwagala and we can not but congratulate him for the work he does and above all tell him how much we envy him for having that size at his side every day ...
On the way to Tissa to Ella Sudu stops to buy us some cobs and peanuts, which he does not accept, under any concept that we do not eat. It is delicious!!!
On the way to Ella, we pass by Ramana Waterfalls, where we make a short stop to see it and climb a bit through the rocks of the base.
This excursion is made many times from Ella, but we, since we are here, take advantage of the stop to save time.

Way of Ramana Waterfalls ...

Ramana Waterfalls

Ramana Waterfalls ...

After this stop, we return to return to Tissa to Ella, where we arrive at the Sunnyside Holiday Bungalow, where we will stay in Ella at 5.30 in the afternoon, after traveling the last section of the road, all in slope, with stunning views!
Now we understand when Sudu told us that this route was more expensive because a lot of gasoline was consumed.
We settle in the hotel and without resting, we go directly to the train station that is 5 minutes from the hotel, to book the train journeys that we have the next few days.

Ella to Nuwara Eliya Train Schedule Chart

The window to get the tickets is closed, but after a couple of laps, in the area of the tracks, we see an office and come to ask.
We find the stationmaster and explain what we want and after going around the schedules several times, being only one that has Observation Saloon, we reserve the two routes.
After reading in several forums that the Observation Saloon is the best option in these journeys, we do not want to miss the opportunity to live this experience.
Ticket prices are not too expensive, but you can tell the difference, comparing them with the other options. First Ella-Nano Oya (which is the stop to take for this journey and is 6 kilometers from Nuwara Eliya) at 10.56h in Observation Saloon for 2000 rupees both and the Nano Oya-Kandy route at 13.30h another 2000 rupees each.
The funny thing is when we are going to pay and tells us that the total is 5000 rupees. At the moment we show you the tickets, which have the prices marked and with a half smile, apologizes to us saying that you have been wrong ...
We cannot assure you that we would like to “get 1000 rupees” for the nose, but the truth is that it had a face of a 🙂 We are not going to deny it…

Ella Train Station

With our tickets already in hand, happier than some young children, we will travel the only street that Ella has and that since we have stepped on it, she has fallen in love.
We enter the Chilli Café, which we already see that it has a quite touristy atmosphere, where we order a pizza, fried noodles and water to mark us a luxury dinner 🙂
And above with free wifi ... If we can not ask for more!
After dinner and telling us that we have been up since 4 in the morning and tomorrow we have to get up early to make our excursion to Little Adam 's Picks ... we decided that it is best to go to rest.
We return to the Sunnyside Holiday Bungalow in a tuk tuk, for 100 rupees, in which we travel the few meters that separate us from our accommodation and we remember the amount of things, so special that we have lived today ...