Sri Lanka

A week with the island country's beautiful wildlife

By Austin Bachand

April 28^th, 2021

Monkeys

Before my trip, I was connected with a member of the Smithsonian Primate Research Station, locally known as the "Monkey Camp," in Polonnaruwa. You may recognize the location from the 2015 Disney nature documentary, Monkey Kingdom.

There, I felt truly immersed in the world around me. I spent many of the days going for walks and planning adventures. Occasionally, I would wander into a monkey tribe. Interacting with these oddballs was a transformative experience.

I was lucky enough to see all three species that call Sri Lanka home: toque macaque, tufted gray langur, and the purple-faced leaf monkey.

Elephants

In addition to seeing elephants on the side of the road, I was able to spend some time driving through Minneriya National Park. It was incredible to see the interactions between the elephant families and their herd. The young calves rolled around in the mud, while the adults showed powerful displays dominance.

Birds

A neighbor of the "Monkey Camp" offers boat rides to tourists to a small island in the local reservoir, Parakrama Samudra, or King Parakrama's Sea. The island was described colloquially as "Bird Island" — and for a good reason. Every inch of the island was covered with birds. We set up a small picnic as I photographed and walked the island.

Cities

In a little over a week, I explored a few the most beautiful and interesting cities in the country. I was able to visit Jaffna and photograph the beautiful coastline. I spent a day at Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress that housed kings at a safe 200 meters (656.168 ft) above the surrounding land. I explored Polonnaruwa, and the ancient kingdoms that once stood there.