6. Udawalawe - searching for the elephants 🐘

 

Taking care of baby 🥰

It was quite cool when we left Haputale in the morning and I was assured by our host there would be no "big" climbs on the ride down to Udawalawe. 

We started with a huge descent with amazing views across the tea plantations. Lots of hairpin bends which reminded me of cycling in Mallorca. It was fabulous - I was definitely out of my comfort zone but Max would have gone much faster given half the chance 😜. 

We passed through a few small towns and after about ten miles we were routed off the main road onto a small lane to the left. It was a sharp descent down but looking at the map there didn't seem to be any alternative so we went for it. We continued our descent for quite some time; it was actually a really pleasant country lane and a smooth tarmac surface (which always pleases Max 😃). 

According to our route plan the ride was a total of 7,230 feet descent, 2,876 feet ascent and 53 miles.  After about 15 miles we'd completed most of the descent and were making great progress. Little did we realise how tough it was going to get. For the next three hours we tackled the bulk of the ascent - we were faced with a series of difficult climbs - and for a couple we had to get off and push the bike up.  What made it harder was knowing that, once we'd finished the climbing,  we would still have quite a distance left to cycle 🫣. 

The bike chain started to play up and we stopped for about half an hour so Max could fix it - which he somehow managed to do 👍.  

We cycled through an army barrack and past a very large dam. More climbing ensued and I began to think this was our toughest ride yet (despite the huge descent at the start 😯).  We stopped for a cold drink at a small village shop which lifted us a little. The temperature had risen quite alot and it had become very dusty. 

Eventually we reached the last hefty climb and it was quite a relief to get it out of the way 😅. Back on the main road another long descent followed which was very enjoyable and then we only had about 12 miles to go 🎉.

We got routed onto a much smaller road which was fine to begin with but, with about 7 miles to go, it turned into a dirt track which soon got much worse. We had no choice but to get off and push as it became very rutted and rubbly. At one point we had to drag it across boulders and a small stream. I was nearly broken but thankfully at about the 5 mile mark the road started to improve and we were able to cycle the rest of the way to our destination.  

In the end we climbed over 4,000 feet - I've no idea where the extra 1,100 came from but I certainly felt them and was left thinking to myself "I think I've had quite enough of hills and climbing for a wee while 😬".

We recieved a lovely warm welcome from our host at the Nature House, our home for the next couple of days. After a deliciously cold, fresh mango juice and a shower I soon began to feel human again 😂. The Nature House proved to be the most wonderful place to stay. We had a nice room with a little porch outside complete with reclining chairs and a hammock. There was a fabulous pool which Max wasted no time getting into for a cool down (and where I chilled for a couple of hours after our early morning safari the next day). The star of the show though was definitely the evening meal - a fabulous "eat as much as you like" curry buffet cooked by the lady of the house who was definitely one very talented cook. Anyone who knows us will appreciate how much we both enjoy a good curry buffet and this one was just so tasty and, after our particularly tough ride, it hit the spot 💯 😋. Over dinner we chatted to a young Dutch couple who'd also just arrived and, as it turned out, were booked onto the same early morning safari with us the next day. 

After a good night's sleep we were up very early and by 5.15am in the jeep and on our way to Udawalawe National Park. Although we'd already done a safari here on our last trip to Sri Lanka, remembering how much we'd enjoyed it, we were both keen to repeat the experience. Our guide quickly demonstrated his vast knowledge and experience of the park and managed to navigate us away from the other jeeps and find lots of different flora and fauna. In no time at all we saw our first elephant - a large male who had emerged from the undergrowth and was chomping away on the branches of a large bush. In total we had four separate encounters with the elephants - the highlight being while watching a group of elephants foraging alongside us, a female elephant emerged from the undergrowth and crossed the road in front of us along with her newly born baby (our guide estimated it was about a week old). She  had it tucked closely under her and gently and slowly guided it back into the undergrowth on the other side. It was such a beautiful moment and although only fleeting we did have just enough time to capture it on film 🥰. 

There's no doubt in my mind that the elephants were the stars of the show and the ultimate highlight of the safari. That said, our guide was brilliant and spotted lots of other interesting animals and birds - crocodiles, water buffalo, mongoose, monkeys, a golden jackal, monitor lizards and lots of deer. We saw lots of birds too - some of which were the most beautiful shades of green and blue. We also spotted an eagle and some Sri Lankan guinea fowl - again very colourful and apparently the national bird of Sri Lanka 🇱🇰. My favourite though has to be the peacock 🦚. I hadn't appreciated just how prevalent they are in Sri Lanka - we've seen so many of them everywhere but I don't think I'll ever tire of their majestic beauty. In the park they were particularly amusing and kept appearing as if to say "look at me, I'm much more interesting and beautiful than those elephants". One of them even put on his fanning feathers dance display in front of us and several other jeeps that had converged to catch sight of a group of elephants 😂. 

All in all it was a brilliant safari and no small thanks to our wonderful guide, Ajit, who was so alert and keen eyed to spot things that I would have so easily missed otherwise (mind you Max did a fair bit of that too 😉) and was so knowledgeable, willing and able to answer all of our questions and share so many brilliant insights. We returned to the Nature House late morning happy and hungry and were treated to the most delicious breakfast which again hit the spot 💯😋. Once we'd eaten, the early start quickly caught up with us both and so I took the opportunity to rest and relax for a few hours by the pool while Max went off for another brutal sports massage 😬. 

The only other thing on our to do list during our stay in Udawalawe was a trip to the elephant transit home. Again, we'd visited last time we were in Udawalawe but, since it was an unforgettable experience and, given that it was barely a ten minute walk up the road, it was a no brainer to do it again. The transit home is, as the name suggests, a rehabilitation centre for young orphaned elephants and the focus is on looking after them with a view to returning them to the wild. As such, contact with the elephants is very restricted but the centre does open three times a day for visitors to watch from a viewing platform as they feed the baby elephants. It only lasts about 15 minutes and it is one of the most loveliest things to watch and hear. The elephants are shepherded through the gate in small groups at a time; they become so excited as they wait and once they're let in they race over to the feed stations where the milk is given to them through huge feeding tubes. It really does tug at your heartstrings and there's no doubt the staff are doing the most brilliant job of looking after those baby elephants and giving them a second chance in life 🥰. Needless to say we loved it and I have so many videos and pictures; I just couldn't stop taking them 🫣🫣. Walking back to the Nature House afterwards Max took the opportunity to source a spare tyre for the bike from one of the many bike repair shops we passed by. It's always good to get a chore ticked off the list 👍✔️. 

We repeated the curry buffet experience again that evening - it was just as tasty second time round and the perfect ending to a really fabulous day.  The host family at Nature House looked after us so well and all the 5* reviews they get on both google maps and booking.com are well and truly deserved 👏👏. After another delicious breakfast the next morning (with more food than we could realistically eat) we felt fully refreshed and ready to set off again - this time for the beaches on the south coast ⛱️🤩. 

Farewell to our hosts at Vantage Hills, Haputale

The views on our descent out of Haputale

Ditto 

Reaching the lush rice fields again 

The huge dam we passed by

Max waits patiently....again!

Even the dirt track disappeared on us!

Sunrise in Udawalawe National Park 

Beautiful bright green bird 

Mr Peacock showing off 😂

A crocodile at the water's edge 

Mum and her young one 

Mum and her new born 🥰

 

Max spotted this fella as he emerged 😉

A group photo with the nice dutch couple 

Feeding time at the Transit Home 🥰

Off to bed now 😴

Nature House Reception 

The pool at Nature House 

Our porch complete with hammock 

The delicious curry buffet 😋