| Picture: Image Bank |
If there’s one place in the world your clients are
guaranteed to see elephants, it’s Sri Lanka. The
island’s most famous religious event is the Esala Perahera
Festival. Held in Kandy each July, thousands of tourists flock to
see a mighty old tusker, draped in gold costumes and carrying a
sacred tooth relic – believed to have belonged to Buddha
himself – amble through the streets.
According to Sri Lanka Tourist Board UK director Charmarie
Maelge, elephants have been part of the fabric of island life for
thousands of years, both as working animals and spiritual icons.
“Very special elephants get to participate in religious
processions,” she said.
Unsurprisingly, the country’s most popular tourist
attraction also involves elephants. The elephant orphanage at
Pinnewala is home to 70 or so jumbo elephants rescued from the
wild, mostly because their parents have been killed by poachers.
Thomas Cook product manager Jill Thomson said: “Because
they’re used to human contact you can get really close.
Feeding and bathing times are particularly fun.”
Major operators including Somak, Hayes and Jarvis and Kuoni
offer day excursions to the orphanage, or include a visit as part
of a longer cultural tour. Thomson Worldwide’s eight-day
Ceylon Sapphires tour leads in at £1,400 per person, including
flights, and takes in the orphanage along with stops at the ancient
cities of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya, and the tea plantations near
Nuwara Eliya.
For a wilder experience, clients can book a jeep safari in one
of Sri Lanka’s game parks. Uda Walawe and Yala parks are
especially popular. Amathus Holidays’ seven-night Highlights
of Sri Lanka tour visits Yala. Products and contracts manager
Darren Eade said: “The park borders the Lahugala Elephant
Sanctuary, so it’s great for elephant watching.”
The tour leads in at £970, including flights.
Luckier holidaymakers might even wake to find an over-friendly
pachyderm wandering past their bedroom at the new Elephant Corridor
Hotel near the Kandalama Hills.
Kuoni UK product director Francis Torrilla said: “The hotel is
located on the edge of a national park on an elephant migration
route.”
Five nights in a deluxe suite with plunge pool costs from
£961 per person, including flights. A great way to see
elephants in this region is on horseback.
At the other end of the luxury scale, the simple mud huts at
Tree Tops Lodge in the Weliara rainforest are only for the most
hardy holidaymakers. Suranjan Cooray, business development manager
for Sri Lanka specialist Travel and Tours Anywhere, said: “Clients
must be prepared to rough it, but the reward is the opportunity to
see wild elephants in their natural jungle habitat.” A 10-day trip
leads in at £1,399 per person, including flights.
Clients wanting a truly memorable experience can involve one of
these gentle giants in their wedding ceremony. Sri Lanka is Manos
Holiday’s most popular long-haul destination for weddings.
Head of marketing Owen Whitehead said: “Along with a cake and some
Kandyan dancers, the deluxe wedding package includes the Sri Lankan
tradition of leaving the ceremony on a ‘going away’
elephant.” This package costs £599 per person.
For serious elephant fans, Magic of the Orient’s Elephants
in Focus tour covers just about everything, including the elephant
orphanage, several game parks and an elephant ride in the jungle.
The land-only cost is £622 per person and includes the
services of a specialist tracker and guide.
