" I have never seen a most beautiful creature in my life, it was on a tree, looking at us with its big eyes, curled into a ball." Ela Penkowska shared her exciting experience with Feel Lanka 5.0

Ela Penkowska

I was very excited about our stay in Mahoora Wilpattu Luxury Camping, even though we were supposed to spend only one night there. We came by bus and there had already been a jeep waiting to pick us up. After a while we arrived at the camping. The welcoming  we got could not be any better, cold  wet  towels and king coconuts were exactly  what we needed at that  moment.  Our  bags  were  taken  to  the  tents  and  we
had  some  time  to  enjoy  the surroundings and get ready for lunch.

Lunch took place  outside in a specially arranged place. Starters, salads, main course and dessert were  all  equally delicious. It was a great opportunity to try Sri Lankan cuisine at its best. Also service met the highest standards and the staff foresaw every of our needs before we even spoke a word.

After lunch there was a perfect time for safari. We grabbed our cameras, hopped into a jeep and looked
forward to an unforgettable adventure.  We got into National Park and at first saw a deer, many colorful birds, some monkeys and squirrels.

Then we arrived at a big reservoir and saw a couple of elephants drinking and having a bath. We  stopped  the  jeep  for  a  while  to  take  pictures  and  watch  them  when  suddenly  a  huge elephant walked out of the bush. 

We continued our adventure and met a few jeeps going in the opposite direction. The drivers exchanged a few words and it turned out it was possible to see a leopard somewhere on a tree. We rushed to the place and there it was, on a tree in a distance. We spent a long time taking pictures when finally  the  leopard  decided to go down.  It walked slowly towards deer  and suddenly changed its way and  started coming  closer and closer to the jeeps.  When it came five meters to the jeep no one could say a word, I could
almost hear my heart beating.

After a few moments,  the leopard  was gone in the bush. We went to an arbour to have a picnic, Mahoora Camping provided a big basket with tea, coffee, biscuits, juices, fruits and cold beverages. We watched many birds, a fox and a turtle, then  headed back to the camping. We were welcome with cold wet towels
and ice tea.

In  the  evening  there  was  a  campfire  planned.  Again  it  took  place  in   a  different location. We were offered  an  aperitif  and sat to the table to a delicious meal. We could also taste Sri Lankan sweets and  in the end of delighting in our wine, we had a chance to meet the chef who cooked for us.  Sitting in the candle lantern’s light and looking  at the moon was so relaxing. We took a hot shower and went to sleep.

We woke up to the sunrise and heard birds singing their  best concert.  Apparently our safari was not over as the  Naturalist told us there was a Loris right in front  of our tent.  I have never seen a most beautiful creature in my life, it was on a tree, looking at us with its big eyes, curled  into  a  ball.  We  went  on  a  walk  with  the  Naturalist  and  saw  many  colorful  birds, squirrels,  elephant’s  track,  a  small  village  and  a  lake.  Searching  for  the  birds  was  very exciting as we needed to be very quiet not to scare them away. 

After the walk we went back to our tents to leave our cameras before breakfast and saw an unusual view. Loris  started walking slowly on a branch  of the tree. We were told it is very rare to see it and we were very lucky. We ate delicious breakfast and our time had come. It was very sad to say good bye to the Manager, the Naturalist  and  all the staff. They made us feel like  we were in paradise  and took  care of  us  very  well.  I  will  always  remember  my  stay  in  Mahoora  Wilpattu  Luxury Camping Site and we will definitely be back. See you soon!