Long after the last safari jeep has left Yala for the day, the land around us gets busy. Civets leave the trees, mouse deer step out from the undergrowth, and somewhere beyond the camp boundary a leopard is starting its rounds. Most of this happens out of sight, at hours when we are asleep. For the last while, our trail cameras have been helping us see it. If you’ve arrived here from one of our trail camera videos, welcome. Here is the bigger story behind the footage. Knowing our neighbours Makini sits on the edge of the Yala buffer zone, on land that belonged to its wildlife long before it belonged to us. The animals here are the original residents, and we see ourselves as the newcomers. Respecting them starts with knowing who they are and how they live. Just over a year ago, our team carried out a detailed habitat mapping survey of the Makini property. It recorded the plants and vegetation, the heights of trees and the extent of the land, along with 100 species of birds. That gav...
Every July, the sacred Pada Yatra [ˈpɑːdə ˈjɑːtrɑː] pilgrimage unfolds, with thousands of devotees walking on foot from the northern reaches of the country all the way to the south, to pay homage to the deity Kataragama, worshipped by Buddhists as Kataragama Deviyo and by Hindus as Lord Murugan. Their path winds through the pristine wilderness of Kumana and Yala National Parks, and by the time they near the end, days of walking are etched into their tired but determined faces, a true test of endurance. During the pilgrimage season, our guests often cross paths with the pilgrims on the way to Warahana, a frequent part of our regular safari drives. The trek transforms into a corridor of devotion, with pilgrims filling the path and the chant of “haro hara” echoing continuously. A memorable part of this experience is when our guests join in, responding to the pilgrims with their own calls of “haro hara.” Hearing them echo the chant in all kinds of accents always brings a wave of laughter...