Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok brought us together when we did our Masters Degrees during 1986-87. Since then, we have been scattered across the world. This is Part 2 of our reunion trip in Jan 2026, in Sri Lanka and covers our journey from Kalpitiya to Wilpattu and the Wilpattu National Park.
Wilpattu is famous for its National Park. There are 2 safaris” the morning safari starts at 5.30 am and finishes by 11.30 am and the afternoon safari starts at 12.30 pm and finishes by 4.30 pm. Or one can opt for a full day safari. The Wilpattu National park is famous for its leopard sightings but one has to be lucky.
Kalpitiya to Wilpattu
Coming from Kalpitiya the previous day we came into the Cloud Nine Lanka Resort by lunch time. The resort itself is set amongst nature and quite beautiful cottages in a large amount of ground covered by nature. We were told to keep balcony doors closed for insects and other smaller creatures that may want to share the bed with you
The staff were super friendly and were willing to customize many dishes. One of the activities they offered was the night walk, which would start at 9.30 pm and we would go looking for a small Sri Lankan nocturnal animal called “Loris“. The next morning the plan was to take a packed breakfast and go on the morning safari at 5.30 am. The national park was about 45 minutes away, so it was going to be an early start the next day
Getting ready to go for the night walk to spot a “LORIS”
The night walk was interesting and so was the sunset view across the lagoon. We were given the miner type head torch that lit the way during our walk. But we could not see the “Loris” but it was an interesting experience. We saw a busy spider at work casting his web.
The charges for the night walk (about 1.5 hours) were quite exorbitant, but it was conditional upon seeing the animal. Since we did not sight Loris, no fees were paid.
