Using stylish South African tents, both camps are located in two major national parks: Yala and Wilpattu. The campsites are made up of non-permanent structures, ensuring minimal impact on the parks, complete with comfortable king sized beds and a range of modern comforts and allowing privacy.
The Yala campsite is situated in a picturesque location that makes the perfect base for your Noel Rodrigo's Leopard Safaris camping experience. This site has been specially chosen for its natural beauty and conveniently shaded areas of forest, which keep the temperature inside the tents cool and provide you with much needed respite from the sun.
Many different wildlife species come to visit the camp and you can expect to wake up to the sound of tropical birdsong in the mornings.
Your Host
“For us luxury is not in our facilities, but rather the experience of being close to nature and seeing wildlife in their natural environment—especially leopards. A leopard never changes its spots. Like human fingerprints, each one has a unique spot pattern.” Noel & Cecile Rodrigo
Welcome to National Parks
Home to the highest biodiversity in Asia, Sri Lanka’s National Parks provide the visitor with the opportunity to enjoy some of the richest varieties of flora and fauna in the world, from leopard safaris in Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park or Wilpattu National park to watching wild Sri Lankan elephants at Gal Oya National Park, the richness and diversity of Sri Lanka’s wildlife has to be seen to be believed. Sri Lanka’s 26 national parks cover nearly 6,000sqkm, that’s almost 9% the island’s total area set aside as a protected space for wildlife. And what incredible wildlife awaits you in Sri Lanka, they don’t come much bigger than Sri Lanka’s ‘Big Five’.
The ‘Big Five’ of Sri Lanka are the Leopard, the Sri Lankan Elephant, the Sloth Bear, the Blue Whale and the Sperm Whale. But let’s not forget the smaller wildlife, much of which is endemic to Sri Lanka. The island is home to over 450 species of birds, 33 of which are endemic and one of the richest diversity of amphibians in the world with more than 140 species of which 109 are endemic to Sri Lanka (in fact Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest rates of bio-endemism with 16% of the fauna and 23% of the flora unique to Sri Lanka).
Is there a best national park in Sri Lanka to see all this incredible wildlife? Well, as you would expect the diversity of this wildlife is partly as a result of the diversity within Sri Lanka’s geography, creating as it does a wide variety of environments across the island from the dry zone in the north, the temperate highlands in the centre of the island and the wet zone in the south. A perfect reason to contact the Secret Retreats concierge and create a tour of Sri Lanka to fully enjoy the differing flora, fauna and landscapes across Sri Lanka’s national parks.
We Care
Besides serving traditional Sri Lankan cuisine using seasonal vegetables and fruit that they buy from local farmers, Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris avoids plastic, and uses natural and recycled materials wherever possible including stainless steel and glass water bottles. Recently, they even built a wall in their lounge from empty wine bottles and clay instead of concrete. The eco-friendly concept camps’ decks and furniture were all made with either rejected timber or recycled wood, and their main source of power is solar. They use a solar pump to pump water to showers and to heat the water in the luxury lodge tent. The water for the mobile tent showers is heated manually on a wood fire. They also have a dual-battery system in the safari jeeps to allow the batteries to be charged while on safari. The power from those batteries is then used to run the kitchen’s freezers and refrigerators.
Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris financially supports the Wildlife and Wilderness Conservation Trust’s (WWCT) Leopard Project by donating a percentage of each guest’s stay to them. They also give them leopard sightings data. In addition, they thelp build a roof or playground, get electricity, sponsor school concerts, and get the children to paricipate in nature themed drawing competitions in the poorest schools. They also aid locals. Near the Yala camp there is an old couple that sells herbal tea to pilgrims from their run-down home and shop. Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris takes guests there to sample the tea. They also bought the couple roofing panels to replace their old leaky roof. Moreover, each year they donate a complimentary stay that is auctioned off at the Half the Sky Foundation’s annual charity auction.
NEED HELP ?
Contact the concierge on dream@secret-retreats.com
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