DESTINATIONS 

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is a tropical island located southeast of India with just over twenty million inhabitants. The country was a British colony 1796-1948 and was formerly called Ceylon. Colombo is Sri Lanka’s largest city and its commercial centre. The city itself has about 560,000 inhabitants. The country is a democracy with general elections. Sri Lanka’s economy used to be based on agriculture and simple industry. By the late 1960s, tea, coconut and rubber accounted for 90 percent of its export earnings. Today, these goods make up only 20 percent of the total revenue. The textile industry, the service sector, tourism, and the construction industry have taken over.

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

Like Sri Lanka’s First National Park, Yala National Park, Udawalawe National Park is located on the southern part of the island, between the coast and the central mountain range. Due to the arid conditions of the region, Udawalawe has a different environment compared to the lusher surroundings of the western and central parts of the island. The landscape here is open, and water reservoirs have been built in several places, which attract elephants in particular. The park is famous for its large population of wild elephants that often wander around in large herds. But there are also plenty of other animals such as swamp crocodile, axis and sambar deer, sloth bear, buffalo, wild boar, otter, and pangolin. Leopards exist live here but are rarely seen. If you are interested in birds, there’s a good chance of getting to photograph rhino birds, kingfishers, bee-eaters, blue crows, peacocks, owls, storks and eagles.

YALA NATIONAL PARK

Yala became a national park in Sri Lanka as early as 1938, and with an area of 942 km2 it is one of the largest on the island. The nature is very varied with both open plains and cliffs, inland and coastal land, waterholes, streams, and lagoons. The park is especially known for its leopards and has the highest concentration of leopard in the world, more than 125 animals. In addition to leopard, Yala has a large population of Sri Lankan elephants, wild boars, buffalos, macaques, colobines, sloths, jackals, mongooses, porcupines, armadillos, crocodiles, as well as axis and sambar deer. Yala also offers outstanding bird watching opportunities. About 130 different species have been recorded here. Peacocks can be found everywhere in the park, and you should also be able to see junglefowl, Sri Lanka’s national bird.

MIRISSA

Mirissa is located near the southern tip of the island of Sri Lanka and offers a stunning sandy beach. This beach is one of the finest of the entire coastline with fine stretches of sand below dense thickets of coconut palms. The beach is still relatively undeveloped with a few rustic restaurants and guest houses. Mirissa is also the starting point for most whale safaris organized in Sri Lanka. Every year, crowds of blue whales and sperm whales gather along this coast. These giants of the sea can grow to more than thirty meters in length and weigh up to two hundred metric tons.

ITINERARY – 16-24/2 2025

IF YOU ARRIVE THE DAY BEFORE
We recommend that you arrive a day earlier to your destination so that you can relax a bit after the long flight. We have therefore put together this programme:

Arrival in Sri Lanka during the day. At the airport, a local guide will meet you. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in at the first-class Radisson Hotel in Colombo. In the afternoon, a city tour of Colombo is organized. During this tour you will discover this captivating city where the East meets the West. Temples, mosques, and churches bear witness to various religions that thrive side by side. Enjoy modernity and tradition and experience colours, scents, and sounds. Feel the multicultural heartbeat of Colombo, where Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are intertwined. The tour will hold lots to photograph such as markets, temples, local food vendors and much more.

For the price of the additional day, see the price page.

TOUR ITINERARY 

During the trip, Roger Brendhagen will always be available for photo advice and tips as well as help with image editing and criticism. Roger will also give lectures and talk about his photography philosophies. The exact times for this will be set based on time spent on the photo activities and what happens in the parks. During all the safaris, Roger will alternate between the jeeps so that you can get personal advice from him.

DAY 1, (FEBRUARY 16) – ARRIVAL IN SRI LANKA
Arrival in Sri Lanka during the day. Gathering at the Pegasus Reef Hotel which is beautifully situated directly by the sea with an inviting beach. The hotel also has a large swimming pool for relaxing during the day. Here you will meet Roger Brendhagen and a host from Zoom Photo Expeditions. In the evening, a large seafood dinner is served at the hotel’s seafood restaurant, directly on the beach. Before dinner, Roger and our local guide will tell you a little more about the trip and what to expect. (D)

 DAY 2, (FEBRUARY 17) – COLOMBO TO UDAWALAWE
After breakfast and check-out, we depart towards Udawalawe National Park where we arrive after a drive of a little over three hours. Check-in at Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort followed by lunch and some time for relaxation before heading into Udawalawe National Park for our first safari. The park is Sri Lanka’s best national park for viewing large herds of elephants. It is estimated that more than 250 wild elephants roam the tall grass and the water’s edge in this park. From the Jeep we will have the perfect view for taking good pictures not only of wild elephants, but also of water buffalo, swamp crocodile, axis and sambar deer, sloth bear, wild boar, and many other animals. After exciting meetings and hopefully many good photos, we return to the hotel for dinner. (B, L, D)

DAY 3, (FEBRUARY 18) – UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
As the first rays of sunshine rise above the horizon, we head into Udawalawe National Park for our first morning safari. The morning hours offer us a unique opportunity to photograph the park’s elephants and water buffaloes as they wallow in the mud baths at the water’s edge. All the time you are surrounded by everything from macaques and colobines jumping in the trees, to axis and sambar deer, jackals, and other animals of the park. Add a rich bird life with everything from storks to beautiful peacocks and there’s a lot to take photos of. In the park there are also leopards, but they are very difficult to spot. When the day is at its warmest, we take a few hours break for lunch and maybe a dip in the pool before it is time for the second safari of the day in the soft evening light.

During the day we also visit Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home which is located close to the hotel. This rehabilitation centre for injured and orphaned baby elephants is sponsored by the Born Free Trust with the aim of rehabilitating them in the open air in smaller groups as soon as they are healthy and grown enough. The first batch was successfully re-released into the park in 2008. During the visit, we will learn more about the work of the centre. (B, L, D)

DAY 4, (FEBRUARY 19) – UDAWALAWE TO YALA NATIONAL PARK
This morning we head into the park for one last safari with the hope of capturing that special sunrise image with the elephant in the foreground. Afterwards we take a refreshing shower, have breakfast, and check out before heading to the next stop on our photographic journey, Yala National Park. After checking in at the first-class Chaarya Travel & Spa and some relaxation and preparation, we head out on a jeep safari in Sri Lanka’s most famous national park, the legendary Yala National Park. Prepare for amazing photo opportunities in a park where the leopard is king. (B, L, D)

DAY 5-6, (FEBRUARY 20-21) – YALA NATIONAL PARK
After a cup of coffee or tea in the early morning, our first morning safari in Yala begins. The sun climbs over the horizon, the park comes to life, and perhaps we will  meet a leopard slowly stretching up in the tree. Yala is the most leopard-dense park in Sri Lanka with over 125 leopards. But it is not only leopards that can be found here, the park is also home to a large number of Sri Lankan elephants, which are a subspecies of the Asian elephant. The Sri Lankan elephant is special in that it is the largest of the Asian elephants and that fewer than every tenth male has tusks. In addition, there’s the sloth bear, water buffalo, wild boar, various species of deer, jackal, swamp crocodile and many other species. Return to the hotel for breakfast and rest. At this point, there is also an opportunity to load your photos into the computer and see what you have managed to capture during the first few days, or to take a dip or two in the hotel pool. In the afternoon we head back to the park to photograph the animals in the evening light. (B, L, D)

DAY 7, (FEBRUARY 22) – YALA NATIONAL PARK TO MERISSA
It’s time for our last morning safari in Yala National Park with the chance of beautiful sunrise pictures of the animals and the lovely surroundings of the park. After this, we return to the hotel for breakfast and check-out and then travel to our last experience on this trip, our encounter with the giants of the sea.

We travel towards the city of Merissa on the Indian Ocean where we check in at Mandara Resort which is beautifully located directly on the beach. The rest of the day is spent with activities like relaxing in the sun, swimming, and reviewing our pictures. (B, L, D)

DAY 8, (FEBRUARY 23) – WHALE SPOTTING
At dawn we set off on a whale spotting expedition. When the sun rises above the horizon, we look for blue whales, sperm whales and dolphins. The best chance to see these animals is during the early morning hours and to snap a picture of a blue whale and the characteristic tail fin as it dives down into the depths in the morning light is a lovely feeling. We will be back in port around lunchtime after which we return to the hotel.

The afternoon is devoted to sun, water, and image editing. Now it is high time for you to select your best pictures from the trip to be displayed in the evening, whereupon Roger will choose the “Image of the trip”. This image automatically goes on to the finale of Zoom ‘Photo Expeditions competition “Image of the year 2024”, for which the first prize is a gift card worth 5 000 SEK. We round off the evening with a nice last dinner together. (B, L, D)

DAY 9, (FEBRUARY 24) – RETURN JOURNEY
After breakfast there is more time for sun, swimming, and relaxation, and after lunch we check out and depart towards Colombo and the airport for further travel home. (B, L)

PHOTOGRAPHER 

ROGER BRENDHAGEN – Wildlife photographer

After working as a journalist for five years, Roger Brendhagen spent the past 20 years working as a full-time photographer. With over three hundred travel days a year Roger has the entire world as his workplace, and he has taken photos everywhere from Mongolia to India and Africa.

For 16 years he has been one of Nikon’s ambassadors and is often hired as a lecturer. Roger is chairperson of Norske Naturfotografer / NN.

He is also highly appreciated for his workshops and photo expeditions. Roger has led photo expeditions around the world, including to Sri Lanka, Mongolia, and India. During his workshops at Dovrefjell, Roger has welcomed over seven hundred participants over the years.

www.brendhagen.com

PEGASUS REEF HOTEL*****

CHAARYA RESORT & SPA*****

PRICES, FACTS & BOOKINGS 

Price per person: £ 2 825 or USD 3 525

Included:

• All ground transfers according to the itinerary.
• Accommodation in shared double room.
• Meals according to itinerary. (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
• Safaris according to the itinerary.
• Participation & workshops by Roger during the trip.
• Local rangers during all safaris.
• A tour leader from Zoom Photo Tours.
• Various conservation activities and lectures during the tour.
• Hotel taxes and other local fees.
• Travel documents and other travel information.

Excluded:

• Single room supplement. £ 525 or USD 625
• International flights to Sri Lanka.
• All expenses of personal nature like drinks etc.
• Tips to the rangers. Approximately USD 10 / day.
• Cancellation & travel insurance. For more details, click here.
• Any other item not mentioned as included.

THE ADDITIONAL DAY

Per person in a double room: £ 123 or USD 170

Single room supplement: £ 65 or USD 80

Included:

• Meet & Greet at the airport.
• Transfer to the hotel.
• One night at hotel Radisson Hotel****
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Colombo city tour with local guide
• Hotel and other local taxes and fees.

FLIGHTS

Fly to Colombo on your own. As many prefer to book transport on their own, we have not included this in the price.

You should not arrive in Colombo later than about 15.00 on 16/2 and not book your return journey earlier than 19.30 on 24/2.

We recommend that you arrive a day earlier at your destination so that you can relax a little after the long flight. We have therefore put together a program as above. You can book this supplement when you book your flight.

If  would like help with booking flights to Colombo, we will be happy to help with this. More information about this will come closer to departure.

GROUP SIZE

In order to for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer our groups are always small. On this tour the minimum and maximum number of guests are 8 / 12.

PHOTO GEAR

• A DSLR Camera
• Telephoto lenses, at least 300mm and up
• Wide-angle lens, like a 24-70mm
• A monopod – easy to have in the jeep
• A Laptop computer with any of the Photoshop or Lightroom software.
• Extra batteries, chargers,

TOUR LEADER

Apart from an award winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure your having the best possible experience in Selous.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For more information about Terms & Conditions click here.

BOOKING

You can book the trip by clicking on the button below. You are also welcome to call us on the phone +46 470 466 40 or email us at info@zoomphototours.com