RAMSAR Wetlands of Sri Lanka

In the whole world, only 34 places have the richest variety of life on earth. Biodiversity hot spots.
Wild places that cover just 2.3% of the Earth's surface. Home to 75% of the planet's most threatened mammals, birds and amphibians. And Sri Lanka is one of them. Home to 6 RAMSAR Wetlands and hundreds of threatened species. An island so wild, free and inspiring.

The 6 Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance in Sri Lanka

1. Annaiwilundawa Tanks Sanctuary
2. Bundala Flora & Fauna Sanctuary
3. Kumana National Park Wetland Cluster 
4. Maduganga Mangrove Lagoon
5. Vankalai Sanctuary
6. Wilpattu National Park Wetland Cluster

The signature 'Birding Safari' by Ayu in the Wild visits four of the six Sites*.

The Convention on Wetlands came into force for Sri Lanka on 15 October 1990. Sri Lanka presently has 6 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 198,172 hectares. (All information: www.ramsar.org) (Images: www.ayuinthewild.com) For details of each RAMSAR Site..

Sinharaja - Life & Colours of a Rainforest

A visit to any UNESCO World Heritage Site is special.

Yet, when its the only remaining patch of virgin Rainforest left in the entire 65,610 sq.km. of this island nation - and threatened, it lends a whole new tone to any safari.

We picked the perfect day. The landscapes en-route were just spectacular against a blue sky.







































The Sri Lanka Blue Magpie greeted us at 6.20 am - the exact time it had appeared everyday the past week. Endemic, uncommon and vulnerable! We were lucky to capture an image as it hurried around.

As if to greet us on our trek, a Green Pit Viper obliged for the camera almost at the entrance to the rainforest





































And the giant spider spinning a giant web.




















A male Malabar Trogon - an uncommon breeding resident surveyed the forest from its vantage point






















The pods of a wild pepper vine hung lusciously above us.



















A Kangaroo Lizard standing erect on a dead tree-stump..we wished it would hop off.



















Images of a rainforest  must include at least one with morning light filtering through it's canopy.



















A back-lit fern - a perfect example of how rainforest foliage adapts to the excessive moisture through elongated leaf tips or drip-tips which drains the water off easily.




















A White Four Ring Butterfly basking in the morning sun.




















Not to be outdone, a Common Crow Butterfly gets it's share of the sun.

The colours of a good camouflage. A Green Garden Lizard above and aquatic life in the rainforest, below 

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On a bush walk at dawn in Yala

We set off at first light on our bushwalk in Yala. Watching the sun rise (rather quickly) over the ocean, the sand dunes, the shrubs.  Birds and butterflies and a peacock or two enjoyed the early morning warmth. The silhouette  of a butterfly at dawn was just enthralling.

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Misty mornings in Wilpattu and a trail off-the-beaten-track - October and December 2012

There's something about the 'first light' on a misty morning that makes you feel so alive! Is it the play of light on a grey-ish landscape? Such indescribable beauty that no camera can do justice to. 

A bush walk on a community trail off-the-beaten-track and a safari drive inside the stunning Wilpattu Park. Two really, really cold misty mornings in the months of October and December 2012. Worth dragging ourselves out of our cozy slumber and a hurried cup of tea, before dawn. Some of our friends think we're insane, well ok, maybe just a little bit...but we do love our photography as much as our wildlife. www.ayuinthewild.com

Our safaris are not just about what wildlife you see...

It's how you see life in the wild.

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