Hambantota, a new port-of-call for us, lies on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. It is not only a new port for us, it is a brand new one too. Built in the hope of attracting passing traffic, (shipping) it is massive and is getting bigger, dredging work is ongoing and expansion is in the offing, all built with Chinese money. It may be huge, however at the moment it possesses but 2 cranes, the remainder of the wharves are empty and its trade consists of car-carriers, for the time being at least.
An electronic chart view of the harbour. Even this is out-of-date though; the ‘light blue’ to the north is already basins and berths.
If one does not take a tour, it has little to offer, no frantic selling from pier-side market stalls, in fact it is empty, as far as the eyes can see. We had a tour planned though and, instead of the bus, we took an air-conditioned van for a trip to Yala National Park, 1½ hour’s drive away to the north-east. There are several parks in the area and guests can choose as to which one to visit. This post is going to be mainly photos, my descriptive prose of Hambantota is already exhausted 🙂
One has to keep a sharp lookout for crossing traffic
Roads are virtually empty near the port.
However in the towns, it gets busier. I couldn’t work out who gives way to who, there seems to be no rationale, except ‘he who dares, wins’
We wait to buy entrance tickets, K1 K2, (kneeling) and Ivana
..and then mount our ‘steed’ for the park, hold onto your hats!.
Nearby the ticket centre, a mound. I asked the guide if it’s an anthill, “oh no, cobra live in those” aaagh I move away from it fast!
Water-holes attracted most animals
Having a wallow and keeping cool, buffalo
..and wild boar
A buffalo and Croc share a watering hole
he’s a big boy too..
A deer makes a break for the undergrowth
Humming bird
..and Kingfisher
A stag rests in the shade
While a peacock rests in a tree
Passing spaces are few and far between, a log-jam results...
Sometimes one catches a break, an elephant strolls out of the thorn bushes, right in front to us
Petrified trees in a lily filled lake
The park has approximately 50 known leopards, however, according to our guide, they tend to come out for ‘breakfast’ and then sleep until ‘dinner’. I’m good at spotting whales, however leopards sleeping in the shade or up a tree defeated me and sadly none were seen. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful day and arrived back at the “Amsterdam”, hot tired and happy. Now for an overnight voyage to Colombo…..
