Sri Lankan sights, sounds and tastes overwhelmed Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire on Sunday 25^th September to celebrate the first birthday of the Asian Elephant walkway aptly named Uda Walawe.

Over 35 local agents joined Sri Lanka Tourism for the special occasion. After a training session held in the Sri Lankan ‘village classroom’ the zoo guests took a walk along the elephant walkway where the four Sri Lankan elephants roam their large enclosure. Agents were then whisked away for a Sri Lankan buffet lunch to enjoy with their families.  Kandyan dancers also graced the zoo with performances throughout the day, and all visitors to the zoo were also able to sample some Sri Lankan tea on what turned out to be a wet September afternoon.

Agents participating in the days’ event included staff from Travel Counsellors, Citibond, Thomas Cook and Blue Bay Travel to name a few. Matt Tamayo-Myerson of Travel Counsellors said “The training session was extremely useful, had just the right amount of information and to top it off was a great day out at Twycross Zoo”.  Fiona Court from Kuoni Cheltenham also added “What a brilliant place for a day out and learn more about Sri Lanka in a relaxed environment”. 

Sanjika Perera, director of the UK office added “Having a piece of Sri Lanka right on our doorstep is fantastic, and the Uda Walawe walkway a year on is as enchanting as when it was opened last year. A huge thank you to the Twycross team for continuing to provide visitors with a true sense of Sri Lanka at the zoo.”

The entrance to the elephant walkway is a typical authentic farmer’s tree hut with a meandering forest trail guiding people to a Sri Lankan village school. The school has a range of religious, cultural and elephant artefacts highlighting Sri Lankan wildlife and tourism. When you leave the village school the forest trail then continues to a wooden bridge over a water lily pool, which allows close quarter views of the four elephants. The inner habitat is identical to Uda Walawe National Park, with a large lake, trees, rocks and sandy areas.  Following the trail visitors will reach a route leading up a high mountain to a ruined temple.  This is a rare opportunity for visitors to gain a bird’s eye view of the habitat and the landscaping of the walkway.

Uda Walawe is one of fourteen national parks in Sri Lanka, and was in part set up to provide a sanctuary for many wild animals. Approximately three hundred elephants are believed to permanently reside in Uda Walawe national park.  The sanctuary is also home to water buffalo, water monitor lizards, sambar deer, monkeys, birdlife and the occasional leopard. Sensitive and well managed eco-tourism is an important source of income for local people in Sri Lanka and provides an incentive to continue to protect wildlife. The National Park is also the first in Sri Lanka to run a reintroduction programme for orphaned elephants back to the wild, and so far they have successfully reintroduced over 15 elephants.

For information on the Uda Walawe Walkway visit www.twycrosszoo.com