Animal Encounters

A wealth of wildlife experiences are open to children when travelling. We do not recommend safari drives for younger children - the drives can be quite long and younger children can become quite restless, however for children aged 7 and upwards they can experience the magic of some of India and Sri Lanka's most wondrous national parks with their abundant flora and fauna.

See the magnificent tigers which are most easily seen at Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks in India. Take an elephant-back safari from Corbett Hideaway River Lodge, where you have the chance of seeing tigers from an amazing vantage point, as well as large herds of elephants. In the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu is Mudumalai Rsserve home to herds of wild elephants, here too you can visit the elephant camp near Jungle Retreat Resort, where children can help the mahouts bathe and feed the 29 or so working elephants. Older children can join adults for the 1 or 2 night Tiger Trails camping trip in the heart of Periyar National Park, which is home to around 1000 elephants, as well as bears, primates, sambar, barking and mouse deer, and is a chance to immerse oneself completely in the wilderness.

In Sri Lanka children of all ages love visiting the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, where over 60 elephants are cared for, and the absolute highlight is seeing them all wander down the road to the river for a good splash around. Private jeep safaris to see the wild elephants of Minneriya National Park can be arranged from The Deer Park near Polonnaruwa, and Kulu Safaris offer private tented safari experiences in luxury tents and welcome children of all ages. Their Udawalawe experience is perfect for elephant lovers, and in Yala National Park there is a good chance of seeing leopards. Five of the world's seven species of marine turtle come ashore to nest on the beaches of Sri Lanka - the Turtle Conservation Programme runs excellent projects along the coast, and you can join them for the "Night Time Turtle Watch" on Kosgoda and Rekawa Beaches.