| 1:00pm |
Arrival at Campsitethe field site and received by the SLWCS Team |
Welcome drink provided. |
| 1:30pm |
Lunch and Freshen Up |
|
| 2:30pm |
Orientation and Briefing Session |
You will be briefed on the prorammeprogramme, safety and security and a given demonstration on how to use a GPS unit to track your travels in the wilderness. |
| 3:00pm |
Tea with traditional Sri Lankan sweetmeats |
|
| 3:30pm |
Departure to the Wewa to observe birds and aquatic life |
Wear comfortable clothes and footwear. Take water, binoculars and photographic equipment if you have them with you. |
| 5:30pm |
Go to the Tree House to observe elephants |
You will experience what is to be a rural farmer spending the night in a tree hut trying to protect his crops. |
| 7:00pm |
Briefing on next day's activities |
You will be given presentations on the activities you will be doing the next day and trained on any field equipment that will be used on that day. |
| 7:30pm |
Freshen up and relax |
You will be shown several videos on SLWCS projects and about wildlife. |
| 8:30pm |
Dinner |
|
| 9:30-10:30pm |
Animals of the night―what goes on after dark! |
You will be introduced to nocturnal life around the field site Many interesting animals are active only from dusk to dawn. You will get to know about the animals that make the many exciting sounds of the night and if you are lucky you might get to see some of them. |
| 10:00pm |
LIGHTS OUT. GOOD NIGHT |
Control your noise from 10.00 p.m. to 5.30 a.m. Please stay inside after 10.00 p.m. unless there is an emergency. If it is an emergency please notify the SLWCS staff immediately. |
| Day Two |
| 6:30am |
Tea/Kola Kenda |
|
| 7:30am |
Breakfast |
|
| 8:00am |
Electric Fence Monitoring |
Visit the first two solar powered electric fences in Sri Lanka that were erected around two villages. Learn how this innovative concept has helped the villagers in these two villages to minimize human elephant conflicts, alleviate poverty and co-exist with wild elephants. You will learn how electric fences operate, how they are managed by villagers and how the SLWCS is developing pioneering technologies to make electric fences even more effective. |
| 9:45am |
Herbal beverages and snacks at a village residence |
You will spend an enjoyable time partaking in these refreshments and chatting with the locals. |
| 10:15am |
Visit an Eco-Agriculture site & discussions with villagers |
Eco-agriculture is a novel method where agriculture is practiced in a manner to benefit farmers, wildlife and the environment. |
| 12:30pm |
Return to campsite for a bath in the tank & lunch |
Go for a refreshing afternoon bath/swim in the tank below the field house (weather permitting). You will be escorted by a SLWCS staff member. |
| 2:00pm |
GPS, GIS and Orienting |
Learn how to orient yourself in the field plus how to visualize the data on a map. You will be tracking your journeys to the wilderness with a GPS and at the end of the programme be able to see on a GIS map where you have been in the wilderness. |
| 2:45pm |
Tea with traditional Sri Lankan sweetmeats |
|
| 3:15pm |
Leave for the Wasgamuwa National Park |
At the Wasgamuwa National Park you will learn how to identify individual elephants to help learn about populations, ranging and behavior. You will help to photograph individual elephants, identify them using various physical features and catalog the photos. You will be participating in the innovative eleID program of the SLWCS. During your visit to the park you will also observe other wildlife, habitats and ecosystems. |
| 6:45pm |
Return to campsite freshen up |
|
| 7pm |
Learn how to set up a camp site in the jungle. |
Camping can be an enjoyable experience if the campsite is well selected and the tents are erected correctly. We will teach you how to set up a good campsite in the wilderness. |
| 7:30pm |
Briefing on next day's activities |
|
| 8:00pm |
Outdoor dinner around the campfire with hurricane lanterns (weather permitting) |
This is a great time for storytelling, to recount events from your past journeys to the jungle, for you to talk about your experiences and exchange information on what you have learned and to get to know your colleagues. |
| 9:30pm |
Packing for departure |
If you carry it in, remember to carry it out. |
| 10:00pm |
LIGHTS OUT. GOOD NIGHT |
Camp noise curfew is from 10.00 p.m. to 5.00 a.m. |
| day Three |
| 5:00am |
Wake Up |
|
| 6:00am |
Tea/Kola Kenda and packed breakfast |
|
| 6:30am |
Depart to conduct a vehicle transect in the Knuckles Mountain Range. |
Before departure, please check your rooms for any belongings. You will observe the diverse habitat types of the Knuckles mountains and also get to see some of the endemic birds, reptiles and amphibians of Sri Lanka. |
| 12:00pm |
End of Program . Participants will head back to Colombo. |
The programme. ends after your visit to the Knuckles mountains. Thank you for visiting us and supporting our community conservation and sustainable development efforts to make Sri Lanka a better place for our endangered wildlife. |
