A three member crew from ‘Off the Fence, UK’ recently spent 17 days in Sri Lanka exploring wildlife, famous locations, epic landscapes and colourful beauty as part of a documentary for Discovery Channel on the world’s ‘wildest islands’. The crew was accompanied and escorted by the ‘Nature Trails’ team from Cinnamon and Chaaya Hotels and Resorts, renowned for their wildlife understanding.

The excursion began from the hills, covering the cloudy forests of Horton Plains with the filming of sambur deer in the mist along with its spectacular scenery. Next stop was Haggala Botanical Gardens where purple faced, leaf monkeys were filmed along with Rhino-horned lizards and Sri Lankan Pigmy lizards. 

The crew accompanied by ‘Nature Trails’ field naturalist Thilanka Ranathunga, then travelled through Ella, towards the Dry Zone as the focus of the documentary was on birds including Coots and Herons at the Bundala National Park and thereafter to the famous Yala National Park, habitat for top carnivores in the island such as Leopards and Mugger Crocodiles. 

Last leg took the crew to Habarana, where they spent the days at the Cinnamon Lodge filming one of the most awesome wildlife spectacles in the world, the legendary mammoth gathering at the Minneriya National Park followed by capturing troops of Macaques at Pollonaruwa.

The producer of the documentary Evania Wright, fascinated by the traditions and culture of the country also captured the customary ‘Perahera’ and its procession of elephants.The production made for Discovery Channel spans many Islands of the world covering Vancouver islands, Falkland Islands, Caribbean, Japan and Scotland.