OceanStars :: Saturday 24th October 2026 :: Latest Blog Posts
Exploring Sri Lanka – OST Trip 2026
Matt
Part one of day 1 we started at the elephant sanctuary and as soon as we got there and I saw my first elephant! After we entered we saw another walk pass and then made are way to the feeding. We bought two baskets full of fruit to feed and it was amazing. The elephants just knew where the food was and their trunks were so strong as they just snatched the food out of our hands. We then got photos and stroked the elephants, their skin felt like a snakes skin would and then we read a bit about elephant trunks. They have 10,00 muscles in their trunk. Which was a fun fact and then we headed to the elephant river bath.
Enge
After the orphanage we crossed the road towards the river and saw at least 30 elephants there basking in the river. They were so close to us it was genuinely amazing. They were like in the wild enjoying themselves with a croud watching from afar. After this amazing viewing we went up the street to the market in which we started negotiating with the locals for better prices improving with time. In the market there was a shop where they made paper out of elephant poo helping with sustainability. We got walked through the whole process and then went to the shop in which we bought lots of different cool goods out of paper. This was an amazing day which will stick with me for years.
Hope
I have never been on a safari, so today was such a 'pinch me' experience. We saw enormous herds of elephants just casually walking across the fields , which was so surreal. Some of our other highlights were storks, eagles, blue tails and bee-eaters, along with many more. One of my favourite parts was standing up in the jeep, it felt really wrong to be standing on the seats of a car, but it was great fun. So, although we didn't see the tick-tock croc, it was definitely a success and something I will never forget!
Chris
Visiting Dambulla cave temple was a fascinating experience for us all on Friday afternoon. There were incredibly ornate paintings and statues in five cool and ancient caves going deep into the rock. It was a gentle climb though felt harder in the heat but the views across the landscape were also spectacular.
Enge
We climbed up the Rock fortress this morning, an amazing experience! Walk through the garden ruins was pleasant and then we came across the giant magma plug (the rock), a stunning view and a challenge to attempt. The climb was hard (1,200 steps) with lots of tourists to navigate around in the heat but it was worth it once we got to the top. The views were at the summit were absolutely out of this world. I can see why the king chose this spot. Seeing a small section of cave paintings was also a nice addition to our visit.
