Penda Photo Tours & penda trust

Penda is the product of a small group of people coming together with combined passions for travel, photography, and NGO work.

7 Reasons Why Sri Lanka is a Surprisingly Perfect Destination for Wildlife Photography

With renowned safari locations like Kruger National Park, the Masai Mara, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon, Sri Lanka – the teardrop shaped island south of India – is breaking out their shadows to prove why it should be your next wildlife photo safari destination.

Photographer Lucia Griggi has spent over a decade of her life practicing travel photography in several destinations including U.K., USA, Italy, Japan, but after traveling to Sri Lanka in 2007 it has become a country very close to her heart, and one that she keeps coming back to for the wildlife, people and culture. As the workshop leader of our Sri Lanka photo safari, Lucia hopes to “share this beautiful and unique place to others to experience, to teach not just abut photography but about travel and the country itself.”

Sri Lanka boasts a large range of natural landscapes from soft beaches to lush jungles, incredible wildlife – the main focus of our photography workshop – and welcoming locals. With over 120 species of mammals including the endemic spotted leopard, 171 species of reptiles, 106 species of amphibians, 227 species of birds, and one of the world’s largest populations of blue whales and sperm whales, Sri Lanka is truly an wildlife-lover’s dream come true and just one of seven reasons why Sri Lanka guarantees a wildlife photo safari dream.

Wildlife Conservation Efforts in Sri Lanka

Surrounded by the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka offers a variation in climate and biodiversity normally found only across an entire continent. The fertile jungles of Sri Lanka are home to herds of wild elephants and the enigmatic leopards, as well as sloth bears, monkeys, jackal, mongoose, loris and several varieties of flora.

For the last three decades Sri Lanka has struggled with the pressures of a rapidly expanding population, resulting in an increased threat to the biodiversity “by deforestation, land degradation and the unregulated exploitation of natural resources”, according to Equator Initiative.

Since 1889, Sri Lanka’s efforts for wildlife conservationism have increased through the founding of organizations like the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS). The society, which was established in 1995 by Sri Lankan-born Ravi Corea, functions on the belief that “providing people and communities with information, guidance and a variety of resources empowers them to make good decisions that positively impact conservation”.

waves for change: “Changing lives, one wave at a time.”

No matter the weather, Muizenberg beach is always crowded with surfers of all levels. Due to the low and constant waves, the beach, 40 min away from Cape Town, has become the best surf therapy location, giving way to tourism and surfing schools. With an overcast sky and the sun peering out, the waves are ideal, as evident by the crowded ocean. Past the iconic colorful changing shacks and the waving shark alert flag, a large group of kids all wet-suited up sits in a circle with their eyes closed, surf boards laying near them.

The group is part of NGO Waves For Change (W4C), as they take part in their pre-surfing meditation. W4C based in Muizenberg, provides safe spaces, caring mentors and a provision of weekly ‘Surf Therapy’ sessions to give vulnerable children the skills to cope with stress, regulate behavior, build healing relationships and make positive life choices. They work with communities impacted by violence, poverty, and conflict where mental health services are under resourced and stigmatized.

“We set ourselves up to understand the impact of trauma on the way we behave and learn,” said Tim Conifer, W4C founding director & CEO. “We understand that there are certain activities that really transform the way we feel about ourselves and interact with the communities around us. Surfing is the way we wrap the program up but the main outcome is mental health.”.