By Emily Fairbairn

We hear the elephants before we see them.

The rumble of their heavy footsteps, the odd over-excited trumpet and then . . . there they are. It is a magical sight.

I am at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka, a sanctuary set up in 1975 to care for unweaned baby elephants found alone in the wild.

Today it has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world, who live in semi-wild conditions.

If you want to go somewhere for an amazing wildlife experience, Africa is probably top of your list. But with its rich diversity of incredible animals, Sri Lanka should be up there too.

Where else can you go whale watching in the morning, then drive a couple of hours inland and see wild leopards in the afternoon?

For whales, head to Mirissa on the south coast where sperm whales, fin whales and even the mighty blue whale can be spotted between December and April.

The area boasts a 99 per cent success rate for visitors spotting a whale.

Later, drive east to the stunning Yala National Park, which has the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world.

For the chance to hold one of Sri Lanka’s native creatures in the palm of my hand, I went to the Kosgoda Turtle Sanctuary, run by Chandrasiri Abrew, on the South West coast near Galle. Set up by Chandrasiri’s father 35 years ago, this remarkable project has released four million baby turtles into the sea.

“I am papa to all these babies,” says Chandrasiri, as he shows me vast pools full of tiny, flapping, newborn turtles.

He puts a two-day-old baby in my hand and it fixes me with its beady eye, wriggling its little flippers. I feel like David Attenborough.

Better yet is a trip to the jungle surrounding the ancient ruins of Polonnaruwa, in the island’s interior, home to 2,000 wild toque monkeys.

It would be perfectly possible to spend two weeks in Sri Lanka doing nothing but tracking wildlife but that would be to only scratch the surface of this incredibly diverse country.

Sri Lanka has a rich cultural heritage, something which is hauntingly apparent in the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

But the jewel in the crown is the awe-inspiring Sigiriya — a hedonistic pleasure palace that was somehow built on top of a 200m rock 1,500 years ago, by king Kashyapa.

My wild whistlestop tour of the country also took in the colonial delights of Galle and the vibrant city of Kandy, nestled amidst tea plantations in the hill country.

That much sightseeing certainly helps you build up an appetite, and I ate my body weight in delicious Sri Lankan curries.

I loved the coconut sambol — a sort of spicy paste that locals eat with their rice and curry.

I’ve tried, and failed, to recreate it at home, but to enjoy it properly I think it has to be eaten looking out at a gorgeous Sri Lankan sunset.

Driving around is an experience in itself, with cows and giggling schoolchildren wandering in and out of the traffic.

Do not, however, be tempted to drive yourself unless you have a death wish. Hire a driver instead for as little as £120 a week.

Sri Lanka is a country as rich and diverse as its wildlife, and as moreish as its local curry.

One thing is for certain — you will leave wanting to come back.

More info: See srilanka.travel.

(The Sun)