Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka - Witnessing A Herd Of Wild Elephants Under The Watch Of The Full Moon

The caretaker from Lake Edge Holiday Inn continued our adventure, driving deep into a remote area of Tissamaharama.

His goal – to show us wild elephants.

As I sat in the van with the full moon starting to rise in the darkening sky, I became nervous as we drove deeper, deeper and deeper into the wild. Where was this man taking us?

He suddenly turned off the van’s headlights, turned ever-so-slowly into a side road, stopped at its entrance and turned off the van.

He told us to remain silent, stay seated and be very still.

We were not to leave the vehicle.

And, I was not to use a flash with my camera.

Just as he finished explaining these instructions, there he was – a large elephant walked out the trees, in front of the van and continued down the dirt road, illuminated by the light of the rising full moon.

He was aware of us, but kept on his way.

Then, to our right, a small herd of elephants walked out of the trees, into the small pond.

I was in awe.

Shock.

The only sound was the rustle of leaves as these large creatures moved through the trees into the clearing.

They themselves moved in silence.

Not a sound. Not a splash.

We didn’t linger long. We left after I took the last picture.

Our witness to these wild elephants ended almost as quickly as it started.

Later, the caretaker explained these elephants walk the same area every day, at the same time. They are creatures of habit.

To say Michael and I felt blessed, an understatement.

This magical moment filled our hearts to witness to these beautiful elephants in their natural habitat.