A new look at the world and travel during this lock down. With much discussions taking place on the impacts of Covid 19 on the travel industry, we at ArTravele have decided to talk to four distinguished personalities to understand travel life from their perspective and what changes they’d foresee. They will also be talking about their work towards preserving nature and wildlife and share with us few interesting tips to be responsible travelers. Do stay tuned to our Instagram page as we go live every Thursday during the month of May at 7pm IST through our special edition – May “be Sustainable”.
Chitral has been an avid nature photographer all his life, and his first award for photography was presented by Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh when he was just seventeen years of age. His passion for photography has made him change career and he now leads a dedicated team of naturalists showcasing Sri Lanka’s wilds to the world, whilst raising funds for conservation. His work has been recognized by PATA – awarding two Gold conservation awards. Chitral also shares his love of photography with the next generation through lectures and launching Nature Photographer exhibitions. He also works as a Local fixer for BBC productions and has facilitated 22 documentaries to date filming Wild Sri Lanka.
If you missed the chat with Chitral, you can watch the full video below:
Q&A with Chitral:
Q. How unique is a safari in Sri Lanka compared to that of another destination?
A. Most safaris are very special, yet Sri Lanka offers unmatched diversity in such a small island, where the variety can blow you away,
The species diversity is profound from large animals to over 500 species of birds and hundreds of smaller amphibians. And the magic continues at sea, with Blue and Sperm whales seen in nearby waters along with hundreds of dolphins.
Hence a Safari in this small island can be truly unforgettable and a very special moment for any wildlife enthusiast.
Q. With the empirical status of Nature taking over, what are the options to sustain it and also promote Sri Lanka?
A. This is tough as Humans – will always recover and attempt to dominate yet again, its only a matter of time. Unless Sri Lanka can implement legislation and bring about enforced change – to maintain sanity and the ability to enjoy time in the jungles with quality experiences, the rush to flock at national parks will resume once the Virus fears fades away.
And this can be a great opportunity to have friendly controls in place – and uplift how Sri Lanka is seen as a safari destination, which curates the quality of the experience, this will no doubt help promote even better – and help us attract the high spending safari goer to our National Parks.
