This morning I woke up a little before Bader. I was sitting in bed when he suddenly sat straight up and announced, “IT’S DAY THREE!”. From fast asleep to full excitement, and how can that not be contagious?

The word we’re not allowed to say today is “leopard.” The place we’re headed to is called Leopard Trails, and we are, of course, hoping to see… the animal we cannot name.

Our mode of transportation today was a seaplane. We drove down to a beautiful property closer to the lake and the towns—lush gardens, stunning views. On the way, we passed several similar properties, which pretty much confirmed my suspicion that there were more suitable options for us. But anyway. Back to the seaplane.

It’s not the kids’ first time on one, but it’s always exciting. We’d only ever been on a seaplane in the Maldives, and while the ocean view is stunning, this was something else. Absolutely breathtaking to see Sri Lanka from the sky.

Even thinking about this trip now—and yes, I know it’s been ages and I still haven’t finished writing about it, I get that nostalgic, excited feeling in my stomach. I know the point was to build memories for the kids, but I’m the one who’s so grateful for the memories. If I weren’t afraid they’d get sick of me, I’d bring it up again and again. This is definitely something I want to do every year.

After a short flight and a 20-minute car ride with Fayzan (who met us at the landing point), we ended up at the here, where we met our guide.

They loaded us and our bags into a safari jeep and took us on the bumpiest ride on the bumpiest dirt road to reach the camp.

First impressions? This was different from the safari lodges I’d been to in South Africa. Not in a bad or good way—just different. The South African lodges were expansive and spread out; this camp was more linear, with everything lining the path that led from the entrance to this—a gorgeous, serene body of water I couldn’t stop staring at the entire time.

But back to the entrance. The main lobby was on the left, an open-air dining area on the right, and further down, the rooms stretched out on either side. We had two tents, connected via a tunnel, and set right on the water.

We had a quick lunch before our first safari drive. We were scheduled for four in total—one on the first day, two the next, and one more on our last morning.

The Wild Welcomes Us

During lunch, we were introduced to the monkeys (who would be with us throughout the stay) and the monitor lizards—aka baby dragons. They were… everywhere. The monkeys jumping, the lizards strolling around like they owned the place.

Lunch was a set menu of Sri Lankan dishes. Abdullah was game to try everything. The other two—and myself—needed a little coaxing. The food was good but so spicy. I asked for yogurt, which they didn’t have, but they did have fermented buffalo milk, which honestly tasted better than it sounds.

The monkeys put on quite the show during lunch. Everyone else—staff and guests—seemed totally okay with it. I, on the other hand, was flashing back to Tayif monkey legends about kidnappings and sneak attacks. But in true me fashion, I suppressed my fear and smiled along like I was completely chill.

We headed out on our first safari, which—again—was different from South Africa. It felt more commercial, more crowded, and less scenic on the drive in. But once we were inside the reserve, it was beautiful.

Our guide was fantastic—he found quieter trails and made the whole experience fun by producing a safari bingo card. All three kids were totally into it.

Within half an hour, he had caught on that we weren’t saying the word “leopard” and started referring to it as “the one we cannot name.” And somehow, the magic worked. On our very first drive, we saw a leopard—twice! The second time, a buffalo quickly and efficiently shooed it away, which felt very on-brand for buffalo energy.

Zen Bessma was holding strong. The night and following day were easy and laid-back. I was pleasantly surprised by how patient the kids were during the long drives and how smooth the mornings went.

Meeting Raja

One of the most magical animal encounters happened on our way back from the morning safari on the main road, of all places. In hindsight, it was probably a bit dangerous (especially after seeing a video of an elephant attacking a car), but we met Raja—a massive elephant known for standing in the middle of the road and blocking your path until you feed him.

Apparently, David Attenborough talked about him once. Of course, this might not have been the actual Raja, but let’s just say it was. He was so close it was slightly terrifying. But elephants are my favorite animals, and I could’ve stared at him for hours.

Back at Camp: Monkeys and Mayhem

After that early morning safari (we started at 5 a.m.), I came back to the tent hoping to nap. I lay down and the whole troop of monkeys decided to play on my tent.

That little fiasco turned into a larger one when my kids decided to play catch with a stuffed toy inside the tent. Naturally, it hit the minibar and shattered a glass. My zen was zenning, but I made them call and apologize to the staff.

My tent was full of little encounters with nature. Being as we were on a safari I guess this is not unexpected.

One of the first things our guide told us during orientation was: “If you ever have bugs or lizards in your tent, call my extension. We’ll take care of it.” Naturally, my mission was to not call that extension.

I failed.

On our first night, after showering and getting ready for bed, I looked up and saw a lizard,a small one, and a massive spider right above our bed. I wasn’t sure who was chasing who, but I didn’t wait to find out. I called the extension. Two men showed up with a basket and broom. One of them held the basket under the general area the lizard was while the other knocked it down. And then they moved to the spider and repeated the same process. I suppressed a shudder and pretended I was completely ok with this because Bader was watching.

On one of our drives, we passed by this eerily beautiful body of water, a man-made lake formed after a dam was built and the surrounding forest flooded. The result was an expanse of still water dotted with the skeletons of drowned trees. Haunting, strange, and stunning.

As we were talking about dams and how they work, Bader—completely serious—said, “All the dams are made by authors.”

I looked at his older brothers and immediately whispered, “Do not, I repeat, do not correct him.”

And now, for the rest of our lives, I hope we call otters authors.

If you got this far then you’re invested and I have to apologize for how long this whole series is taking. If you know me then you know this is consistent for me these days and i am proud of myself. But if you’re normal and have normal abilities to organize your time then this must be frustrating. Only one more part of this epic trip to go!

Bingo update:

I forgot the sunscreen. Bader said he was bored. Everyone played the I’m older card. Abdullah and KHaled copied each other. Bader needed the bathroom almost every car ride to and from the safari!