In May 2004 a khaki‑clad whirlwind named Steve Irwin leapt out of my jeep in Tissamaharama, slapped me on the back and boomed, “Mate, show me your snakes!” For the next nine days my team and I shepherded him across paddy fields, tea estates and Yala’s dusty tracks to film “Island of Snakes.”

Sri Lanka’s south‑eastern corner is packed with bucket‑list stops: misty Ella, the leopard‑rich Yala National Park, palm‑lined Tangalle/Hiriketiya beaches and the elephant haven of Udawalawe.

Imagine an early morning in Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park: your private jeep pauses as a Sri Lankan leopard saunters across the track, its rosettes glowing in the dawn light.