Sri Lanka birding & cultural tour
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you throughout the year. The best time for birding is September to April, when thousand upon thousands of northern winter migrants arrive. Please note we are unable to run our trips in August. |
| price: | From £1100 (10-14 days) excluding flights, based on 2 sharing, half board accommodation, airport transfers, A/C van or car, entrance tickets and safari jeep hire. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Sri Lanka birding & cultural tour
The founder of the local company will personally accompany this tour as the specialist wildlife tour leader.
For a small island Sri Lanka has a rich bird fauna and many passionate bird lovers rank Sri Lanka among their favourite destinations. 426 bird species have been seen on the Island of which 33 of these are endemic to Sri Lanka - a fabulous birding holiday awaits!
Between October and April, many migrants visit the isle from as far away as Siberia. Another noteworthy feature is the presence of mixed-species flocks, which makes birding both easy and interesting, since one can study carefully the interactions between different species.
Sri Lanka's first inhabitants arrived more than 10,000 years ago and are known to have engaged in trade in gems, metals and spices with people as distant as China.
Recorded history begins in the 3 rd century B.C. It is a history full of colourful characters, such as King Kassapa, who after killing his father to take his throne built a castle on top of the rock plateau now known as the World Heritage Site Sigiriya.
In this trip we will visit sites ranging in age from 2nd century A.D., an early Buddhist shrine, to the 18th century A.D. in Kandy which houses the most sacred Buddhist relic in the country and was built by during the Kandy Kingdom. These cultural sites are abundant with so many different bird species - area birding haven!
You are provided with a separate driver and a separate specialized birding tour leader for the whole tour. Most of the time this trip is led by Prasanjith Caldera, one of the country’s most experienced birders and trekkers.
Due to the small size of the island, visitors can comfortably visit most of the best birding sites in country in the space of two weeks. Any changes can be made according to your interests and duration of stay.
Tour Leader: Prasanjith Caldera holds a Tourist Guide License from the Tourist Board of Sri Lanka. He is a member of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, the Oriental Bird Club (UK) and the National Geographic Society (USA). Prasanjith has had varied career as a Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy and in marketing and industry. Interested in nature from childhood, he went back to school to study Wildlife Conservation and Management at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Subsequently, he has worked with several scientific agencies exploring Sri Lanka's bio diversity. As a nature sound recordist, Prasanjith co-composed the "Sounds of Sinharaja" audio CD.
Please note: I would be delighted to telephone you to discuss your individual travel arrangements, so please leave your telephone number when you complete the online enquiry form.
For a small island Sri Lanka has a rich bird fauna and many passionate bird lovers rank Sri Lanka among their favourite destinations. 426 bird species have been seen on the Island of which 33 of these are endemic to Sri Lanka - a fabulous birding holiday awaits!
Between October and April, many migrants visit the isle from as far away as Siberia. Another noteworthy feature is the presence of mixed-species flocks, which makes birding both easy and interesting, since one can study carefully the interactions between different species.
Sri Lanka's first inhabitants arrived more than 10,000 years ago and are known to have engaged in trade in gems, metals and spices with people as distant as China.
Recorded history begins in the 3 rd century B.C. It is a history full of colourful characters, such as King Kassapa, who after killing his father to take his throne built a castle on top of the rock plateau now known as the World Heritage Site Sigiriya. In this trip we will visit sites ranging in age from 2nd century A.D., an early Buddhist shrine, to the 18th century A.D. in Kandy which houses the most sacred Buddhist relic in the country and was built by during the Kandy Kingdom. These cultural sites are abundant with so many different bird species - area birding haven!
You are provided with a separate driver and a separate specialized birding tour leader for the whole tour. Most of the time this trip is led by Prasanjith Caldera, one of the country’s most experienced birders and trekkers.
Due to the small size of the island, visitors can comfortably visit most of the best birding sites in country in the space of two weeks. Any changes can be made according to your interests and duration of stay.
Tour Leader: Prasanjith Caldera holds a Tourist Guide License from the Tourist Board of Sri Lanka. He is a member of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, the Oriental Bird Club (UK) and the National Geographic Society (USA). Prasanjith has had varied career as a Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy and in marketing and industry. Interested in nature from childhood, he went back to school to study Wildlife Conservation and Management at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Subsequently, he has worked with several scientific agencies exploring Sri Lanka's bio diversity. As a nature sound recordist, Prasanjith co-composed the "Sounds of Sinharaja" audio CD.Please note: I would be delighted to telephone you to discuss your individual travel arrangements, so please leave your telephone number when you complete the online enquiry form.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Polonnaruwa (1): Very famous archaeological site and medieval capital of Sri Lanka, more than one thousand years old. The adjacent huge man made water reservoirs and the surrounding forest are rich for birding. Highlights – Grey Hornbill, Rose ringed Parakeet, Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey headed Fish Eagle, Painted Snipe, Black headed Cuckoo Shrike and Blue faced Malkoha. |
| Day 2-3: | Sigiriya (2): Sigiriya, the rock fortress, was the pleasure palace of a single king called Kashyapa in the 5th century A.D. In a pocket of the giant rock are the famous frescoes of the heavenly maidens of Sigiriya. The forest area around the rock called Sigiriya Sanctuary, which is very good for birding. Highlights – Shaheen Falcon, White rumped Shama, Blue eared Kingfisher, Pigmy woodpecker, Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Orange headed Thrush and Indian Pitta. |
| Day 4: | Kandy (3): Kandy is a major tourist centre with the famous Sacred Tooth Relic Palace overlooking a lake which usually holds a few water birds like Cormorants, Common & White breasted Kingfishers, Egrets and spot billed Pelican. Udawatta-kele Forest Reserve: a tract of rainforest in Kandy town, rich in bird species, including few endemics. Highlights – Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow fronted & Crimson fronted Barbets, Brown capped Babbler, Greater Flameback, Brown Fish Owl and White rumped Shama. Royal Botanical Garden: established in 1816, this houses a marvelous collection of specimens of the flora of the tropical world, which is also good for birding. Highlights – Yellow fronted & Crimson fronted Barbets, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, Alexandrine Parakeet, Tickel’s blue Flycatcher and Indian Pitta. |
| Day 5-6: | Nuwara-eliya (Highlands) (4): Sri Lanka’s hill station about 2000 m. elevation has a ruggedly picturesque location and soft English spring climate. A pleasant base for a number of montane sites. Horton Plains: a highland plateau comprising montane grassland and alfin forest. Highlights – Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Dull Blue Flycatcher, Yellow eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka White Eye, Black Eagle and Mountain Hawk Eagle. Hakgala Gardens: this garden was established in 1860 and more botanically minded visitors will find plenty to interest them. The highland race of the endemic Purple faced Leaf Monkey present here and it is a good opportunity for viewing or photographing. Highlights – Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka White Eye, Dull Blue Flycatcher, Yellow eared Bulbul, Grey headed Canary Flycatcher and Kashmir Flycatcher. Victoriya Park: an ornamental park in the heart of Nuwara-eliya town that has gained a reputation for birds, specially northern winter migrants. Highlights – Pied Thrush, Indian Pitta, Grey, Yellow & Forest Wagtails, Kashmir Flycatcher and Indian Blue Robin. |
| Day 7: | Ruhuna (Yala) National Park (5): This park is situated in the dry zone, comprising a diversity of habitats including scrub jungles, water reservoirs, brakish lagoons and riverine habitats. This is the best park in the country for viewing mammals including Leopard and Sloth Bear. Highlights – Indian Pee Fowl, Black necked, Painted, Wooly necked and Adjutant Storks, Blue faced Malkoha, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Greater Flemingo, Brahminy Myna, Rosy Starling, Elephant, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Grey Langer, and Marsh & Estuarine Crocodiles. |
| Day 8: | Around Hambantota (6): Hambantota is a good base to visit the sites of Bundala wetlands, Kalametiya brakish lagoon and Karagan & Hambantota Lewayas, an artificial salt pans located close to the town. These places are the best wetland sites for bird watching and not to be missed by the shorebird enthusiast. Bundala Ramsar Wetland: this is the first recognised wetland in Sri Lanka, comprising scrub jungle bordering the sea together with large shallow pools. Very good place for viewing water birds & migrant waders during northern winter. Highlights - Golden, Greater & Lesser Sand Plovers, Marsh, Wood, Green, & Terek Sandpipers, Turnstone, Red necked Palarope, Pintail Snipe, Black tail Godwit, Greater Flemingo and Terns such as Great Crested, Lesser Crested, Caspian, Gull billed and Little Terns. |
| Day 9: | Udawalawa National Park (7): This park is renowned for its outstanding scenic beauty and wealth of faunal species. It is home for good numbers of forest birds, water birds & raptors. There is the possibility of viewing elephants at close range. Highlights – Indian Pee Fowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Plum headed and Alexandrine parakeets, Orange breasted and pompadour green Pigeons, Changeble Hawk Eagle, Black shouldered Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle and Barred Button Quail. |
| Day 10-11: | Sinharaja Man & Biosphere Reserve (8): Sinharaja world heritage rain forest is the last remaining significant primary forest patch in the island. It is home to most endemic flora & fauna species. This is the single most important site in Sri Lanka in term of endemic birds and you will encounter spectacular mixed feeding flocks of birds. Highlights – Green billed Caucal, Red faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, White faced Starling, Orange billed Babbler, Ashy headed Laughing Thrush, White throated Flowerpecker, Sri Lanka Myna and Sri Lanka Spur Fowl. |
| Day 12: | Anavilundawa Wetland Sanctuary (9): This is another Ramsar wetland on the West coast and rich in birdlife. Highlights – White napped Woodpecker, Drongo Cockoo, Lesser Whistling Duck, Breeding colonies of Eagrets & Cormorants, White bellied Sea Eagle, Shikra and Besra. |
| Day 13-14: | Leisure at Beach Resort (10). |
traveller reviews for Sri Lanka birding & cultural tour
The Elephant Transit Camp in Udawalawe was a fantastic example of the care Sri Lankans take of their wildlife, allowing close up views of baby elephants both in the camp and later in the National Park where the elephants are eventually re-released. (more)
Read an article about this trip By Colin Scott. Read an article about one traveller's adventure watching wildlife in Sri Lanka. More...
how this holiday makes a difference
 The aim of this tour is to provide a natural package of birding without the use of undesirable and harmful methods such as audio play backs, which are detrimental to both the community of rare birds and tourist industry in the long run. We do not promote commercial sales aimed at tourists, rather we ensure that our rates are reasonable, and some of money you spend will directly and positively affect people at village level. We seek to improve the lives of the people who affect & conserve the birding habitats by buying products and service of local guiding etc. If the visitor decides to have no meat products (to avoid health risks & other reasons), we make sure that he gets quality organic vegetarian dishes. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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