Sri Lanka walking safari
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| location: | Sinharaja forest & Yala National Park |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you throughout the year and adapted to your requirements as necessary. Please note we are unable to run our trips in August. |
| price: | From £500 (7 days) per person (based on min 2 persons) excluding flights. Includes naturalist guide, accomm, meals, Rainforest fee, transport, staff, trackers & nightwatchmen. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
From rainforest to bush jungle, this is a journey into the tropical forests of Sri Lanka accompanied by an expert naturalist. A deeper experience amongst endemic birds, rare butterflies, treefrogs and wild elephants.
The tour gives you the chance to combine a 3 night stay at an ecolodge in the dry jungles of Southeast Sri Lanka with a 3 day tour to other types of forest such as rainforest & montane forest.
Accommodation is in eco lodges and guesthouses with the emphasis on location, atmosphere, fun, adventure & experience. Please see the ecolodge here.
In only six nights you will experience a great variety of climate, forest, and habitat diversity. This is ideal for those independent travellers interested in an organised package that is short and flexible enough to be part of an individually planned holiday, and an adventure that would be complicated to organise alone. This walking tour will take you deeper into the nature and culture of Sri Lanka with a guide who is a passionate and experienced trekker and birder - perfect for specialist ornithologist and nature enthusiast alike!
Aims of the tour
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.
The tour gives you the chance to combine a 3 night stay at an ecolodge in the dry jungles of Southeast Sri Lanka with a 3 day tour to other types of forest such as rainforest & montane forest.
Accommodation is in eco lodges and guesthouses with the emphasis on location, atmosphere, fun, adventure & experience. Please see the ecolodge here.
In only six nights you will experience a great variety of climate, forest, and habitat diversity. This is ideal for those independent travellers interested in an organised package that is short and flexible enough to be part of an individually planned holiday, and an adventure that would be complicated to organise alone. This walking tour will take you deeper into the nature and culture of Sri Lanka with a guide who is a passionate and experienced trekker and birder - perfect for specialist ornithologist and nature enthusiast alike!
Aims of the tour
- Experience the natural highlights of tropical Sri Lanka
- Observe hundreds of species of birds and butterflies in impressive landscapes
- Learn about flowers and animals
- Gain an idea of how the rainforest as well as other types of forest covered parts of Sri Lanka must have looked like many years ago.
- Relax and just enjoy being out there in amazing locations!
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: | Sinharaja Rainforest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrival & leisure, Martins Lodge. |
| Day 2: | Full day bird and butterfly watching. Overnight Martin's Lodge located in forest near the boundary to Sinharaja. |
| Day 3: | Transfer to Ella (or Haputale). Walk in montane forest and through country-side villages. Overnight at comfortable guesthouse with fantastic views, situated in mountains at Ella (1100 m). |
| Day 4: | Departure to Buttala. From Ella transfer in vehicle down to the ‘lowland’, to a mud/ tree hut jungle-retreat in wilderness border area of northern part of Yala National Park. The lodge is 10 km from the small town, Buttala. |
| Day 5: | Morning bird / butterfly watching in mature tall dry zone tropical forest. Leisure mid day. Late afternoon walk through bush jungle for birding at a large tank (a man made lake from the era of ancient Buddhist kings). This is the boundary to Yala National Park and wild elephants frequently come to drink at this important waterhole. Chances to see elephants are best in the dry season from June - October but they might be around throughout year. |
| Day 6: | Three options: 1) Just do nothing but follow the natural rhythms of the jungle interrupted only by ‘wellness’ bathing at the freshwater well. 2) From morning set off on a half day trekking tour in the jungle to the Petangagala Rock (4-5 hours). 3) 4WD jeep safari excursion into Yala National Park with naturalist guide as well as experienced trackers from the lodge. Yala has a reputation for being one of the world's best places to spot leopards. Additional cost for the safari trip is GB £50 per person. (all inclusive, based on min. 2 clients). |
| Day 7: | End of tour. |
how this holiday makes a difference
 This trip is organised by an eco/nature retreat working with an expert freelance naturalist guide specialized in ecotours with focus on birds and butterflies. As we are working at grass root level, we cannot boast of donations to conservation projects etc. However, this tour will directly benefit villagers living in remote wildlife and bird habitats. The tour generates income for these local people who are employed and trained as trackers, cooks etc. The result is that these people can use their knowledge of the wilderness in a constructive way. Without the business of ecotourism the same people would be likely to use their skills in ways that are destructive for environment. They live in – and use nature, one way or the other. |
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. |