Birding in Sri Lanka
11N~12D | Specialty Tour
$ 2205 per person | twin-sharing
The Tour :
When to go :
Best For :
Strenuousness :
Wheelchair Accessibility :
Highlights:
- Birdwatching in Anawilundawa Wetland
- Birdwatching in Kitulgala rainforest
- Birdwatching in Bundala National Park
- Birdwatching in Sinharaja Rainforest - UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Birdwatching in Udawatta Kele Forest Reserve in Kandy
- Birdwatching in Horton Plains - UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Birdwatching in Udawalawe National Park
- Waterfall trekking in Sinharaja Rainforest
- Sightseeing in Kandy - UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Devon, St Claire, Ravana & Bakers Waterfalls
- Whitewater rafting in Kitulgala
- Royal botanical gardens in Peradeniya
- Tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya
- Beach break in Bentota
Includes:
- Accommodation
- Breakfast
- Meals in Deniyaya - Dinner & Breakfast
- Private transport
- Service of a professional birder-guide
- Entrance tickets to mentioned sites
- Separate transfer by van to the entrance of Horton Plains
- All mentioned activities
Itinerary
Day 01
Accommodation : Goldi Sands in Negombo
Day 02
Look for: Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Large Egrets, Median and Little Egrets, Asian Openbill, Garganey, Purple Coot, Common Moorhen, Stork-billed Kingfishers, Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Indian Whistling Duck, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Black-winged Stilt, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Indian Cormorant, Spoonbill and Black-backed Yellow Woodpecker.
Transfer to the hotel in Kandy. In the afternoon embark on a city tour. Tour the Upper-lake Drive with sweeping views of the city below, drive around the man-made Kandy Lake and browse through the gift stores. In the evening enjoy a Cultural show followed by a visit to the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Accommodation : The Golden Crown in Kandy
Day 03
Start the morning off with an exciting hike in the Udawatta Kele sanctuary, a high-canopy forest reserve overlooking the Kandy town. According to the legends, it was here the last Ceylonese monarch buried his treasures before fleeing, when the Britishers invaded Kandy in 1815. Udawatta Kele is a haven for bird watching; among the nearly 80 bird species recorded here are endemic ones too.
Look for: endemic Ceylon Lorikeet, Layard’s Parakeet and Crimson-backed Woodpecker as well as Brown Fish Owl, Forest Eagle-Owl, Wood Owl, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Paradise Flycatcher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Indian Three-toed Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Common Hill Myna, Indian Pitta, Green Leaf and Large-billed Leaf warblers, Brown-capped Babbler, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Alexandrian Parrot and Blossom-headed Parakeets.
Later on take a relaxed walk in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, nestled on the banks of Mahaweli River. A number of dignitaries including Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and Queen Elizabeth II have planted trees to mark their visits here.
Accommodation : The Golden Crown in Kandy
Day 04
Accommodation : Palm Stone Retreat in Kitulgala
Day 05
Rise up early, cross the river on a ferry and set out on a delightful birding trip in the Kitulgala Rainforest.
Look for: a number of endemics including Ceylon Blue Magpie, Ceylon Crested Drongo, Green-billed Coucal, Ceylon Lorikeet, Layard’s Parakeet, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Red-faced Malkoha, Spotted-winged Thrush, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ceylon Jungle Fowl, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Black-naped Blue Flycatcher as well as Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Black Eagle, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Ceylon Frogmouth and Broad-billed Roller.
Later on depart for Nuwara Eliya. View the Devon and St Claire waterfalls on the way. And visit a tea factory. Factory fresh tea can be purchased at the factory outlet. In the afternoon explore the city of Nuwara Eliya: drive around the man-made Gregory Lake, visit the colonial Hill Club and the historic golf course.
Accommodation : Araliya Green Hills in Nuwara Eliya
Day 06
Look for: endemics such as Yellow-eared Bulbul, Ceylon Wood Pigeon, Ceylon Hill White eye, Spotted-winged Thrush, Ceylon Rufous Babbler, Ceylon Blue Magpie, Ceylon Whistling Thrush, Ceylon Warbler, Ceylon Scaly Thrush as well as Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Pied Bush Chat, Kashmir Red-breasted Flycatcher, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Common Buzzard, Jerdon’s Baza and Black Eagle.
Spend the second half of the day at leisure, exploring the city on your own or relaxing at the hotel.
Accommodation : Araliya Green Hills in Nuwara Eliya
Day 07
Accommodation : Kithala Resort in Tissamaharama
Day 08
Look for: Caspian Tern, Lesser-crested Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Northern Shoveler, Little Stint, Ruddy Turnstone, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Small Indian Pratincole, Black-winged Stilt, Great Stone Plover, Little-ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Stone Curlew, Spot-billed Pelican, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Malabar-pied Hornbill, Ruddy Crake, Black-backed Yellow Woodpecker, Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker, Hoopoe, White-tailed Iora and endemic Ceylon Jungle Fowl.
By midmorning return to the hotel for a delicious breakfast. Later on be transferred to the hotel in Udawalawe. In the afternoon set out on an exciting jeep safari in the Udawalawe National Park. A large variety of endemic as well as migrant birds can be seen here apart from mugger crocodiles, sambar deer, leopards, wild boar and elephants.
Look for: Black-winged Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Crested Honey Buzzard, Crested Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Spoonbill, White-throated Babbler, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Rufous-vented Prinia, Plain Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Franklin’s Prinia, White-rumped Shama, Brown-capped Babbler, Black-fronted Babbler, Common Iora, Blue-faced Malkoha, White-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Forest Eagle Owl, Brown Wood Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Barn Owl, Scops Owl, Blyth’s Pipit, Sirkeer Malkoha, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Pied Flycatcher Shrike, Black-capped Bulbul, Barred buttonquail, Indian Pea Fowl, Alpine Swift, House Swift, Great Stone Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Orange-headed Ground Thrush, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Rosy Starling, and endemic Ceylon Jungle Fowl and Ceylon Grey Hornbill.
Accommodation : Centauria Wild in Udawalawe
Day 09
Accommodation : Rainforest Eco Lodge in Deniyaya
Day 10
Rise up early this morning for a 02 hour long birding tour in the rainforest.
Look for: Ceylon Bay Owl, Ceylon Frogmouth, Malabar Trogon, Black Eagle, Crested Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable hawk-eagle as well as endemic Pompadour Green Pigeon, Ceylon Lorikeet, Layard’s Parakeet, Serendib Scops Owl, Chestnut-backed owlet, Green-billed Coucal, Ceylon Blue Magpie, Ceylon Rufous Babbler, Red-faced Malkoha, Ceylon Hill Mynah, Ceylon Jungle Fowl, Ceylon Spurfowl, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Crimson Backed Woodpecker, Ceylon Crested Drongo, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Ceylon Scimitar Babbler, Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush, Ceylon White-headed Starling, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Spot-winged Thrush and Ceylon Scaly Thrush.
Later on leave for your exciting beach break on the Bentota beach.
Accommodation : Thaala Bentota
Meals : Breakfast
Day 11
Accommodation : Thaala Bentota
Day 12
Sightseeing
Suggested
Accommodation
The hotel has 71 rooms: 02 sea-view suites, 04 beach cabanas, 06 non sea-view rooms and 59 standard rooms with sea-view with private balconies or terraces.
Among in-house facilities are 24 hour room service, doctor on call, IDD, foreign currency encashment and laundry services.
Nestled on the banks of mighty Mahaweli River, the hotel is only a 15 minute drive from Kandy city. Superior rooms come with river view or garden view. A few rooms are wheelchair accessible.
In-room amenities include safety deposit box, cable TV, shower cubicle, iron and drop-down ironing board and free WiFi.
This exquisite hideout is set in a lush natural forest, overlooking a picturesque flowing stream, complete with a cascading waterfall.
Each of the 03 luxury chalets at Palmstone Retreat has 02 stunning room types – Nelum and Araliya. The Nelum Suite offers a spacious bedroom with an indoor hot tub.
This lean four-star hotel offers great expansive views of the Nuwara Eliya town. Most of the city attractions are under a couple of miles away. In-house dining options include the ‘Seven Hills’ buffet restaurant, the A’ la Carte ‘Single Tree’ and an all-day dining restaurant, along with ‘Galway Wine Bar’, ‘Red Sky Bar’, pool bar and outdoor beer garden.
The hotel has a heated indoor pool, a gym, shopping arcade, night club on-demand laundry service and a doctor on call.
Situated in the deep south of Sri Lanka, between Kataragama and Yala amongst picturous paddy fields, the resort offers the opportunity to experience the divinity of famous shrines and temples of Kataragama and the wilderness of Yala.
‘Kithala’ consists of 40 air-conditioned rooms with satellite TV, ceiling fans, minibars, hair-dryers, tea-coffee making facilities, free Wi-Fi and individual balconies overlooking paddy fields.
The hotel is located in a beautiful spot bordering the Udawalawe Lake and Udawalawe National Park. In-house facilities include a swimming pool, a steam room, Ayurveda spa center, conference hall, gym, kids pool, restaurant and a lounge bar.
Rooms comprise private balconies with views and include cable TV, bathrobes, minibars, hairdryers, safety deposit boxes and free Wi-Fi.
The resort is perched on a previously cultivated tea estate and borders the south-western fringe of the Sinharaja forest reserve. Chalets are architecturally designed using recycled shipping containers, bamboo paneling and railway sleepers.
The Lodge hosts a number of different treks to the forest, including a signature night trail.
Hotel enjoys a superb location with the Bentota River on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other, offering a wide range of facilities and activities.
In-room amenities comprise free WiFi, individually controlled A/C, a ceiling fan, international cable channels, minibar and a digital safe.
Related Tours
Category : Special Interest
Sri Lanka Food Tour With Cooking Classes
Indulge in gastronomic delights; delve into the art of using authentic regional flavors, local ingredients and traditional culinary methods such as clay pot cooking on open fire, while you explore the equally beautiful nature and heritage of Sri Lanka.
Category : Adventure
Hiking in Sri Lanka
Category : special interest
Golfing in Sri Lanka
Enquire Now!
Get a free quote!