ITINERARY:

Day 1 – Arrival day – 04th March
This will be a dedicated arrival day. Upon arrival we will relax in our hotel and depending on everyone’s arrival time we may do a little bit of local birding in the afternoon.
Night at Tamarind Tree. D

Day 2 & 3 – Kitulgala
After an early breakfast we will load up our vehicle and make a near 100km drive to our first destination, Kitulgala, where we will spend the next two nights. This area is one of the top areas for birding in Sri Lanka and is home to a number of endemics. During our two days stay we will spend time exploring a couple of different areas, the main one of which is the Kelani Forest reserve. Here we will search some of the forests and swamp areas for species like Chestnut-backed Owlet, Sri Lank Junglefowl, Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and more. Other wildlife will also be on show, the huge Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel will be in the tree tops, as well as the endemic Purple-faced Langur. With a number of streams and swamps we will also get to see many species of Dragonfly including, Asian Pintails, Indigo Dropwings, Adam’s Gem and if we’re lucky the rare Yerbury’s Elf. A few of the common birds in the area include Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Indian Jungle Crow, Asian Paradise Flycatcher and Malabar Trogon.
Nights at Kitulgala Rest House. B, L, D

Day 4 – Kithulgala – Sinharaja
After some early birding we will have breakfast and then drive to our next destination, Sinharaja. This is a treasure chest of biodiversity and endemism, Sinharaja is the last remnant of a lowland virgin rainforest in the whole of south Asia and faces constant threat of urbanization, this beautiful rainforest has stood its ground and has become one of Sri Lanka’s most sought rainforests for the diverse rainforest birds and the islands endemics. Upon arrival we settle into our new accommodation and admire some of the birds coming into the feeders. In the afternoon we will take a slow walk around the lodge grounds and entrance road, some of the species we will target include Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Plum-headed Parakeet, Sri Lanka Swallow, Loten’s and Purple-rumped Sunbirds, Golden-fronted Leafbird and Yellow-fronted Barbet. We will then enjoy a beautiful dinner in the lodge’s new restaurant.
Night at Blue Magpie Lodge. B, L, D

Day 5 & 6 – Sinharaja World Heritage Site
Today we will have a full excursion around the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. We will take 4×4 vehicles early in the morning to arrive at the entrance of this stunning forest. We will then slowly walk the old logging track in search of many endemic and rare birds. We will be on the lookout for Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Malabar Trogon, Spot-winged Thrush and the Sri Lanka Junglefowl. Birding can be quite often tricky in this lowland forest and our leader and local guide will be doing their best to point out as many species as they can. The highlight of the walk will hopefully be finding a mix flock of birds. This oftens consists of a number of endemics that move through the forest together feeding. Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Scimitar-billed Babbler, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Crimson-backed Flamebacks and more can be seen moving through the dense forest. After several hours of birding, we will arrive at the old research station, here we will have a packed lunch where we can relax in the shade and enjoy close views of the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, an iconic bird to see in Sri Lanka. After lunch we will slowly walk the trail back taking in more birds. There’s also a chance for other species of wildlife as well, Purple-faced Langur, Giant Squirrels and a number of endemic Butterfly and Dragonfly species can be found along the logging track. After returning to the lodge in the later afternoon we will relax and enjoy some of the birds that come into the feeders and surrounding garden. The next morning will make an early start and head for a local house in the area, this place has become famous over the years as they often throw rice out into the garden and attract a number of birds, most importantly they attract the rara Sri Lanka Spurfowl, a bird that is almost impossible to find in the forest by ourselves. The rest of the day will be very similar to the last, we will once again head to the reserve to catch up on any species we might have missed out on previously. Our local guides will be in contact with park rangers throughout our stay in Sinharaja and fingers crossed at some point they will locate a roosting Serendib Scops Owl, only discovered in the late 90’s this incredibly shy and elusive bird can only ever really be located on several of the known roosting sites throughout the reserve and will be for sure one of the tour highlights. We will continue to bird the reserve and walk certain trails, taking in all the wildlife Infront of us. Our local guide will be constantly listening for the call of the rare Sri Lanka Thrush, a sculking bird that can often be difficult to find. In the evening we will return to the lodge and relax after another long day of birding.
Nights at Blue Magpie Lodge. B, L, D

Day 7 – Sinharaja – Udawalawe
Today we will have one last full morning of birding around Sinharaja. Hopefully we will have seen all of our endemic targets at this point but if we are missing one we will have one last chance this morning. After lunch we will say goodbye to Sinharaja and head towards Udawalawe. the journey is around 75km and will take a couple of hours. Once we arrive, we will drop off our bags and relax in our hotel for a few hours and if time permits we might do some local birding close to the hotel.
Night Udawalawe. B, L, D

Day 8 – Udawalwe – Tissamaharama
Today we will start the day with a early moring safari in the National park. This is a great opportunity to pick up some different species of birds including a couple of endeic targets. The dry habitat, crossed with a reservior in the park means we will have chances for species like Spot-billed Pelican, Oriental Darter, cormorants, Lesser Adjutant, Montagu’s Harrier, Pied Harrier, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Barred Buttonquail, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Plum-headed Parakeet, Blue-faced Malkoha, Sirkeer Malkoha, Malabar Pied Hornbill and the endemic Sri Lanka Woodshrike. Udawalawe is also home to some great mammals and is famous for it’s population of Asian Elephants and with a bit of luck we might also see Jungle Cat, Toque Macaque, Grey Langur, Golden Jackal, mongoose, Spotted Deer, Water Buffalo and Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel. After lunch in a local restaurant we will drive to Tissamaharama to check into our hotel for the night. There will be an optional outing for some owls in the evening where we will visit a few local sites for Indian Scops Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Brown Hawk-Owl, Jungle Owlet.

Day 9 – Lunugamvehere NP & Bundala NP
After an early breakfast, we set out for a full-day safari in Lunugamvehera National Park, an important wildlife corridor connecting Yala and Udawalawe and a quieter alternative to Sri Lanka’s more heavily visited parks. We enjoy a packed breakfast during the morning safari, with opportunities to encounter a variety of wildlife and bird species, including Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Indian Pitta, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Alexandrine Parakeet, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Painted Stork and Black-hooded Oriole. Lunch is taken at Kithala Resort before we continue to Bundala National Park in the afternoon. A Ramsar wetland of international importance, Bundala is particularly renowned for its rich birdlife and extensive lagoons, saltpans and marshes. Here, we will look for a superb range of wetland species, including Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-headed Ibis, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Great Thick-knee, Kentish Plover and White-bellied Sea Eagle, alongside a variety of resident and migratory waders and waterbirds. On our return to Tissamaharama, we make a short visit to the Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara, an ancient dagoba believed to date back to the 2nd century BC and one of the most revered Buddhist sites in southern Sri Lanka. We then return to Rain Tree, Tissamaharama, for dinner and an overnight stay.

After breakfast we will drive North towards the highlands of Nuwara Eliya. Often a popular escape for the locals in the hot lower regions, Nuwara Eliya has a much cooler climate and will provide us a number of opportunities for many new local and restricted species. After arriving and having lunch we will spend the afternoon visiting Victoria Park, a small local park in the middle of the town. This city park was named after Queen Victoria in 1897 to commemorate her 60th jubilee coronation. An evening walk in this garden can catch you an encounter with many endemic and migrant birds. We will spend a few hours here slowly walking the park trail, a few of the birds we will be on the lookout for include Dull Blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka Scimmitar Babbler, Sri Lanka White-eye and Forest Wagtail. We will then make our way back to our hotel and enjoy some of the local cuisine and rest up for a busy day tomorrow.
Heaven Seven Hotel. B, L, D

Day 11 – Nuwara Eliya
We will be making a very early start and leaving the hotel in the dark so that we arrive at Horton Plains National Park for sunrise. Horton Plains offers a breathtaking panorama of grassland valleys, high plateaus, mountains crests and forests.  Bakers Falls and World’s End are two of this area’s not-to-be-missed viewpoints. At an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, Horton Plains spreads across over 3,169 hectares of the highest tableland of the island, its surroundings, forests and the adjoining Peak Wilderness constitute Sri Lanka’s most important catchment area of almost all major rivers. The plains are also known for their outstanding scenic beauty and conservation importance, containing a large number of endemic plants and animals only found in the country’s wet and Montane zones. During the first few hours of light, we will concentrate on trying to see some of the areas special birds including Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka White-eye, Spot-winged Thrush, Dull Blue Flycatcher, Crimson-backed Flameback and Hill Swallow. The open plains are also great for viewing the large numbers of Sambar Deer that are present in the park. Purple-faced Langur, Toque Macaque and Long-tailed Giant Squirrels will also be possible to see. In the afternoon we will drive some of the areas not to far from our hotel, hopefully we would have already seen all of our target birds but in case we missed any or had poor views, we will once again have chances to see Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Dull Blue Flycatcher, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and more.
Night at Heaven Seven Hotel. B, L, D

Day 12 – Nuwara Eliya – Kandy
After breakfast we will drive, descending through many tea plantations before arriving back in the warm and humid lowlands and more specifically the town of Kandy, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. After checking into our hotel, we will spend the afternoon exploring the Uddawatakelle Sanctuary, some of the species we will hope to encounter include Brown-capped Babbler, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Black-naped Monarch, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Black-capped Bulbul, Dark-fronted Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Common Hill Myna,  White-rumped Shama, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Forest Eagle Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Alexandrine Parakeet, Stork-billed Kingfisher and Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher.
Hotel Thilanka Kandy. B, L, D

Day 13 – Kandy – Katunayake
After breakfast we will once again spend some time in the Uddawatakelle Sanctuary sarching for anything we might have missed yesterday. If time permits we will drive to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, here we will make a quick stop in search of a few species, we should get good views of Crimson-fronted Barbet, Jerdon’s Leafbird, Common Tailor Bird, Yellow-fronted Barbet, White-Bellied Drongo, Yellow-Billed Babbler and White-Breasted Waterhen. We will then continue our journey towards Sigiriya and in the afternoon we will have a chance to explore this hot region of Sri Lanka for more special birds. Our local guide will take us to several locations to look for species like the Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Sri Lanka Woodshrike, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Cotton-pygmy Goose, Blue-faced Malkoha, Crested Treeswift, Sri Lanka Junglefowl and much more. After lunch we will leave our hotel and head back to the Tamarind Tree Hotel in Katunayake where we can relax in the afternoon and do some birding in the garden ready for our international departures tomorrow.
Night Tamarind Tree. B, L, D

Day 14 – Departure day – 17th March
This day is dedicated for departure, so you can plan your outgoing flight at a time that works best for you. B