Embark on a captivating journey through Sri Lanka’s most celebrated birding hotspots with our meticulously crafted 12-day birdwatching tour. This itinerary promises an unforgettable experience for bird enthusiasts, nature lovers, and adventure seekers alike.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive Sri Lanka Upon your arrival at the Colombo International Airport, we will collect you and transfer you to the Negombo Beach resort. Here, you can unwind and enjoy the beautiful surroundings for the rest of the day. You will spend the night in Negombo, ensuring that you are fully rested and ready to begin your adventure the next day.
Day 2: Anawilundawa Wetlands In the morning, drive to the Anawilundawa Wetlands, one of Sri Lanka’s most important birding sites recognized by RAMSAR. Here, you can spot a variety of birds including cormorants, ducks, egrets, herons, storks, eagles, terns, swallows, swifts, kingfishers, and other resident species. In the afternoon, transfer to the area near Wilpattu National Park.
Day 3: Wilpattu National Park Enjoy a full-day safari in Wilpattu National Park from 6 AM to 6 PM, where you can see eight endemic birds, eagles, water birds, and other resident species. Picnic meals will be served during the safari.
Day 4: Sigiriya Sanctuary This morning, transfer to Sigiriya. In the afternoon, enjoy birdwatching in Sigiriya Sanctuary to observe endemic birds, migratory and resident species, eagles, water birds, swifts, swallows, and falcons.
Day 5: Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya Drive to Kandy in the morning and take an afternoon walk in Peradeniya Botanical Garden. Here, you can see a variety of birds including parrots, pigeons, woodpeckers, barbets, bulbuls, warblers, sunbirds, flowerpeckers, ioras, and flycatchers.
Day 6: Udawatta Kale Santure In the morning, take a walk in Udawattakale Sanctuary in Kandy for birdwatching. Look out for birds such as parrots, pigeons, woodpeckers, barbets, bulbuls, warblers, sunbirds, flowerpeckers, and flycatchers. In the afternoon, transfer to Kitulgala.
Day 7: Makandawa Rain Forest in Kitulgala Spend the morning birdwatching in Makandawa Rainforest, Kitulgala, to see species like munias, flowerpeckers, sunbirds, flycatchers, mynas, babblers, monarchs, warblers, prinias, bulbuls, wagtails, drongos, orioles, leafbirds, woodpeckers, barbets, pigeons, nuthatches, hornbills, owls, and coucals. In the afternoon, transfer to Nuwara Eliya with an optional birdwatching walk in Hakgala Botanical Garden.
Day 8: Horton Plains National Park Early morning birdwatching walk in Horton Plains National Park to see birds such as pigeons, parrots, barbets, minivets, cisticolas, prinias, green warblers, thrushes, chats, flycatchers, sunbirds, flowerpeckers, bulbuls, and white-eyes. A picnic breakfast will be provided during the walk. Transfer to Tissamaharama near Yala National Park.
Day 9: Yala National Park Enjoy a full-day safari in Yala National Park, focusing on birdwatching.
Day 10: Bundala National Park Start the day with a morning safari in Bundala National Park from 6 AM to 10 AM. Here, you can see terns, gulls, ducks, snipes, cormorants, egrets, quails, seasonal flamingos, storks, ibises, bitterns, herons, pelicans, eagles, kites, ospreys, crakes, rails, watercocks, plovers, lapwings, snipes, godwits, curlews, sandpipers, stints, pigeons, cuckoos, malkohas, swifts, swallows, bee-eaters, kingfishers, shrikes, pipits, larks, prinias, tailorbirds, fantails, starlings, weavers, and munias. A picnic breakfast will be served during the safari. In the afternoon, enjoy a birdwatching walk near Tissa Lake and Debarawewa Lake.
Day 11: Sinharaja Rainforest Drive to Deniyaya and join an afternoon trek in Sinharaja Rainforest, an ideal spot for bird photography.
Day 12: Departure Transfer to the airport for your departure.
