Wild Safari & National Parks- Sri Lanka

Upon arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport, our representative will meet you and manage your transfer to your Colombo hotel. Since no sightseeing is scheduled for today, you're free to arrive at your own convenience.

Fly overnight from the UK; your luxury Sri Lanka holiday starts on day two.

Upon arrival in Colombo, your naturalist guide will greet you and lead your journey north toward Anuradhapura, pausing for a welcome light meal to spot local garden birds like the Asian Koel and Coppersmith Barbet.

If time allows, a stop at Anawilundawa wetland offers a chance to view spectacular waterbirds, including Spot-billed Pelicans and Eurasian Spoonbills, before you check into the hotel by a historic reservoir for a two-night stay filled with opportunities to observe wildlife right in the hotel gardens.

This day tour combines history and wildlife across two major heritage sites. In the morning, you will explore the 4th-century BC ruins and ancient reservoirs of Anuradhapura, which serve as a habitat for diverse birds, monkeys, and water monitors.

In the afternoon, the tour moves to Mihintale, the cradle of Sri Lankan Buddhism, where a massive dagoba is surrounded by forests rich in avian species and rare, endemic purple-faced leaf-monkeys.

This travel segment journeys from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya, beginning with a visit to the 40-foot-tall standing Avukana Buddha statue. Along the way, stops at roadside water reservoirs offer views of numerous storks, egrets, and ibises. The primary destination is the iconic 5th-century AD Sigiriya rock fortress, a massive royal palace complex built atop a steep summit.

Visitors can choose between climbing the rock to view ancient frescoes or exploring the surrounding primary forest, which serves as a premier habitat for Shaheen falcons, flycatchers, and pigeons. The day concludes at a Sigiriya hotel featuring a pool, bird-rich gardens, and an optional night drive to spot nocturnal mammals like the grey slender loris.

YWe will spend the morning in Sigiriya either climbing the rock or birdwatching in the cooler air, followed by an optional afternoon excursion to the historic ruins of Polonnaruwa for an extra fee. The day's birding program focuses on finding elusive endemics like the Indian Paradise Flycatcher in Sigiriya's forests, where wildlife like wild elephants and nocturnal Slender Lorises also reside.

We will wrap up the evening with a pre-dinner search for nocturnal species, including Jerdon's Nightjar.

After an early breakfast, we will drive south from Sigiriya toward Kandy, transitioning from the Dry Zone into the lush Hill Country. Along the way, we will explore the historic Dambulla cave temple, a world-famous pilgrimage site featuring expansive ancient murals and over 150 statues.

We will also pause in the Matale region to tour a roadside spice garden, where we will enjoy lunch and have the chance to buy local produce. Upon arriving in the historic former capital of Kandy, guests are encouraged to attend a traditional Sri Lankan music and dance performance this evening.

Our day begins in the forested hills of Udawattakele Forest Reserve, where we will seek out tropical bird flocks and species like the endemic Yellow-fronted Barbet, alongside large Water Monitors near the forest pools.

Afterwards, we will visit the revered Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic by the tranquil Kandy Lake before spending the afternoon exploring the 150-acre Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, famous for its orchid house, endemic parrots, and a large colony of Indian Flying Foxes.

The day's birdwatching is split into two half-day excursions, concluding, if time permits, with a trip to the picturesque Hanthana mountain range to spot parakeets and eagles.

Our day begins with a pre-breakfast birding excursion around Kandy Lake to spot diverse wetland and canopy species, alongside local wildlife like Indian Flying Foxes and Asian Water Monitors.

Next, we will drive 70 kilometers into the Hill Country, stopping at a tea estate to tour a factory and sample authentic Ceylon tea before arriving in the cool, colonial-era town of Nuwara Eliya to check into the Heaven Seven hotel. After lunch, we will visit the Hakgala Botanical Garden, set against a dramatic rock backdrop, to walk the paths in search of endemic birds like the Sri Lanka White-eye and the resident Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys.

We will start with an early morning departure from Nuwara Eliya to Horton Plains, Sri Lanka's highest plateau, navigating a steep and rugged 28-kilometer road to reach the spectacular views at World’s End. This isolated habitat allows us to search for rare endemics like the highland Bear Monkey, Sambar Deer, and the elusive Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush during the first half-hour of daylight.

In the afternoon, we will return to Nuwara Eliya to explore Victoria Park, an English-style public garden where a passing stream regularly attracts migrant and montane birds, including the Pied Thrush and Indian Pitta.

We will descend from the hills into the southern plains today along a scenic route filled with sharp bends and excellent photo opportunities, breaking up the long drive with several wildlife stops. Our first pause at the Surrey Tea Estate offers a chance to spot breeding Sri Lanka Woodpigeons and a resident pair of Brown Wood Owls at their daytime roost.

We will then stop for lunch at an Ella rest house overlooking a deep valley where raptors and sunbirds soar, before continuing to the hot, dry lowlands. Upon arriving at the Kithala Resort in Tissamaharama, we will explore the nearby paddy fields and waterways to search for nesting White-naped Woodpeckers, owls, and Mugger Crocodiles.

We will take a packed breakfast and lunch for a full-day safari in Lunugamvehera National Park, a reserve established around a reservoir where dead trees serve as nesting perches for White-bellied Sea Eagles. The park's mosaic of scrub and grassland has seen a recent spike in leopard populations, making it an excellent alternative to Yala for spotting predators, Sloth Bears, and diverse birdlife like the rare Lesser Adjutant.

Late in the evening, we will depart the park and drive to our coastal accommodation for the next two nights.

We will make an early morning start by jeep to explore Yala National Park, a historic reserve featuring diverse ecosystems from monsoon forests to sandy beaches. The early hours offer peak bird activity and the best chance to spot leopards, Sloth Bears, and elusive elephant families, alongside common wildlife like Wild Boar, mongooses, and large Mugger Crocodiles.

The drive will take us past deserted beaches and fishing communities where various tern species flock, while the drier inland tracks host an impressive variety of raptors, waterbirds, and smaller land birds. After the morning safari, the afternoon is free for relaxation at the hotel, though guests can opt to hire a jeep for a second park visit or join the leader for a local birdwatching excursion.

Checking out of the hotel with a packed breakfast, we will head to Bundala National Park to explore its scrub jungle and tidal lagoon, a premier site for thousands of stints, sandpipers, eight tern species, and the delightful Small Pratincole. We will then continue toward Udawalawe for a leisurely lunch and an overnight stay at the hotel.

The drive itself will feature a relaxed pace with frequent birdwatching stops along scenic tidal inlets to observe dynamic roadside species, including all four types of Prinias, Eurasian Spoonbills, and a diverse array of migrating wading birds.

We will spend the morning on a safari in Udawalawe National Park, a smaller reservoir-side reserve resembling Yala that is famous for its large herds of browsing Asian Elephants and an abundance of birdlife.

It is common to see up to 100 bird species during a single game drive here, including junglefowl, hornbills, raptors like the White-bellied Sea Eagle, and occasionally the rare Osprey.

Following lunch at our hotel, we will embark on a scenic three-hour drive to the Blue Magpie Lodge near Sinharaja and, if time allows, conclude the day with an evening bird walk around the local village area.

Today features a highlight excursion to Sinharaja Forest, Sri Lanka's largest lowland rainforest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, requiring an early morning jeep journey over rugged roads to catch peak wildlife activity.

Navigating old logging trails through the primary forest gives us the opportunity to witness dynamic, mixed-species bird waves and search for rare endemics like the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Red-faced Malkoha, and Green-billed Coucal. Beyond its incredible birdlife, this unique and fragile ecosystem showcases rare endemic lizards, vibrant butterflies like the Blue Mormon in the high canopy, unique flora like Bamboo Orchids, and vocal troops of Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys.

Before leaving the Blue Magpie Lodge, we will enjoy a final morning of birding around the hotel grounds to search for Green-billed Coucals at first light alongside Spot-winged Thrushes and Chestnut-backed Owlets.

Afterward, we will set off on a three-hour drive north via the southern highway to Katunayake. Upon arrival, we will check into the hotel for some well-deserved rest and a comfortable night's sleep before your departure.