Our Sri Lanka birding and wildlife tour takes us to without doubt one of the world's most pleasurable birdwatching and game viewing destinations. This friendly island nation boasts verdant scenery, characterised by terraced tea plantations and forest patches, and is blessed with many surprisingly large national parks brimming with game and birds. These attractions, coupled with a fascinating history and vibrant culture, make this a truly exotic destination and a pleasure to explore. From the central highlands to the rich lowland rainforests, Sri Lanka is one of only a handful of magical destinations where it is possible to see every single country endemic in a well-planned trip such as this, making this extension a ‘must’ for the keen birder!
Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Wood & Sri Lanka Green Pigeons, Green-billed Coucal, Red-faced Malkoha, Serendib Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Yellow-fronted & Crimson-fronted Barbets, Red-backed & Crimson-backed Flamebacks, Layard's Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Sri Lanka Woodshrike, Sri Lanka Drongo, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Black-capped, Yellow-eared, Yellow-browed, White-browed & Square-tailed Bulbuls, Sri Lanka & Hill Swallows, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Sri Lanka Scimitar, Brown-capped, Orange-billed, Dark-fronted, Tawny-bellied & Yellow-billed Babblers, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka White-eye, Sri Lanka & Southern Hill Mynas, White-faced Starling, Spot-winged, Sri Lanka Whistling, Sri Lanka & Pied Thrushes, Dull-blue & Kashmir Flycatchers, Indian Pitta, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Marshall's Iora, Blue-faced & Sirkeer Malkohas, Jerdon's & Indian Nightjars, Slaty-legged Crake, Barred Buttonquail, Small Pratincole, Black-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Black, Cinnamon & Yellow Bitterns, Legge's Hawk-Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Malabar Trogon, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Orange Minivet, Jerdon's Bush Lark, Loten's Sunbird & Black-throated Munia
Top Mammals Leopard, Sloth Bear, Purple-faced Langur, Water Buffalo, Asian Elephant, Stripe-necked Mongoose
Habitats Covered lowland, hill & Montane forest, teak woodlands, lakes, coastal & inland wetlands, mudflats, saltpans
Expected Climate warm and humid in lowlands, cool in highlands, chance of rain in forest areas
Max Group Size 8 with Local Leader
Tour Pace & Walking undemanding
Accommodation basic to very comfortable lodges and hotels
Ease of Birding mostly unchallenging with very few skulky species
Number of Species Expected +-240
Other Attractions Yala National Park, Sinharaja Rainforest, tea plantations, Horton Plains & surrounding mountains
Photographic Opportunities incredible
Loved Clayton, his bird skills and all-over knowledge of everything.
Clayton is a wonderful addition to the Rockjumper family. I look forward to being on tour with him again. He is highly skilled, friendly and aware of the participant's needs.
My trip to Sri Lanka was a wonderful experience, and exceeded my expectations. The in-country logistics were smoothly handled and the accommodation and transport were very comfortable. David & Daniel handled the guiding expertly and with great passion and enthusiasm. They were very knowledgeable on the birds and other wildlife of Sri Lanka, and were always willing to share their knowledge with the group.
The guides for the tour, both the local guide and David Erterius, were exactly what I had hoped for: extremely skilled birders with extensive knowledge, who can find birds that I would never have seen on my own. On top of that, they are both very nice guys. I especially appreciated that both of them volunteered to skip lunch and go with me in search of Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, a bird I had dipped the day before. Don't ask me how they did it, but we managed to find it and I was able to make a great movie clip of the bird. This anecdote is a perfect illustration of the kind of dedication they had towards the participants.
This was a really successful tour, IMO. We got all the targets with time to spare and weren't totally spent by the end of it. Well done. All of the guides - David & Daniel were top notch. I'd bird with any of them again in a heartbeat.