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!

Top Birds

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 1 Rockjumper leader / 12 with 2 Rockjumper leaders

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

Excellent

What our clients say about us

Stephan Lorenz
MF, Sri Lanka 2019

The Sri Lanka Exclusive Tour was awesome. Stephan Lorenz was knowledgeable and worked very hard to get all tour members on the birds. I can highly recommend this particular tour and guide for a super life birding experience.

Glen Valentine
MW, Sri Lanka

I am so glad that this tour was able to run amidst another Covid wave. The tour exceeded my expectations. Glen is an outstanding guide with a superb ability to find birds and show them to the participants. He is enthusiastic and personable, and we look forward to traveling with him again. The local guide was determined to find all the elusive owls possible. His perseverance is greatly appreciated. I also want to acknowledge the first-rate tour bus and crew that drove us safely over the winding roads of Sri Lanka. Finally, we very much enjoyed the food and the nice beer (thanks to Glen!).

Harriet Faithfull
LD, Sri Lanka 2018

This was my last hard core birding tour, and I did it so that I could have David Hoddinott as my guide again. He is so very superb and I got quite teary giving him a hug goodbye! I also enjoyed Holly Faithfull a great deal. And our entire group was most delightful.

Glen Valentine
DH - Sri Lanka 2024

The leadership on this trip was great! Glen Valentine was fantastic as usual. He is very responsive to everyone's needs, and constantly adjusting in response to even casual comments. He is wonderful at spotting and hearing birds up, down, far away, in the dark - wherever they are. I especially appreciated his wizardry with a scope - getting us great views of many birds through impossibly think vegetation. He makes everyone feel comfortable. The local guide Ashoka was absolutely fantastic at spotting, at local expertise, and general natural history background. Some amazing examples, he spotted an Indian Pitta in dark thicket from a moving jeep, and found a clear view of the head of a Legge's Hawk Eagle through thick vegetation that eluded all the rest of us - and then Glen got it in the scope in seconds! Glen and Ashoka were a great team. Ashoka speaks great English and was able to keep in mind what everyone had seen or missed, just as Glen does. Ashoka had great background knowledge on other animals and plants, and was enthusiastic to share.

Stephan Lorenz
KH, Sri Lanka 2018

Stephan Lorenz did a great job of bird-finding and then managing to get everyone a chance to see the birds. Stephan provided lots of helpful tips about what to look and listen for and the general natural history of birds, kept us well-informed of the daily plans, and is personable and fun to be with. I'd love to be on another of his tours.

Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game 2024

21 Nov 2024 - 01 Dec 2024 (11 days)

USD3,395 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: André Bernon

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Tour Leader: Nigel Redman

Tour price (Per person): USD3,395 * GBP2,719 * EUR3,175 * AUD5,196

Single Supplement: USD630 * GBP504 * EUR589 * AUD964

Can be linked with:

Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game (Small Group) 2025

21 Jan 2025 - 31 Jan 2025 (11 days)

USD4,495 - 4 Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Carlos Bocos

Tour price (Per person): USD4,495 * GBP3,599 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,879

Single Supplement: USD620 * GBP496 * EUR580 * AUD949

Can be linked with:

Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game 2025

16 Nov 2025 - 26 Nov 2025 (11 days)

USD3,595 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Gregory de Klerk

Tour price (Per person): USD3,595 * GBP2,879 * EUR3,362 * AUD5,502

Single Supplement: USD620 * GBP496 * EUR580 * AUD949

Can be linked with: India - Northern: Birds & Tigers 2025

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Route Map

Tour Route Map

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