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
Leopard, Sloth Bear, Purple-faced Langur, Water Buffalo, Asian Elephant, Stripe-necked Mongoose
lowland, hill & Montane forest, teak woodlands, lakes, coastal & inland wetlands, mudflats, saltpans
warm and humid in lowlands, cool in highlands, chance of rain in forest areas
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
undemanding
basic to very comfortable lodges and hotels
mostly unchallenging with very few skulky species
+-240
Yala National Park, Sinharaja Rainforest, tea plantations, Horton Plains & surrounding mountains
excellent
Loved Clayton, his bird skills and all-over knowledge of everything.
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.
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!).
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.
17 Jan 2024 - 27 Jan 2024 (11 days)
USD4,295 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Glen Valentine
Tour price (Per person): USD4,295 * GBP3,507 * EUR4,038 * AUD6,666
Single Supplement: USD630 * GBP514 * EUR592 * AUD978
21 Jan 2025 - 31 Jan 2025 (11 days)
USD5,000 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Carlos Bocos
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD5,000 * GBP4,083 * EUR4,701 * AUD7,760