WINGS & WILDS: Sri Lankan Endemic Birds & Wildlife Expedition

8 Days / 7 Nights | Guided by Expert Naturalists | January 2026

🗓️ Day 01 – Arrival & Transfer to Sinharaja Rainforest

Arrive in Colombo and drive to Sinharaja, Sri Lanka’s last remaining lowland rainforest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
🌿 Afternoon walk in the rainforest exploring endemic birds, butterflies, and rainforest mammals.
🏨 Overnight stay at a forest lodge near Sinharaja.

🌲 Day 02 – Full-Day Exploration in Sinharaja

Full-day guided exploration through rainforest trails.
🦜 Spot Sri Lanka’s rare endemics and learn rainforest photography techniques from field experts.
💡 Educational sessions on bird behavior, calls, and rainforest ecology.
🏨 Overnight stay at a forest lodge near Sinharaja.

🐘 Day 03 – Sinharaja → Udawalawe

🌅 Early morning rainforest walk before departure.
🚐 Transfer to Udawalawe National Park, famous for its elephant herds and raptors.
📸 Evening safari to photograph elephants and open-country wildlife.
🏨 Overnight stay at a safari lodge in Udawalawe.

🐆 Day 04 – Udawalawe → Yala National Park

🐘 Morning safari at Udawalawe.
Later, transfer to Yala, Sri Lanka’s most iconic park, known for leopards, elephants, and sloth bears.
🌇 Evening safari through Yala’s dry forests and grasslands.
🏨 Overnight stay in Tissamaharama.

🐦 Day 05 – Yala & Bundala Wetlands

🌄 Morning safari in Yala National Park.
🌊 Afternoon birding at Bundala Wetlands, a Ramsar site rich in migratory and resident waterbirds.
🏨 Overnight stay in Tissamaharama.

🏔️ Day 06 – Tissamaharama → Nuwara Eliya (Highlands)

🚐 Travel to Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka’s scenic hill country.
🌼 Evening birding in Victoria Park for highland endemics like the Kashmir Flycatcher and Yellow-eared Bulbul.
🏨 Overnight stay at a high-land hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

🌫️ Day 07 – Horton Plains National Park → Kitulgala

🌅 Early morning visit Horton Plains National Park for highland birds, leopards, and panoramic landscapes.
🚗 After lunch, transfer to Kitulgala, a lush rainforest region and lowland birding paradise.
🏨 Overnight stay in a rest house in Kitulgala.

🕊️ Day 08 – Kitulgala Birding & Departure

🌄 Early morning birding walk in Kitulgala Forest, home to rare rainforest and riverine species.
✈️ Transfer to Colombo Airport for your departure flight.

🌿 Trip Highlights

✅ Explore 5 diverse ecosystems – rainforest, grasslands, wetlands, and dry zone forests.
📸 Capture endemic birds, leopards, elephants, and butterflies in their natural habitats.
🎓 Learn field techniques from professional naturalists and birding guides.
💚 Designed for birders, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts seeking meaningful adventure.

🦜 WHAT YOU CAN SEE

Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot where 35 endemic bird species and countless mammals, reptiles, and amphibians coexist in breathtaking landscapes.
Throughout this 8-day expedition, you’ll witness the island’s most iconic wildlife from vibrant rainforest birds in Sinharaja to majestic elephants in Udawalawe, leopards and sloth bears in Yala, wetland flocks in Bundala, and rare highland endemics in Horton Plains. Every day offers something extraordinary — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe, photograph, and understand Sri Lanka’s wild treasures in their natural homes.
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🦜 Sinharaja Rainforest (Lowland Wet Zone)

Key Highlights:

• Endemic Birds: Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal, Layard’s Parakeet, Ceylon Hanging Parrot, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Spot-winged Thrush, White-faced Starling.
• Mammals & Others: Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, Toque Macaque, Giant Squirrel, Red Slender Loris, Chevrotain (Mouse Deer), rare amphibians, endemic butterflies.

Best For: Rainforest photography, endemic bird sightings, and macro wildlife.

🦅 Udawalawe National Park (Dry Zone)

Key Highlights:

• Birds: Crested Hawk-Eagle, Indian Peafowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Ashy Prinia, Yellow-eyed Babbler.
• Mammals: Asian Elephant (large herds), Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Mongoose, Sambar Deer.

Best For: Elephant herds, open-country birds, and wildlife photography.

🐆 Yala National Park (Dry Zone Forest & Grassland)

Key Highlights:

• Birds: Indian Roller, Great Thick-knee, Blue-faced Malkoha, Brown Fish Owl, Black-headed Ibis.
• Mammals: Sri Lankan Leopard, Sloth Bear, Elephant, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Langurs.

Best For: Big cat photography and dry zone birdlife.

🐦 Bundala National Park (Wetlands & Lagoons)

Key Highlights:

• Birds: Painted Stork, Black-winged Stilt, Small Pratincole, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Spot-billed Pelican, Marsh Harrier.
• Other Wildlife: Water monitors, mugger crocodiles, wetland butterflies.

Best For: Migratory and resident waterbirds, wetland landscapes.

🏔️ Horton Plains & Nuwara Eliya (Highlands)

Key Highlights:

• Endemic Birds: Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Dull-blue Flycatcher, Ceylon Hill White-eye.
• Mammals: Highland Leopard, Sambar Deer, Dusky-striped Jungle Squirrel.

Best For: High-altitude endemics, scenic photography, and cool-climate species.

🌳 Kitulgala Forest (Wet Lowlands)

Key Highlights:

• Birds: Serendib Scops Owl, Ceylon Frogmouth, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Ceylon Crested Drongo, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Crimson-backed Flameback.
• Mammals: Leaf Monkeys, Flying Squirrels, Loris.

Best For: Birding in lush lowland forests with rainforest species diversity.

🐾 Summary Highlights

✅ 5 national parks & protected reserves
✅ 30+ endemic bird species
✅ 20+ mammal species
✅ 10+ reptile & amphibian sightings
✅ Rainforest, wetland, and highland ecosystems
✅ Guided by Sri Lanka’s top naturalists & birding leaders.