BIRD PARADISE – SRI LANKA

🐦🌿 BIRD PARADISE! Exploring Exotic Island

Join a 14-day wildlife expedition through Sri Lanka, crafted especially for bird photography enthusiasts. Capture migratory, endemic, and resident species while exploring a mosaic of landscapes, from lush rainforests to coastal lagoons and wetlands.

🛑 Tour Highlights

📅 Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights

🏞️ Destinations: Mannar | Kandy | Nuwara Eliya  |  Horton Plains | Yala  | Bundala Udawalawe  | Sinharaja

👥 Group Size: 8–12 people

🏨 Accommodation: Choice of Standard or Luxury

🧭 Focus: Bird Photography (Migratory, Endemic & Resident Species), Mammals, Jeep Safaris & Jungle Treks

🌍 Departure Date: 07 March 2026

🦜🇱🇰 Why Bird Paradise?

Sri Lanka is a true birdwatcher’s haven, with more than 500 recorded species, including 34 dazzling endemics and a spectacular variety of migratory birds. From the ancient rainforests of Sinharaja to the coastal wetlands of Bundala and the lagoons of Mannar, the island’s ecosystems provide the perfect stage for unforgettable avian encounters.

🌿 Who is AWPC Wild Travel?

AWPC Wild Travel is your gateway to Asia’s wildest frontiers. We create immersive, eco-conscious expeditions across Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and beyond, blending sustainability with comfort. From tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas to witnessing elephants in Sri Lanka, our expert-led journeys—guided by wildlife photographers and conservationists—offer enriching, once-in-a-lifetime adventures for nature lovers worldwide.
✨ Explore the wild with AWPC Wild Travel and connect deeply with nature.

Tour Info

Experience 14 days of premier birding across Sri Lanka’s most biodiverse landscapes, guided by expert ornithologists and naturalists. Capture species like the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Indian Pitta, Black-necked Stork, and more in their natural habitats. From misty highlands to tropical rainforests and vibrant coastal lagoons, every day brings new opportunities for world-class photography and unforgettable encounters.

🛑 Why Book Bird Paradise?

🎁 Unmatched Birding & Photography Opportunities – Spot rare endemics and spectacular migratory flocks in pristine natural settings.
🌍 Diverse Ecosystem Exploration – Experience highlands, rainforests, wetlands, and lagoons, each teeming with birdlife.
📸 Capture Award-Winning Shots – Guided by experts who lead you to the best birding hotspots with ideal conditions.
🔬 Learn from Birding Experts – Gain insights on Sri Lanka’s bird behavior, species diversity, and conservation efforts.
✨ A Birdwatcher’s Dream Come True – Whether you’re a seasoned birder or an aspiring wildlife photographer, this expedition delivers a one-of-a-kind adventure in one of the world’s richest birding destinations.

🌏 Join us for an immersive birding expedition in Sri Lanka—where every day is a new discovery!

🟧 Day 1: Arrival + Overnight Near Negombo

✈️ Arrive at BANDARANAIKE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CMB). Meet & greet and transfer to a comfortable hotel close to the airport (10–20 min).

🕊️ If time permits, enjoy light birding around the hotel gardens or nearby wetlands for species like Asian Koel, Brown Shrike, Purple-rumped Sunbird, and other common residents.

📋 Later, join a comprehensive tour briefing conducted by the expert guide to prepare for the days ahead.

🏨 Overnight near Airport – NEGOMBO

🟧 Day 2: Airport Area → Mannar | PM Birding

🚗 Early breakfast and long drive to MANNAR (6–7 hrs via A14; tea/comfort stops en route). Check-in at lunchtime.

🦩 Afternoon birding at the MANNAR causeway and saltpans, focusing on Great Thick-knee, Crab Plover (seasonal), Caspian and Lesser Crested Terns, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in MANNAR

🟧 Day 3: Full-Day Birding in Mannar

🌊 Explore VANKALAI RAMSAR WETLAND, causeway, sandspits & salterns.

🛶 Shorebird focus: Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Red Knot (seasonal), Eurasian Oystercatcher(rare), Kentish & Lesser Sand Plovers; raptors like White-bellied Sea Eagles, along with other species present during the season.

📸 Sunset session on the flats for silhouettes and flight shots.

🏨 Overnight in MANNAR

🟧 Day 4: Mannar → Wilpattu | PM Safari

🚗 Drive to WILPATTU (3–3.5 hrs). Check-in, quick rest.

🦉 PM safari in WILPATTU NATIONAL PARK — dry monsoon forest & villus (natural lakes). Target Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Crested Serpent Eagle, and Great Thick-knee; bonus mammals: Leopard, Sloth Bear, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in WILPATTU

🟧 Day 5: Full-Day Birding in Wilpattu

🚙 Dawn–dusk game drive with picnic meals.

🪶 Track woodland & wetland species: Indian Pitta (seasonal), White-rumped Shama, Forest Wagtail (seasonal), Painted Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, along with other species present during the season.

🌅 Golden-hour stakeout at a villu for storks, egrets, and jacanas.

🏨 Overnight in WILPATTU

🟧 Day 6: Wilpattu—Second Full Day

🔭 Focus on raptors & forest skulkers: Crested Hawk-eagle, Shikra, Sirkeer Malkoha, and nightjar checking near park exit, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in WILPATTU

🟧 Day 7: Wilpattu → Kandy | PM Peradeniya Botanic Gardens

🚗 Scenic transfer to KANDY (4.5–5.5 hrs via Kurunegala).

🌿 PERADENIYA BOTANIC GARDENS afternoon walk for Ceylon Small Barbet, Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker, White-bellied Drongo, Layard’s Parakeet, and Indian Flying Fox roosts, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in KANDY

🟧 Day 8: Kandy → Nuwara Eliya | PM Hakgala Botanic Gardens

🚗 Drive to NUWARA ELIYA (2.5–3 hrs; winding hill road).

🌸 HAKGALA BOTANIC GARDENS for highland specials: Yellow-eared Bulbul (endemic), Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch; look out for Dusky-striped Squirrel, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in NUWARA ELIYA

🟧 Day 9: Very Early Horton Plains → Transfer to Tissamaharama

🌄 Pre-dawn departure to HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK (1–1.5 hrs). Highland endemics: Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Sri Lanka White-eye, Dull-blue Flycatcher; also Pied Thrush (seasonal) and Jerdon’s Leafbird around edges, along with other species present during the season.

🍱 Early picnic breakfast; return late morning, lunch in town.

🚗 Long drive to TISSAMAHARAMA (4.5–5.5 hrs).

🏨 Overnight in TISSAMAHARAMA

🟧 Day 10: Full-Day Wildlife Safari in Yala National Park

🐆 Dawn entry to YALA NATIONAL PARK (Block 1). Wetlands & scrubs: Painted & Open-billed Storks, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-headed Ibis, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Grey-bellied Cuckoo; raptors and Changeable Hawk-eagles, along with other species present during the season.

🧭 Midday shade/siesta near waterbodies; evening loop for cats and owls.

🏨 Overnight in TISSAMAHARAMA

🟧 Day 11: AM Bundala → Drive to Udawalawe | PM Udawalawe NP

🌊 BUNDALA NATIONAL PARK morning for shorebirds & lagoons: Little Stint, Marsh & Terek Sandpipers, Lesser Adjutant (occasional), Pied Kingfisher.

🚗 Transfer to UDAWALAWE (1.5–2 hrs).

🦅 PM safari in UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK: elephant herds plus Sirkeer Malkoha, Blyth’s Pipit (seasonal), Crested Serpent Eagle, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in UDAWALAWE

🟧 Day 12: Udawalawe → Sinharaja | PM Sinharaja Rainforest

🚗 Morning drive (3.5–4.5 hrs via Rakwana) to SINHARAJA; check-in at lodge.

🌳 PM Birding on the SINHARAJA access trail. Endemics & mixed-species flocks: the Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sri Lanka Drongo, Orange-billed Babbler, along with other species present during the season.

🏨 Overnight in SINHARAJA (lodge/forest-edge hotel).

🟧 Day 13: AM Sinharaja (Second Visit) → PM Colombo

🌲 Morning trek deeper for targeted endemics missed—Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, White-faced Starling, Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush (rare); look for Serendib Scops Owl roosts with local spotters, along with other species present during the season.

🚗 Late afternoon transfer to COLOMBO (4.5–5.5 hrs).

🏨 Overnight in COLOMBO

🟧 Day 14: Departure

🧳 Transfer to BANDARANAIKE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT for onward flight.