Sri Lanka - Wildlife & History

The verdant tropical island of Sri Lanka is a paradise for lovers of natural history, and the setting for this exciting tour. Our itinerary will provide a thorough introduction to the island’s birds and wildlife, as well as incorporating some sightseeing in the ‘Golden Triangle’s of archaeological sites. Although situated just a short distance from the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka has many zoological affinities with south-east Asia and much of the flora and fauna is unique to the island, including 33 species of endemic bird. This holiday offers the obvious attraction of exchanging a British winter for the tropical warmth of Sri Lanka, but this tour has the added advantage of coinciding with the visit to Sri Lanka of large numbers of wintering birds, including waders from Siberia and passerines from the Himalayan region. To enjoy all this we have chosen a selection of good quality hotels, many of them situated close to the prime wildlife areas.

Our tour begins with a glimpse of the island’s past at Anuradhapura, one of several former capitals used during the reign of the Sinhalese kings. Remains of the city dating from 4 BC are remarkably well preserved and are set amid acres of parkland frequented by Indian Rollers, Ashy Swallow-shrikes, sunbirds and many other Dry Zone species. Birds are never far away in Sri Lanka, even in the midst of archaeological sites, nor are the ubiquitous Grey Langur Monkeys which loiter among the ruins waiting for hand-outs from tourists. At nearby Mihintale there is a huge dagoba at the place where Buddhism was first introduced to the island, and we will also visit the towering rock fortress at Sigiriya, famed for its ancient wall frescoes and an impressive panorama for those energetic enough to reach the summit.

Travelling south through the island’s main spice-growing region we continue to Kandy for a 2-night stay. Once the capital of an autonomous kingdom until captured by the British in 1815, Kandy marks our ascent into the picturesque hill country, and is surrounded by forests in which we should find such endemic birds as the charming Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and Layard’s Parakeet. Close to the city are Peradiniya Botanical Gardens which contain over 4,000 species of plants in a beautiful riverside setting and provide a day-time roost for a large colony of Indian Flying Foxes that hang like giant fruits in their favoured trees.

We penetrate deeper into the hills to stay for two nights at Nuwara Eliya, a favourite hill station of the British as evidenced by the Victorian architecture, race track and golf course. This area is the heart of the island’s tea industry and we will visit one of the many estates en route from Kandy to witness the production processes and sample the finished product. Yet more endemic birds occur at this increased elevation, and even a small park in the middle of Nuwara Eliya can provide us with views of Yellow-eared Bulbul, Hill White-eye and such winter visitors as Blyth’s Reed Warbler and Pied Ground Thrush. We will spend one day exploring the wild expanses of Horton Plains which epitomise the uniqueness of the hill country with its strange forests of stunted trees festooned in bromeliads, and stretches of moorland leading to the aptly named World’s End where a sheer escarpment drops to the plains far below. This is the haunt of the handsome highland race of the Purple-faced Langur and a great diversity of plants and birds including the endemic Arrenga, Blue Magpie and Sri Lanka Woodpigeon.

Descending to the arid south of the island we next visit a number of freshwater ‘tanks’s or lakes, crowded with birds, before reaching the endless palm-fringed beaches which characterise the Indian Ocean coastline. We will spend a half-day inside the vast Yala National Park hoping to see one of the resident Leopards, but even if we fail to locate one of these elusive cats there will be adequate compensation in the form of Asian Elephants, Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, Peacocks and an abundance of other birds. Sri Lanka Junglefowl are particularly numerous here, and during the early mornings they emerge from cover to display their gaudy plumage.

More herds of Elephants are in prospect during a tour of Uda Walawe Reserve near Embilipitiya before the final highlight of our natural history tour, a visit to Sinharaja Forest. Now preserved as a Biosphere Reserve, Sinharaja is the largest and most important lowland forest remaining on the island. Almost everything about it is special; over 80% of the island’s endemic bird species occur in the forest, 60% of the trees are found nowhere else in the world, and most of the other flora and fauna has a similarly high level of endemism. Resident birds include the spectacular Blue Magpie, Red-faced Malkoha and Orange-billed Babbler, providing an exciting conclusion to a memorable holiday.