Wildlife Tours to South India SRI LANKA
Photo: Asian Elephant (Geoff Carr).
| Tour Ref. | Days | Dates | Party Size |
Cost |
Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR1/10 | 18 | Monday 15th February to Thursday 4th March 2010 | 12 plus Uk leader | £2545 (*£275) | TBA |
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Anuradhapura
- Sigiriya Sanctuary
- Kandy
- Nuwara Eliya
- Horton Plains NP
- Yala NP
- Bundala NP
- Uda Walawe NP
- Sinharaja & Ingirija Forests
Tour Summary
Sri Lanka
Think of an island about the size of Ireland floating in the Indian Ocean and offering the opportunity to experience a rich variety of both wildlife and cultural sites in settings that vary from jungle to dry plains and beautiful coastal areas and you have Sri Lanka. It is a land of ancient cities, cultural diversity, a bird list of over 400 species including more than 30 endemics, and National Parks that are home to Leopard, Indian Elephant, Spotted Deer, Sambar and Marsh Mugger Crocodiles.
Escaping from the British winter to the tropical heat, we will begin by visiting the main ancient cities of Sri Lanka’s golden age in the Northern Central Province region, but calling at significant bird watching sites along the way. Our journey then takes us south into the lush green hills around Kandy and high into the cooler Hill Country with hillsides clothed in tea plantations. We visit no fewer than four National Parks — Horton Plains, Yala, Bundala and Uda Walawe — in search of mammals and birds as we make our way towards the south of the island, spending two full days also in the Sinharaja World Heritage Wilderness Area.
The tour has been carefully designed to combine wildlife and cultural interests, giving tour members a comprehensive look at all of the most important aspects of this fascinating land in an 18 day visit. You will be accompanied throughout by a local naturalist and your UK leader. There will also be specialist guides at the cultural sites.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Depart from London.
Day 2 : We will arrive in Sri Lanka early in the morning, transferring to Anuradhapura and calling en route at the Aneivilundawa bird sanctuary. After lunch at our hotel, the remainder of the day is free to relax in the hotel grounds.
Day 3 : After breakfast we will visit the ruins of Anuradhapura, a former capital of the Sinhalese kings for over 1000 years and dating from the 4th century BC. The well preserved ruins are set in parkland offering further birding opportunities. After lunch at our hotel we make the short journey to Mihintale, where Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka, returning to our Anuradhapura hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 4 : A morning hour drive takes us to Sigiriya for lunch and we will spend the afternoon bird watching in the Sigiriya Sanctuary. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 5 : After breakfast we will visit the rock fortress of Sigiriya, perched on top of a 200m flat-topped rock which rises from the plains. It is one of the island’s most significant archaeological sites and is a very dramatic geological formation. There will be an opportunity for the energetic to go to the summit whilst other tour members will be able to birdwarch around the rock base. We will visit other bird watching sites in the Sigiriya area after lunch. Lunch, dinner and overnight are in Sigiriya.
Day 6 : We will take a picnic lunch today for our visit to Polonnaruwa, another former royal capital but younger and better preserved than Anuradhapura. There will be bird watching opportunities in and around the city. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel in Sigiriya.
Day 7 : We depart after breakfast heading through the country’s main spice growing area of Kandy, progressing into the forests of the hill country and calling en route at Dambulla Rock Temple, a series of caves containing Buddha images. We will take lunch at our hotel in Kandy and spend the afternoon in the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradiniya. The gardens occupy a beautiful riverside location and contain over 400 species of plants, acting also as the home of numerous bird species and a colony of Indian Flying Foxes. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel in Kandy.
Day 8 : Our morning will be in the Udawattakele Sanctuary, a forested area north of Kandy Lake which hosts numerous birds and monkeys. After returning to our hotel for lunch, there will be an afternoon visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic. The tooth is said to have been taken from the Buddha’s funeral pyre in 543BC. There will be a cultural dance performance in the evening. Dinner and overnight in Kandy.
Day 9 : During our transfer to Nuwara Eliya, we will call in to a tea plantation and its factory to learn something of this very important industry, travelling forward to Nuwara Eliya for lunch. The town has a colonial hill station feel from the time the British spent there in the Victorian era. The central Victoria Park is a wonderful haven for birds and some, due to the elevation of 1900m, will be new to the tour. We will go there after lunch for bird watching, returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 : Following an early breakfast we will depart for a full day in Horton Plains National Park, taking a picnic lunch. The plains are in fact an undulating plateau over 2000m high which come to an abrupt end at Worlds End, an escarpment falling almost 900m. It is an area of grassland and moorland habitats with occasional thick forest, rocky outcrops and lakes. Leopard and purple-faced langur are present, although rarely seen, but more common species including Sambar and Wild Boar will be present. A number of endemic bird species are to be found here. We return to Nuwara Eliya for dinner and overnight.
Day 11 : A drive further to the south takes us to Tissamaharama where we will arrive for lunch. In the afternoon we will be bird watching on one or more of the Tissamaharama Tanks, returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 12 : We leave after breakfast for a full day visit to Yala National Park which offers a good opportunity to view Indian Elephant, Leopard, Spotted Deer, Sloth Bears, Buffaloes, Jackals and Crocodiles. There are over 150 bird species recorded many of which will be here to escape the northern winter. We will take a picnic lunch, returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 13 : Our time will be divided between a morning visit to the nearby Bundala National Park and further bird watching on the Tanks in the afternoon. Although there are mammals present in the Park they are relatively few in number but it does offer the best viewing of water birds on the tour. All meals will be at our hotel in Tissamaharama.
Day 14 : We will head back westwards, departing after breakfast for Embilipitiya and calling at the Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary en route. After lunch at our hotel in Embilipitiya, we spend the afternoon in Uda Walawe National Park, home to herds of Elephant, Wild Buffalo, Sambar and Leopards. There is also a wealth of bird life. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 15 : A very early departure today sees us on the road before dawn, taking a packed breakfast as we head for the Sinharaja World Heritage Wilderness Area and a full day’s bird watching. Sinharaja is the largest lowland forest on the island and it is home to many of the island’s endemic birds. Its importance is such that two days have been allocated to visiting the site. Lunch, dinner and overnight are at our lodge in the forest area.
Day 16 : Two further visits to the Sinharaja Forest, with all meals at our lodge.
Day 17 : We begin our journey home, heading north to Katunayaka. Lunch will be taken at Ingiriya and we will call in at the Ingiriya Forest Reserve where we will no doubt still be adding new species to our list. Day rooms will be available in the afternoon at a hotel close to the airport and we will leave there in the evening to catch our flight home.
Day 18 : We arrive back in London in the early morning local time.