Welcome to Sri Lanka. Meet your chauffeur-guide at Bandaranaike International Airport and transfer to your Colombo hotel. Depending on your arrival time, relax after the flight or enjoy an optional introductory birding walk in one of Colombo’s urban wetland habitats.

Begin with an early birding session at Thalangama Lake, a productive urban wetland for waterbirds, raptors, kingfishers, and wet-zone species. Continue to Kitulgala and explore the Makandawa Forest Reserve in the evening, searching for specialties such as the Sri Lanka Chestnut-backed Owlet, Serendib Scops Owl, and Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill.

Spend a full day exploring rainforest trails, river edges, village gardens, and forest margins around Kitulgala. Target endemics and wet-zone birds including Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Orange-billed Babbler, Red-backed Flameback, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, barbets, bulbuls, and mixed-species feeding flocks.

Travel into Sri Lanka’s cool central highlands and settle into Nuwara Eliya. In the evening, visit Victoria Park to search for resident and migrant species such as Indian Pitta, Kashmir Flycatcher, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Pied Thrush, Grey Wagtail, and Indian Blue Robin when seasonally present.

Explore the montane grasslands, cloud forest, and forest edges of Horton Plains with your birding guide. Key targets include Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Dull-blue Flycatcher, and other high-elevation endemics.

Descend from the highlands to the dry zone and join an evening jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park. Search open country, scrubland, and reservoir habitats for Indian Roller, Sri Lanka Woodshrike, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Marshall’s Iora, Malabar Pied Hornbill, raptors, waterbirds, and wild elephants.

Visit the Elephant Transit Home to observe the rehabilitation and feeding of orphaned young elephants before continuing to the Yala region. Evening birding around Tissamaharama focuses on owls and nocturnal species, including Brown Fish Owl, Jungle Owlet, Indian Scops Owl, and Brown Boobook.

Set out on a morning jeep safari through Yala’s dry forest, lagoons, and grasslands. Look for Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Shama, raptors, shorebirds, and mammals such as elephants and leopards. Later, transfer to the lush rainforest surroundings of Sinharaja.

Spend a full day birding inside and around the UNESCO-listed Sinharaja Rainforest. Search for Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Layard’s Parakeet, Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Myna, White-faced Starling, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, and other rainforest endemics.

Enjoy a final guided rainforest trek with special attention to Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, endemic babblers, flycatchers, coucals, and active mixed-species feeding flocks. Afterwards, transfer to Colombo or Bandaranaike International Airport according to your departure schedule.