Sandwich Bird Tours

Sri Lanka: Bespoke Tours Itineraries

Birding & Wildlife Holiday with a Difference

A 16 day Birding & Wildlife Holiday with diversions for exploring Ceylon Tea & Balmy Beaches

Day 01 Arrival in Sri Lanka and transfer to Hunas Falls Hotel, Elkaduwa (900 m) for 2 nights. Afternoon at leisure. Enjoy a fine dining style dinner.

Day 02 Morning walk in Simpson’s Forest Trail for mid-elevational birding. Highlights may include Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Indian Pitta, Orange Minivet & Rufous-bellied Hawk Eagle. Late afternoon  we will explore Lake Trail & perhaps the bird rich Simpson’s Trail once again for afternoon activity.

Enjoy a fine dining style dinner.
Overnight stay at the luxurious Hunas Falls Hotel, Elkaduwa.

Day 03 Morning explore Shaheen trail before retreating to the famous hill station Nuwara Eliya (1,890 m) the head quarters of Ceylon tea and montane endemics & specialities. Afternoon birding in Victoria Park for migrants Kashmir Flycatcher, Pied Thrush, Indian Blue Robin, Forest Wagtail & Slaty-legged Crake. Enjoy a fine dining style dinner at St Andrew’s Hotel, Nuwara Eliya where we stay overnight.

Day 04 Visit Horton Plains National Park (2,100 m) for highland endemics Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Dull-blue Flycatcher, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka White-eye & Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon. Afternoon visit a local forest for more montane birding. We will look for Mountain Hawk Eagle, Alpine Swift & Jerdon’s Baza. Enjoy yet another fine dining style dinner at the hotel.

Day 05 Drive to Ceylon Tea Trails luxury tea bungalows in Bogawantalawa (1,000-1,300 m) with butler service for 2 nights. Afternoon at leisure.

Enjoy a fine dining style dinner.
Overnight stay in a luxury tea Bungalow built originally in the days of the Raj.

Day 06 Morning we will explore Ceylon Tea Trails with a local tea expert. Walk in the tea gardens, see tea plucking ladies in action, visit factories and see the production process of Ceylon tea and enjoy best quality high tea. Birding distractions may include Streak-throated Woodpecker, Brown-capped and Tawny-bellied Babblers, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Oriental Honey Buzzard & Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher.

Enjoy a fine dining style dinner to end the day.
Overnight stay in a luxury tea Bungalow.

Day 07 Drive down to the bird rich lowlands of Kithulgala for one night. Visit Kithulgala Forest Reserve by crossing the Kelani River in a Dug-out canoe. Birding highlights may include Green-billed Coucal, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Sri Lanka Frogmouth & if lucky the newly discovered avian jewel, Serendib Scops Owl.

Enjoy a tasty Sri Lankan rice and curry dinner.
Overnight at Kithulgala Resthouse overlooking the Kelani River and Kithulgala Forest Reserve.

Day 08 Morning explore Kithulgala once more before driving to Sinharaja rain forest in search of more endemics. Highlights may include Black Eagle, Besra, Crested Goshawk, Square-tailed Black Bulbul, Gold-fronted Leafbird, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Orange-billed Babbler, Sri Lanka Crested Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Hill Munia, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Lesser Yellownape & Crimson-backed Flameback.

Enjoy a tasty Sri Lankan rice and curry dinner.
Overnight at Rainforest Edge, which is a boutique style hotel 8 km from the forest.

Day 09 Full day explore Sinharaja rain forest, which represent the largest expanse of lowland rain forest in Sri Lanka and the premier site for endemics and mixed species bird flocks. We will explore this magnificent rain forest along former logging trails and look for highly sought-after Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sri Lanka Myna, White-faced Starling, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Malabar Trogon, Red-winged Crested Cuckoo, Indian Cuckoo & Spot-winged Thrush.

Enjoy a Sri Lankan rice and curry dinner.
Overnight at Rainforest Edge.

Day 10 Drive to Udawalawe. Afternoon visit the wilderness expanse of Udawalawe National Park in open top safari jeeps. We will look for Sirkeer & Blue-faced Malkohas, White-rumped Shama, Orange-headed Thrush, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Blyth’s Pipit, Jerdon’s Bushlark, Jungle Prinia, Brown Fish Owl & White-naped Woodpecker. Overnight stay in Centuria Hotel, Embilipitiya.

Day 11 Drive to Tissamaharama. En route visit a several birding hotspots. Thereafter check in to Priyankara Hotel, Tissamaharama. Afternoon explore wetlands & woods of Tissamaharama for water birds and forest birds. Highlights may include Black & Yellow Bitterns, Black-crowned Night Heron, Baya & Streaked Weavers, Watercock, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Indian Scops Owl & White-naped Woodpecker.

Dinner and overnight stay at Priyankara Hotel.

Day 12 Morning visit Bundala National Park, for shorebirds. We will access this wetland reserve in open-top safari jeeps for Red-necked Phalarope, Western Reef Egret, Black-tailed Gotwit, Small Pratincole, Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Kentish, Little Ringed, Grey & Pacific Golden Plovers, Little & Temmink’s Stints, Curlew Sandpiper, Caspian, Gull-billed, White-winged, Whiskered, Lesser Crested & Greater Crested Terns & Great & Indian Thick-knees. Thereafter drive to Yala Village Hotel, Yala for 2 nights. Afternoon visit Yala National Park for dry zone birds and Leopards. According to a recent study, Yala Block 1 has nearly 40 Leopards individually identified by facial spot patterns, which makes it probably the place with the highest Leopard density in the world.

Enjoy a buffet dinner with a choice of western and eastern delicacies.
Overnight stay at the luxurious Yala Village Hotel, Yala.

Day 13 Full day visit Yala National Park with a midday break. Birding highlights may include Common Hoopoe, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Coppersmith Barbet, Spot-billed Pelican, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Brahminy Myna, Rosy Starling & Indian & Jerdon’s Nightjars.

Enjoy a buffet dinner with a choice of western and eastern delicacies.
Overnight stay at Yala Village Hotel, Yala.

Day 14 Drive to Dallip House which is a beach villa with butler service for 2 nights. Situated just 11 kms from the World Heritage city of Galle, this newly built luxury beach villa is the perfect retreat after an engaging birding and wildlife holiday. The beach is devoid of basking tourists and provides the perfect setting to enjoy the final leg of the holiday.

Enoy a fine dining style dinner at the hotel.
Overnight stay at the luxurious Dallip House.

Day 15 Beach stay.

Day 16 Departure Optionally Air –taxi transfer from Koggala (2 kms from the our villa) in down south to Katunayake (this connection can be purchased at discounted rates when buying your SriLankan Airlines air tickets).