SRI LANKA: BIRDING, WILDLIFE, AND CULTURE
April 14 – 29, 2027
Overview:
Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Sri Lanka on this carefully curated itinerary, showcasing the island’s majestic landscapes, lush greenery, and pristine beaches. Each destination is handpicked for a mesmerizing experience, complemented by stays in exceptional hotels known for their charm, luxurious amenities, and stunning views. Get a glimpse into mighty ancient kingdoms as we wander the ruins of Sigiriya Fortress, the cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, the mysterious Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, and the deeply spiritual Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. Experience the rich biodiversity of Sri Lanka through encounters with an array of birds and wildlife in their natural habitats, from majestic elephants to elusive leopards. There will also be time to relax or seek adventure on the stunning beaches lining the island’s coast.
Interested in more information? Please contact Expedition Easy by calling 1-800-617-2319 or (206) 284-2319. Click here to e-mail the Expedition Easy Team with any questions or interest.
SRI LANKA: BIRDING, WILDLIFE, AND CULTURE
April 14 – 29, 2027
Day-By-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 | COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
Arrive in Colombo and transfer to the Vivanta Airport Garden Hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 2 | GALLE / SINHARAJA RAINFOREST
After breakfast, depart overland southwards to the historic city of Galle. Take a walking tour of the heart of Galle, one of the best preserved examples of a European-built fortified city in South Asia, including Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was built by the Dutch in the 16th century. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will drive up into the hills to the famous Sinharaja Biosphere Reserve. On arrival we will have time for some local birding around the hotel garden. Dinner and overnight at Rainforest Edge Resort.
Day 3 | SINHARAJA RAINFOREST
Sinharaja is Sri Lanka’s single most important conservation area. It protects the largest remaining area of tropical forest on the island. All but one of Sri Lanka’s avian endemics occurs here, along with an array of beautiful butterflies. A high proportion of forest plants are found here and nowhere else on earth. We will take a full day walking tour (with a picnic) through this lovely reserve in search of such spectacular creatures as the endemic Sri Lanka Junglefowl (the country’s national bird), the bizarre endemic Red-faced Malkoha, and the gorgeous endemic Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, along with many others. Dinner and overnight at Rainforest Edge Resort.
Day 4 | UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
Today we will descend through spectacular scenery into the southern lowlands. We will stop for lunch then take an afternoon safari in Udawalawe National Park to look for wetland birds, a wealth of wildlife including families of wild Asian Elephant. After our safari we will continue to Weerawila for dinner and a four-night stay at the luxury tented camp beside Lake Weerawila. Dinner and overnight at Flameback Ecolodge.
Day 5 | YALA NATIONAL PARK
Our morning safari will be into Yala— Sri Lanka’s best known national park. Here extensive thorn scrub and coastal wetlands, are home to wild Water Buffalo, Asian Elephant, Spotted Deer, and the elusive Common Leopard. Birds also are numerous and there will be many distractions along the way! In the afternoon we will visit the wetlands at Tissa to view kingfishers, herons, jacanas and a host of other birds and may wait until sunset to watch ibis and herons returning to roost while fruit bats take to the wing to go foraging. Dinner and overnight at Flameback Ecolodge
Day 6 | LUNUGAMWEHERA & YALA NATIONAL PARK
Morning and afternoon safaris in Lunugamwehera and Yala National Park will give us more chances of sighting a diverse array of wildlife including the elusive Asian Common Leopard, and many bird species. Dinner and overnight at Flameback Ecolodge.
Day 7 | BUNDALA NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we will drive to nearby Bundala National Park, famous for its concentrations of shorebirds and waterbirds. Here Painted Stork and Gray-headed Fish Eagle are resident and commonly joined by migratory shorebirds and terns, while the surrounding thorn bush habitat supports birds such as Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and Green Bee-eater, and the endemic Sri Lanka Woodshrike. We w ill learn about Sri Lanka’s very early adoption of irrigation and visit one or more of its overgrown water tanks favoured by waterbirds. Dinner and overnight at Flameback Ecolodge.
Day 8 | NUWARA ELIYA
Today we will venture northwards int o Sri Lanka’s beautiful “Hill Country” taking time along the way for a cup of the country’s famous export beverage — tea! Our final destination, Nuwara Eliya, is known locally as “Little England.” This hill station was once home to over 200 British families. For us it will be relatively cool after the warmth of the lowlands, and we will take time late this afternoon to wander in search of local birds and wildlife. Sinner and overnight for 2 nights at St. Andrews Hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 9 | HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK
We will set off before dawn today so that we can appreciate the beauty of early morning at Horton Plains National Park. This grassy highland plateau is studded with rhododendrons and surrounded by cool, mossy forests. Wildlife found here includes Sambar Deer, Grizzled Giant Squirrels, and the endemic Purple-faced Leaf Monkey. We will also be watchful for more Sri Lankan avian endemics such as the Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka White-eye, and Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush. After returning to Nuwara Eliya for lunch, we will spend the afternoon strolling through the lovely Hakgala Botanical Garden, renowned for its delightful plantings, well-established trees and numerous birds. Dinner and overnight at St. Andrews Hotel.
Day 10 | VICTORIA PARK
Spend the day exploring Horton Plains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Sri Lanka’s last remaining montane rainforests. Hike through the cool highland climate, spotting unique flora, colorful butterflies, and rare birds. Don’t miss the breathtaking viewpoint at “World’s End,” where the plateau drops 1,000 feet into the valley below. Dinner and overnight at the Tree of Life Hotel.
Day 11 | TEMPLE OF THE TOOTH
This morning we will offer an early morning birding stroll through the extensive natural forest surrounding the hotel, return to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit the world-famous Temple of the Tooth , said to house a tooth of Buddha. This World Heritage Site was originally part of the Royal Palace complex of the Kandyan Kingdom, but today this holy location is a site of worship and pilgrimage for many Buddhists. Dinner and overnight at Tree of Life Hotel.
Day 12 | RANWELI / SIGIRIYA
This morning we will again offer an early birding stroll through the extensive natural forest surrounding the hotel, then after breakfast we will depart overland to the heart of Sri Lanka’s “cultural triangle.” Along the way we will stop at a local batik factory, to learn about the process of Sri Lankan batik production (and have the opportunity for retail therapy!). Continuing to Ranweli, we will have a local lunch and visit a spice garden to learn about the cultivation of exotic spices such as turmeric, cloves, vanilla, cardamom, and more. The remainder of our journey will take us to Sigiriya. Dinner and overnight at Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Sigiriya.
Day 13 |POLONNARUWA ANCIENT CITY
Morning excursion to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and visit the Archeological Museum. Lunch at Echo Lake House hotel in Polonnaruwa. After lunch visit Gal Vehera in the ancient outer city. Dinner and overnight at Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Sigiriya.
Day 14 | SIGIRIYA ROCK
Our morning excursion today will be to visit the impressive Sigiriya Rock (or Lion Rock). This huge and impressive granite monolith rises out of the jungle. Once it was a 5th-century fortress and palace, today it is a stunning World Heritage Site featuring the ruins of the city, colorful murals, and the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and fountains. Those wishing for exercise will have the opportunity to climb up to the top of the rock for the delightful view out over the forest. After a well-earned rest, we will board jeeps for a late afternoon or early evening excursion into the surrounding forest to look for troops of endemic Toque Macaque, and a wealth of birds that include Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill, and perhaps a nocturnal mammal or two. Dinner and overnight at Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Sigiriya.
Day 15 | COLOMBO
Our journey today will take us back to Colombo and our familiar hotel, but with a stop en route to visit the Golden Temple of Dambulla in the afternoon. After checking in to the Vivanta Airport Garden Hotel we will celebrate with a final cocktail party and dinner.
MARK BRAZIL
Mark, a UK-born wildlife enthusiast with degrees in biology, English literature, and psychology, has led expeditions across Africa, South America, South Asia, and East Asia. His diverse career spans conservation biology, TV expertise, university lecturing, and freelance wildlife leadership. Now residing in Hokkaidō’s Akan–Mashū National Park, he continues to work as a guide, expedition leader, and lecturer, and crafts wildlife travel itineraries between his international assignments.
KRISTIN WORNSON
Kristin’s love of beauty and wild things—and of wild adventure—continues to follow her in all that she pursues. With a degree in biology from Iowa State University, she went on to work at the Bodega Bay Marine Lab (through the University of California, Davis), where she spent weekdays with her face underwater and weekends exploring the magnificent California coastline. Her last year in college was spent studying at the University of Salzburg, and traveling throughout Europe and Northern Africa. She then moved to Taiwan to teach English, but her plans shifted when a very large earthquake destroyed her city and rendered her homeless. Left to scavenge for cardboard to build shelter, she eventually made her way back home. Kristin then moved to Catalina Island to work at its Marine Institute, sharing her enthusiasm for the ocean with kids of all ages through hands-on experiential learning and exploration. She also spent time working on a songbird study for the US Forest Service in Minnesota; and studying birds that follow army-ant swarms in the Peruvian Amazon.
RICH PAGAN
Rich first became enthralled by the wonders of the natural world around the tide pools and forests of his native New York. Since then, he has embarked on a career in nature education and conservation biology that has ranged from teaching science and environmental awareness to teenagers from Los Angeles, to traveling the coast and river deltas of Alaska’s North Slope by Zodiac to reach remote wetlands where he monitored loon nests. After such field biology projects as surveys for mammalian carnivores in the mountains of California, bird migration monitoring in Canada, and a study of army-ant-following birds in the Peruvian Amazon, Rich was drawn back to the sea where he taught marine science and island ecology on Catalina Island in California. He has also conducted shipboard surveys for marine mammals and seabirds, as well as tagging studies of sea turtles and pelagic sharks.
SRI LANKA: BIRDING, WILDLIFE, AND CULTURE
April 14 – 29, 2027
Rates:
$19,495 per person
$4,700 single supplement
Package Rate based on Per Person Sharing. All Rates are Approximate.
Group size of 16 people.
– Rates are per person and are based on shared accommodations
– Rates are approximate until the time of booking
– Rates are quoted in USD and subject to change without prior notice
– Rates are based on availability at the time of booking
Included:
Not Included:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal expenses (such as laundry, telephone, etc.)
International Airfare:
Africa Easy does not make international air reservations and international air is not included in your quote. However, please do let us know if you would like assistance with booking your international air. We would be happy to put you in touch with our airline partner, Exito Travel to assist you with your international air reservation.
General Information:
– Medical Evacuation insurance is mandatory for travel with Expedition Easy and proof of purchase is required. Expedition Easy also strongly recommends purchasing a policy that includes trip cancellation / interruption coverage.
Deposit & Payments:
A completed & signed Expedition Easy Reservation Form, along with your 25% trip deposit and full regional and/or domestic air payment (if applicable) is required at the time of booking.
Reservations:
This itinerary is subject to the availability of all services at the time of making a reservation. No space is being held at this time. Please contact Expedition Easy for the full terms and conditions that apply. We are happy to answer questions and discuss your trip.
To reserve space on a trip on the Expedition Easy website, please contact Expedition Easy by calling 1-800-617-2319 or (206) 284-2319. Click here to e-mail the Expedition Easy Team.
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Operated by Inside Expeditions
April 14 - 29, 2027
