Sri Lanka Wildlife Tour

Sri Lanka’s name among early Arab traders was “Serendib,” a word that gave rise to our “serendipity.” And it was fitting, as this island nation, located a mere 20 miles off the coast of southern India, is a vibrant confluence of distinct cultural history and pristine, wildlife-laden national parks. Hike to mist-shrouded Buddhist monuments, stroll through rolling green tea plantations, and trek in national parks teeming with endemic fauna. See Sri Lankan Leopards, Purple-faced Langurs, Asian Elephants, and Sri Lanka’s national bird, the Sri Lankan Junglefowl, amidst a jaw-dropping variety of other mammals, birds, and butterflies on this 15-day Sri Lanka wildlife tour through the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.”

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Days 5 & 6
• Day 7
• Day 8
• Day 9
• Day 10
• Day 11
• Day 12
• Day 13
• Day 14
• Day 15

• Saturday, January 16: Arrive Colombo

  Arrive in Sri Lanka’s sprawling capital city of Colombo and transfer to your hotel, set within an expansive coconut plantation alongside the Negombo Lagoon. Meet your fellow travelers and Apex expedition leader for a welcome dinner at the hotel this evening. Overnight at the Vivanta Colombo Airport Garden Hotel.

• Sunday, January 17: Colombo / Wilpattu National Park

  This morning, travel north along the palm-studded coastline, then inland through tranquil “Dry Zone” wilderness to Wilpattu, Sri Lanka’s largest, and oldest, national park. Wilpattu is unique in that the entire park is dotted with as many as 100 “villus,” or natural, rain-fed, sand-rimmed lakes. In fact, the park’s name, “Wil-pattu,” literally translates to “Land of Lakes.” These villus are vital for the park’s biodiversity, providing water and lush feeding grounds for wildlife during the dry season. Arrive at Leopard Trails Tented Camp, just outside the park, and prepare for your first game drive this afternoon. The park’s varied terrain, including dense forests, open grasslands, scrublands, and numerous villus, provides an ideal habitat for leopards, elephants, deer, and an array of birdlife. Dinner and overnight at Leopard Trails Tented Camp Wilpattu.

• Monday, January 18: Wilpattu National Park

  Today, explore Wilpattu’s wild beauty, traversing the park in 4×4 vehicles. Wilpattu is home to a significant population of Sri Lankan Leopards—an endangered subspecies endemic to Sri Lanka with an estimated 1,000 individuals—making it one of the best places to observe this majestic big cat. Watch the underbrush for these camouflage experts—due to the absence of other large predators, Sri Lankan Leopards rarely carry their prey up into the trees. Another highlight of Wilpattu is its high concentration of Sri Lankan Sloth Bears, a distinct, smaller subspecies, endemic to the island’s dry zone forests. Keep an eye out for these mostly solitary bears with their shaggy black coats and long snouts. You’ll also likely encounter Asian Elephant, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, and Water Buffalo. Birdwatching in Wilpattu is also rewarding, with over 200 species thriving around the villus. Look for Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Painted Stork, and Crested Serpent Eagle. Dinner and overnight at Leopard Trails Tented Camp Wilpattu.

• Tuesday, January 19: Wilpattu National Park / Sigiriya

  This morning, drive through the heartland of ancient Sri Lankan civilization, known as the country’s “cultural triangle.” Pass cultivated lowlands, a patchwork of rice paddies, and villages dotted with Buddhist temples and Roman Catholic churches, ending up in Sigiriya, or “Lion Rock,” where the unforgettable rock-fortress of Sigiriya towers high over the surrounding plains. Used as a retreat for Buddhist monks and a strategic fortress by Sri Lankan kingdoms for millennia, Sigiriya boasts numerous sites of historic interest. Marvel at the well-preserved ruins of ancient royal palaces, with murals painted in natural dyes still retaining their color after centuries. Wildlife is conspicuous, too, with Bengal Monitors scuttling across the paths, troops of the endemic Toque Macaques lounging about the ruins, and birds such as Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Yellow-billed Babbler, and flocks of flame-colored Small Minivets.

  Dinner and overnight at Jetwing Vil Uyana, with bungalows overlooking an attractive wetland of marshes and rice paddies that supports its own suite of animals, such as freshwater Mugger Crocodiles, Indian Pond Heron, and Red-wattled Lapwing.

• Wednesday & Thursday, January 20 & 21: Sigiriya

  You have two full days to explore Sigiriya, including a visit to Sigiriya Rock. Explore the magnificent ruins of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s most-celebrated historic site, where hundreds of ancient structures—tombs and temples, statues, and stupas—still stand, giving a very good sense of how this World Heritage Site looked in its heyday, roughly 800 years ago. A former Buddhist kingdom, Polonnaruwa is famous for its intricately carved stonework bearing a strong Hindu influence.

  Sigiriya is also home to abundant primates adapted to the rocky and forested surroundings, with large troops of Toque Macaques and Gray Langurs among those you’ll encounter. A night safari spotlighting along the roads after dark is often productive around Sigiriya. With patience and perseverance, you may find the Grey Slender Loris, a peculiar, nocturnal, insectivorous primate, as well as other species, such as the diminutive White-spotted Mouse Deer, Jungle Cat, or even the scarce Fishing Cat. Dinners and overnights at Jetwing Vil Uyana.

• Friday, January 22: Sigiriya / Kandy

  After breakfast, drive through the Knuckles Range to Kandy, in the northern part of Sri Lanka’s “Hill Country,” or (Central Highlands). Approaching the hills, the landscape becomes progressively more lush and fertile, and you’ll stop to visit a plantation of spices and Ayurvedic medicinal plants.

  Kandy, officially known as the “Sacred City of Kandy,” was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, recognized for its religious, cultural, and historical significance, notably as the last capital of the Sinhala kings. Foremost amongst the city’s highlights is the Temple of the Tooth, an immensely important Buddhist pilgrimage site harboring a tooth alleged to have belonged to Buddha himself.  Dinner and overnight at Cinnamon Citadel Hotel.

• Saturday, January 23: Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

  Visit the Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, once the exclusive domain of Kandyan royalty, but transformed into a 125-acre garden during British colonial times. The gardens feature over 4,000 species of tropical plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants, and palm trees. Birds may include the endemic Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, or the glamorous Crimson-fronted Barbet.

  Afterwards, drive higher into Hill Country, experiencing the crop that has so shaped Sri Lanka’s history and become almost synonymous with the island: tea. Verdant plantations stretch out in every direction, set up by such well-recognized personalities as Thomas Lipton and John Murray. Stop to investigate one of the colonial-era tea factories and savor a cup of “Ceylon’s finest” before heading on to Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands. Known to some as “Little England” for its rosy village feel, Nuwara Eliya was originally a hill station set up by the British as a retreat from the heat and malaria of the lowlands. During its heyday, it was home to over 200 British families, with their trappings of colonial homes, sports clubs, a horseracing track, and even a golf course that is still considered one of Asia’s finest. Dinner and overnight at the Grand Hotel.

• Sunday, January 24: Nuwara Eliya

  In the mountains east of Nuwara Eliya lies Horton Plains, a grassy highland plateau studded with rhododendrons and surrounded by cool, mossy forests. Here, wild Water Buffalo and Sambar Deer, the largest deer species in Asia, graze the grasslands. Hike through the forests, keeping watch for the impressive Grizzled Giant Squirrel and the endemic Purple-faced Langur, or Leaf Monkey, known locally as the “Bear Monkey” due to its particularly shaggy coat. Avian endemics such as the attractive Yellow-eared Bulbul and Sri Lanka White-eye are fairly conspicuous, although perseverance will be needed to locate the attractive Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush. Return to the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya for dinner and overnight.

• Monday, January 25: Nuwara Eliya / Sinharaja

  Today, drive west to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a designated Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. As Sri Lanka’s single most important conservation area, Sinharaja protects the largest remaining area of tropical forest on the island, spanning an altitude from 1,000 feet to the cool heights of the Hinipitigala Mountain. An incredible two-thirds of the plants here are found nowhere else on Earth, and all but one of Sri Lanka’s bird endemics also call the forest home. Dinner and overnight at the beautifully positioned Rainforest Edge Resort, overlooking a tea plantation at the edge of the forest.

• Tuesday, January 26: Sinharaja

  Enjoy a full day exploring this scenic park, traversing a track through the forest in the pursuit of such spectacular creatures as Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Yellow-fronted Barbet, bizarre Red-faced Malkoha, and the exquisite Sri Lanka Blue Magpie. Tall Dipterocarp hardwoods tower overhead, pitcher plants and orchids line the track, and scanning the vegetation carefully may produce peculiar Rough-horned and Hump-nosed Lizards.

  A feature of Sinharaja is the “bird wave” phenomenon, in which large feeding flocks, of multiple species, sweep through the forest, invariably led by the noisy, endemic Sri Lanka Crested Drongo. A special effort will also be made to locate a day roost of the rare Serendib Scops-Owl, a rare forest owlet only very recently described to science. Dinner and overnight at the Rainforest Edge Resort.

• Wednesday, January 27: Sinharaja / Yala National Park

  Descend back into the lowlands of the Dry Zone- to Yala, Sri Lanka’s most celebrated national park and national gem, for a two-night stay. Straddling the island’s southern coastline, this sprawling protected area is renowned for its impressive biodiversity, with over 44 different mammals and 200 bird species present. Dinner and overnight at Hilton Yala Hotel

• Thursday, January 28: Bundala National Park & Yala National Park

  Rise early this morning and head to nearby Bundala National Park, an area of freshwater marshes, salt pans, and scrub jungle, famous among bird enthusiasts for its sheer numbers and concentration of waterbirds. Resident Painted Storks and Grey-headed Fish Eagles are joined by migrant shorebirds, terns, and Ospreys, while the surrounding thorn bush, reminiscent of African savannas, support Chestnut-headed and Green Bee-eaters, Sri Lanka Woodshrike, and the glamorous Black-naped Flameback. Both Mugger and the larger Estuarine, or Saltwater, Crocodile are also found in Bundala, with smaller, but no less spectacular, reptiles including Water Monitors and colorful Garden Lizards.

  This afternoon, visit the jewel in the crown of Sri Lankan national parks, Yala. Consisting of nearly 400 square miles of thorn scrub and coastal wetlands, Yala is home to healthy populations of wild Water Buffalo, Asian Elephant, and, notably, a high concentration of Sri Lankan Leopard. In fact, Yala is known for having the highest density of leopards in the world. Herds of Spotted Deer are an attractive feature of the park and form the leopard’s main prey base. The elusive Sloth Bear is sometimes found ambling along the dirt tracks, while smaller predators, such as Golden Jackal, Ruddy Mongoose, and the scarce Stripe-necked Mongoose, may also be encountered. Dinner and overnight at Hilton Yala Hotel.

• Friday, January 29: Yala / Mirissa

  Today, follow along the southern coast to Kalamatiya Bird Sanctuary. This tranquil wetland area of coastal lagoons, mangrove swamps, scrub jungles, and open grassland is a crucial haven for over 150 species of resident and migratory birds. Find a wide range of wetland birds, including Slaty-breasted Crake, Black Bittern, and Watercock, along with storks, herons, egrets, spoonbills, and pelicans. Continue along the coast to the lively beach town of Mirissa, renowned for its crescent-shaped bay, golden beach, vibrant turquoise waters, and iconic palm-fringed cliffs. Enjoy a festive farewell dinner and overnight at Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa.

• Saturday, January 30: Mirissa / Colombo

  This morning head to the nearby city of Galle, with its must-see fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dating from 1663 and showcasing the Dutch colonial rule in this area. The fort juts out over the ocean and consists of 89 acres of well-preserved walls and structures. It is a “living museum,” as it remains a working community, with administrative offices, courts, and businesses. This afternoon, return to Colombo, where rooms have been booked at the Vivanta Colombo Airport Garden Hotel. Enjoy dinner before you transfer to the airport late this evening for your international flights home.