Avian Grand Quest: 15-Day Ultimate Bird Watching Tour of Sri Lanka

Description

Known as the mother of all bird watching tours in Sri Lanka, this expertly designed 15-day expedition covers nearly every significant birding site on the island. Explore wetlands, rainforests, highlands, and coastal sanctuaries in search of endemic, migratory, and resident bird species.
This comprehensive itinerary includes world-famous locations such as Anawilundawa Wetlands, Mannar Salterns, Wilpattu National Park, Sigiriya Bird Sanctuary, Udawatta Kele, Horton Plains, Kitulgala Rainforest, Bundala, and Yala National Parks — as well as lesser-known secret sites discovered by our experienced birding guides.
A true paradise for bird lovers, this two-week journey promises unforgettable sightings across Sri Lanka’s diverse ecosystems.

Day 01 – Arrival / Negombo

Arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport and meet your representative.
Transfer to Negombo – approximately a 20-minute drive.
Relax and unwind at your seaside hotel.
Overnight stay at Goldi Sands Hotel, Negombo.

Day 02 – Negombo / Anawilundawa / Mannar

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Anawilundawa Wetlands – approximately a 2-hour drive.
Afternoon bird watching at this UNESCO Ramsar site, home to cormorants, ducks, egrets, herons, storks, eagles, terns, swallows, and kingfishers.
Continue to Mannar, a key site for migratory water birds.
Overnight stay at Palmyrah House, Mannar.

Day 03 – Mannar / Wilpattu

Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning bird watching around Mannar Beach and Lagoon, famous for waders, flamingos (in season), gulls, terns, frigatebirds, and sandpipers.
Visit Thanthirimale ruins and surrounding lakes for water and resident birds.
Transfer to Wilpattu National Park – approximately a 2–3-hour drive.
Overnight stay at Sinharagama Hotel, Wilpattu.

Day 04 – Wilpattu National Park

Full-day safari at Wilpattu National Park (6 AM – 6 PM).
Spot up to eight endemic bird species, eagles, water birds, and other resident species.
Picnic meals served during the safari.
Overnight stay at Sinharagama Hotel, Wilpattu.

Day 05 – Wilpattu / Sigiriya / Habarana

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Sigiriya – approximately a 2½-hour drive, with birding stops near Kekirawa lakes.
Afternoon bird watching in Sigiriya Sanctuary for endemic and migratory birds, eagles, falcons, and swallows.
Late evening jungle walk in Habarana to look for nocturnal birds such as owls and nightjars (optional visit to Popem’s Arboretum in Dambulla for Slender Loris).
Overnight stay at Sorowwa Resort & Spa, Habarana.

Day 06 – Sigiriya / Kandy

Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning bird watching in Sigiriya Sanctuary.
Transfer to Kandy – approximately a 2-hour drive.
Bird watching walk in Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, home to parrots, barbets, warblers, and flycatchers.
Overnight stay at Thilanka Hotel, Kandy.

Day 07 – Kandy / Udawatta Kele / Nuwara Eliya

Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning walk in Udawatta Kele Sanctuary, a lush forest reserve behind the Temple of the Tooth, to spot flowerpeckers, woodpeckers, and drongos.
Transfer to Nuwara Eliya – approximately a 3-hour drive.
Afternoon bird watching in Victoria Park, a well-known urban birding spot.
Overnight stay at Glenfall Reach Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.

Day 08 – Horton Plains / Hakgala / Nuwara Eliya

Depart at 5:00 AM for Horton Plains National Park – 1½-hour drive.
Early morning bird watching walk to spot minivets, thrushes, sunbirds, and Sri Lanka Bush Warbler.
Picnic breakfast during the excursion.
Afternoon visit to Hakgala Botanical Garden to observe parrots, shrikes, blue magpies, and flycatchers.
Overnight stay at Glenfall Reach Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.

Day 09 – Nuwara Eliya / Kitulgala

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Kitulgala – approximately a 2½-hour drive.
Afternoon bird watching near Belilena prehistoric caves, home to sunbirds, leafbirds, woodpeckers, and hornbills.
Overnight stay at Plantation Hotel, Kitulgala.

Day 10 – Kitulgala / Sinharaja

Early morning bird watching in Makandawa Rainforest, a prime site for endemic species such as the Serendib Scops Owl, Chestnut-backed Owlet, and Green-billed Coucal.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Sinharaja Rainforest – approximately a 2–3-hour drive.
Evening birding walk near the rainforest border.
Overnight stay at Sinharaja Blue Magpie Guest House.

Day 11 – Sinharaja Rainforest

Early breakfast.
Full-day guided bird watching inside Sinharaja Rainforest, home to the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Frogmouth, Red-faced Malkoha, and more than 20 endemic species.
Overnight stay at Sinharaja Blue Magpie Guest House.

Day 12 – Sinharaja / Tissamaharama

Breakfast at the guest house.
Morning village bird watching near Sinharaja.
Transfer to Tissamaharama – approximately a 4-hour drive.
Overnight stay at Yala Lake Camp, Tissamaharama.

Day 13 – Bundala National Park / Tissa Lake

Morning safari at Bundala National Park (6–10 AM), a Ramsar wetland home to flamingos (seasonal), pelicans, storks, herons, and over 200 bird species.
Afternoon birding near Tissa Lake and Debarawewa Lake for jacanas, bee-eaters, kingfishers, and owls.
Overnight stay at Yala Lake Camp, Tissamaharama.

Day 14 – Tissamaharama / Kirala Kele / Colombo

Breakfast at the camp.
Transfer to Colombo – approximately a 5–7-hour drive.
En route bird watching at Kirala Kele Sanctuary, a wetland rich in herons, ducks, bee-eaters, and munias.
Overnight stay at Cinnamon Red Hotel, Colombo.

Day 15 – Colombo / Departure

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport – approximately a 1-hour drive.

💵 Price Starting From:

US$ 3,526 per person (based on double sharing)

Tour Includes:

Accommodation in mentioned hotels.
Meals as per the itinerary.
Air-conditioned private transfers with an English-speaking chauffeur guide.
All mentioned bird watching activities, safaris, and park entrance fees.