Day 1 & 2Transfer directly from the airport to Villa Talangama set on a quiet lakeside in the suburbs of Colombo. The villa setting is best described as a 'village in the city' surrounded by paddy fields and the Talangama wetlands – one of the best places near Colombo to see water birds and waders. Over a hundred species of birds have been recorded here including the Black and Yellow Bitterns, Purple Swamp hen, White-throated, Pied and Common Kingfishers, Purple Heron, Lesser Whistling-duck, and the Pheasant-tailed Jacana. The endemic and critically endangered Purple-faced Leaf Monkey is also found here as well as Water Monitors and Common Garden Lizards. Talangama is also home to numerous species of dragonflies and butterflies. We also recommend a visit to Ingiriya’s Bodhinagala Forest Reserve – the last remaining lowland rainforest in close proximity to Colombo. Endemic bird species found here include the Brown-capped Babbler, Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Sri Lanka Jungle fowl, Sri Lanka Myna, Legge’s Flowerpacker, and the Sri Lanka Spurfolw. Here, you can also observe the Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill closely since they are used to having people approach them.

Day 3 & 4Head south to the foothills of the central highlands where you will spend two nights at Martin’s Bungalow located close to the Sinharaja tropical rainforest. Sinharaja, covering an area of about 110 sq kms of rainforest, is a UNESCO-protected forest reserve that provides diverse habitats for numerous species of endemic fauna and flora. Dense, dark, muggy and mysterious, Sinharaja is teeming with life. Tall trees with rustling leaves, gigantic ferns and wild orchids, gushing waterfalls and gurgling streams, creaking crickets and butterflies fluttering by – all nature’s wonders, untouched by man. There are over 140 bird species seen here including 28 of the 33 bird species endemic to Sri Lanka. Observe the unique ‘mixed species bird flocks’. According to a study carried out, 42 individual birds occurin the flocks on average here, making it the world's largest mixed species bird flock.

Day 5Travel to the Uda Walawe National Park in the in the dry zone, south of the central hills, near Embilipitiya. Check into Kalu’s Hideaway located a few minutes from the Park. Uda Walawe has a mix of habitats consisting of grassland, scrubland, tall forest and wetlands. This park is home to numerous species of dry zone birds and also provides an excellent opportunity to get up close to the Asian Elephant. Some of the birds found here include the Booted Eagle during the migrant season, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Shikra, Common Kestrel, Brown Fish Owl and Western Marsh Harrier, Plum-headed Parakeet, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Sirkeer Malkoha, Blue-faced Malkoha, Little Green Bee-eater just to mention a few. According to Wildlife reports there are also about 500 elephants in the park and they often roam in herds of up to 100. Leopards, buffalo, deer and sloth bears keep them company along with mongooses, bandicoots, foxes, water monitor lizards and crocodiles. Visit the Elephant Transit Camp at Uda Walawe run by Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department. Here about 22 young elephants, mostly babies, who have been orphaned or recovering from injuries, are being rehabilitated before release into the wild.

Day 6 & 7Head south east to the serene town of Tissamaharama (or `Tissa' as it is most frequently referred to), which was the capital of the ancient Ruhunu Kingdom in the 2nd century B.C. Tissa is dominated by lakes and gigantic Buddhist Dagobas (temples), lush green paddy fields and lotus-filled lakes. The Debarawewa wetland located nearby is popular for the Black, Yellow and Cinnamon Bitterns, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, and also the elusive White-naped Woodpecker. If lucky, you can also spot the Brown Fish Owl in this area. Many species of water birds frequent the other wetlands in the area and you may also spot the Mugger Crocodile. Early next morning leave for Bundala National Park, a fascinating wetland near Hambantota. Bundala’s scrubland, patches of tall forests mixed with many wetland habitats including salt pans, is home to a wide array of birds including migrating shore birds and resident waders. The highlight here would be the flocks of Greater Flamingos that you may see in the saltpans. Water birds include Painted Storks, Asian Openbills, Eurasian Spoonbills, Black-headed Ibis and Wooly-necked Storks. Waders include Pacific Golden, Lesser Sand and Greater Sand, Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed, Little Stint, Marsh, Common, Wood and Green Sandpipers, Eurasian Thick-knee and Great Thick-knee in addition to Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe, Pintail Snipe and Ruddy Turnstone. If you are lucky, you may spot a Red-necked Phalarope in the saltains. A visit to this region is not complete without visiting the Yala National Park. Yala, with a total protected area of more than 1,200 sq kms, consists of scrubland, grass flats, monsoon forest and rock outcrops with waterholes. Yala is one of the best places in Asia to see the leopard. However, they are not easy to spot as there are only around 35 of them now surviving within the park. Other mammals found here include Elephant, Sloth Bear, Sambhur, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Stripe-necked, Brown & Ruddy Mongooses, Black-naped Hare, Grey Langers, Toque Macaques & civet cats.

Day 8 & 9Today you travel north to the central highlands - a stirring land of lush tea plantations, majestic peaks and gushing waterfalls. Check into St. Andrews Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. Visit Victoria Park located in the centre of the city where you can look for the Himalayan migrants including the Kashmir Flycatcher, Pied Thrush Indian Pitta, and the Indian Blue Robin. Other highlights include the Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka White-eye, and Dull-blue Flycatcher. Located nearby is the Gregory’s Lake, home to the Black-throated Munia, Paddyfield Pipit, Pied Bush Chat, Pintail Snipes, Zitting Cisticola, Plain Prinia, Blyth's Reed Warbler and also the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler. The wild expanse of Horton Plains National Park, more than 7,000 feet above sea level, offers a memorable start to the following day. The walk to 'World's End' and "Little World's End" offers one of the finest views in Sri Lanka. With a mixture of grasslands and forests, including the last montane forest in the country, Horton Plains have a healthy variety of birds to watch. Just 20 kilometres from Nuwara Eliya, the park offers the chance to observe five endemic bird species that can be seen only at this altitude. These include the Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Dull-Blue flycatcher, Yellow-eared Bulbul, the elusive Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush and the Sri Lanka Woodpigeon. Other species include the Black Bird, Indian Blue Robin, Zitting Cisticola, Pacific Swallow, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Jerdon’s Baza, Crested Goshawk and Indian Pied Bush Chat. Mammals include plenty of Sambar, the Slender Loris, Bear Monkey and, occasionally, a Leopard. The Park has a diversity of endemic lizards such as Rhino-horned Lizard, Black-lipped Lizard and Dwarf Chameleon. This is the only National Park in Sri Lanka where visitors are allowed to roam around freely inside.

Day 10 & 11Travel to Sri Lanka's hill capital, the small lakeside city of Kandy. We recommend you jump aboard the train from Nuwara Eliya and wind your way past tea plantations, misty mountains ad gushing waterfalls – one of the great rail journeys in the world. Stay two nights at Hunas Falls hotel situated high in the hills near Elkaduwa. The hotel enjoys one of the most scenic settings in Sri Lanka. Explore the surrounding mountains and the wilderness. There are several nature trails that take you along lakes, forests, open pastures, tea estates, and to the summit of Mount Hunasgiriya. Visit the Hunas Falls Hotel’s reforestation site where a gradual introduction of native trees is being carried out on a regenerating patch of vegetation. The hotel’s naturalist will be at hand to guide you along. Visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens with over 60 hectares of tranquil, immaculately designed lawns, borders, pavilions and plant houses, including a famous orchid selection. Here you can spot the Indian Blue Robin, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Sri Lanka Hanging parrots, Hill Myna, White-rumped Munia and many other forest birds. Experience the ancient Kandyan heritage with a visit to the Temple of the Tooth were a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is enshrined Buddha is enshrined since 4th Century A.D. The temple has decorative walls, a golden roof and fine woodwork. Religious services (pooja) are held daily at dawn, midday and dusk. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming.

Day 12 & 13As you travel to the Cultural Triangle in the dry zone, there is a marked change in the flora and fauna. Travel to the village of Sigiriya where you will stay two nights at the Sigiriya Village Hotel located just minutes away from the famous Sigiriya Rock Fortress built in the 5th century by King Kasyapa. The remains of this fortress atop the tabletop mountain, coupled with the colourful frescos and the symmetrical royal gardens, are amazing feats of this period. The surrounding Sigiriya sanctuary is home to numerous species of birds including the Orange-headed Thrush, Purple Sunbird, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-rumped Shama and Shahin Falcon. Look for the rare Blue-eared Kingfisher around the Sigiriya Moat. You can also get a chance to see all three types of Primates here: the dry zone race of the endemic Toque Monkey, Purple-faced Leaf Monkey and the Grey Langer. When climbing the Sigiriya Rock Fortress look out for the Shaheen Falcon (sub species of the Paragin Falcon) hawking for House Swifts close to the Rock. Visit the Minneriya National Park, best known for the biggest gathering of Asian Elephants. This 8,890 hectare park which is dominated by an ancient lake, is also home to large gatherings of water birds and migrants. Lesser Adjutants, Comarants, Spot-billed Pelicans, Painted Storks are some of the common birds here.

Day 14 & 15Today you head to the west coast town of Negombo for your final two nights. Check into the Ranweli Lodge situated on a coastal wetland estuary. A short ferry ride across a scenic river glides you to the hotel situated in a peninsula surrounded by two rivers, a lagoon and the Indian Ocean. Explore the Muthurajawela marshes, the largest saline wetland in Sri Lanka. Adjoining the Negombo Lagoon, Muthurajawela covers more then 3,100 hectares and is one of the few places with mangroves critical for many wetland and migrant birds. Some of the common species seen here include the Common, White-throted, Stork-billed and Pied Kingfishers, Cormorants, all species of Egrats, Purple & Grey Herons, Whistling Teal and Brahaminy Kites. Located further north is Annaivilundawa, the second Ramsar Wetland in Sri Lanka and home to numerous species of resident and migrant birds. Over 130 species have been identified in these wetlands. All three types of Comrants – the Little, Indian and Great Comorants – are found here. Asian Open-bills, White-headed Ibis, Phasent-tailed Jacanas, Little Grebs, Egrets, Grey & Purple Herons and five types of Kingfishers including the rare migrant Black-capped Kingfisher have been recorded here. Annaivilundawa is one of the most important breeding grounds for resident water birds.