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 & 4After breakfast, head west to Sinharaja, Sri Lanka’s Heart of Darkness. Moist and muggy, murky and mysterious – an experience of Sinharaja is like nothing else in Sri Lanka. Trekking through this magnificent jungle – the last surviving stretch of virgin rainforest on the island – you should be ready to pour with sweat as they make their way through a bewildering land of exotic colours and wonderful sounds. From top to bottom the forest is teeming with life whether it be gushing waterfalls, gurgling streams, ants marching, leaves rustling, leeches waiting (you’ve been warned!), crickets creaking or butterflies fluttering by. Apart from the very distinct atmosphere which is created by this great cacophony of noise and movement, Sinharaja is particularly renowned as a hotspot for birdlife. There are 140 bird species seen here during a calendar year including 34 out of 36 species endemic to Sri Lanka. And should your tracker manage to find you one of the ‘mixed hunting flocks’ all you will need to do is stand and savour. Roads around the area are not renowned for their quality and although it requires a certain amount of dedication to get yourself there, this is partly what protects the place and makes for a relatively exclusive experience.

Day 5, 6, & 7Leave first thing in the morning for Yala, the national park at Sri Lanka's southeast tip. En route, visit the stalagmites and stalactites in the 3.4 million-year-old pre-Cambrian cave of Wavulpane. The caves hide away more than 50,000 small bats, of some of the 25 species found in Sri Lanka. If you have time, visit Sankapala Buddhist Temple, which dates from the 2nd Century BC to see murals and statues in the three caves. Uda Walawe National Park lies ahead of you in the afternoon. As well as the prospect of herds of elephants, bird varieties include the Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle, Green Bee-eater, Wooly-necked Stork, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Shikra and Blue-faced Malkoha. In the evening check into Yala Village Hotel for your two nights stay. To gain the full benefit of Yala National Park, we recommend you rouse yourself for a departure by jeep around 5.45am. Yala, nearly 400 square miles, was appointed game park status in 1938. Look for herds of elephants, sloth bear, crocodiles, wild boar, wild buffalo, peacocks, jackals, monkeys, porcupines, and varieties of deer. Birds include the jungle fowl, brown-capped Babbler, stone curlew, brahminy myna, black-winged stilts, sand pipers, storks, ducks, larks and bee-eaters. To name but a few. Early this morning leave for Bundala National Park, a fascinating wetland home for over 150 species, and particular famous for its flamingoes. This complex wetland system, a mix of la goons, sand dunes and scrub, harbours a rich birdlife. Some of the birds that can be seen are Great Thick-knee, Caspian Tern, Gull billed Turn, Ruddy Turnstone, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Adjutant, Little Ringed Plover and many more. Return to Yala village for the night.

Day 10 & 11We journey through the hillside capital of Kandy today (we can stop longer in the town on request) to the edge of the Knuckles Range, an hour or so to the north-east. This sparsely-populated area has now been designated as the Knuckles national heritage and wilderness area, an escapist area of tea plantations, terraced paddy fields and waterfalls. An extra day here gives you a chance to explore it at leisure. At Corbett’s Gap, we may see the banded peacock or the Ceylon tiger. The steep grasslands of Pitawala Patana offer excellent habitats for hill-country butterflies.

Day 12 & 13As you make the transition from the hill country to the cultural triangle, to the north, the dry zone shows a marked change in flora and fauna. Visit the famous Sigiriya Rock Fortress – a UNESCO World Heritage Site 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. We have also included a guided walk in Ritigala, a rarely visit Cultural Site in a beautiful natural setting, the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa and Dambulla cave temple. Stay two nights at Heritance Kandalama - a naturalist’s paradise that snakes along the rocky outcrop of a tropical jungle, which is overlooked, by Kandalama tank and the Knuckles Mountain Range.

Day 14 & 15Leave the Cultural Triangle and return towards the airport for your final two nights stay at the Wallawwa in Kotugoda, a brand new boutique hotel housed in a refurbished colonial bungalow situated just 10 minutes from the Muthurajawella wetlands. Situated just south of Negombo, the Muthurajawella wetlands covers an area of about 6,000 hectares inclusive of the Negombo lagoon. The daily high tide brings in seawater from the ocean into the wetland. Continuous mixing of these two waters over thousands of years, has led to a brackish, integrated coastal ecosystem that is biologically diverse and teeming with life. A variety of mangroves and other types of flora including medicinal plants; numerous types of birds, butterflies and fish, some of which are endemic, are found in this habitat. Crocodiles, monitor lizards, and Sri Lanka’s largest snake – the Python, is also found here.