Sri Lanka Holidays - Tailormade Birding Holiday – 15 nights
Testimonial - December 2006 "There cannot be much that Senerath does not know about the birds, wildlife and culture of Sri Lanka. We requested a guide with an interest in birds. We were nott o know that Red Dot would send one of the top bird guides in Sri Lanka to show us all over the most wonderful bird habitats. If Sena cannot find a bird, the birds come to find him, attracted by his remarkable recordings of bird calls." - TH - Kent
About this holiday:
Sri Lanka is a birdwatcher’s delight. This tropical
island attracts more than 400 species, nearly half of them
migrants and more than 20 endemic to Sri Lanka. The best time
to visit is between November and March, when the migrants
have landed, but there is plenty to satisfy you all year round.
A Red Dot birdwatching holiday comes with specialist guides
and can be designed to satisfy everyone from the committed
twitcher to the amateur enthusiast. We visit a range of fascinating
locations, including coastal wetlands, rainforests and the
soaring peaks of the hill country. Whether birdwatching is
your passion, or you merely fancy a dabble, pick up a pair
of binoculars, a guidebook and a notepad and join us in this
birdwatcher’s paradise.
Holiday highlights
• Sinharajah rainforest
• Yala, Uda Walawe and Wasgamuwa national
parks
• Bundala wetlands
• The finest hill-country scenery
• Caves and waterfalls
• Top boutique hotels
Itinerary:
Day 1 & 2: Arrive in Sri Lanka, to be met
at the Katanayake International Airport by a Red Dot representative.
Transfer immediately by airconditioned car or minivan to the
west coast resort of Bentota, where Club Villa, one of the finest
boutique hotels in the west, offers a stylish and convenient
resting place. The drive from the airport will take approximately
2.5 to 3 hours depending on the traffic. Rest and relax after
your flight. Inland walks can be arranged with your birding
guide-cum-driver.
Accommodation profile: This
elegant 19th century villa rests in a small coconut plantation,
two hours south of Colombo, close to the broad, sandy beach
of Bentota, one of Sri Lanka's most popular family resorts.
This refined, spotlessly clean small hotel offers a calm and
intelligent base from which to enjoy the golden beaches of Bentota
and beyond. A chief attraction is the candlelit dinners beneath
the stars, with lanterns adding to the romantic atmosphere -
after all, why eat indoors when the warmth and sounds of a tropical
evening are to be enjoyed? Dinner is tailored to your order
earlier in the day. The extensive coconut grove is large enough
for a short evening stroll. The beach lies beyond the garden,
across the simple West coast railway line, which few find disconcerting.
Day 3 & 4: After 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.
Accommodation profile:Rainforest
Edge offers rustic style high above the beautiful rolling hills
of Waddagala, only five miles from the northern entrance to
Sinharaja. Blessed by one of the most restful panoramas in Sri
Lanka – harmony with nature is the essence of its appeal.
This is an isolated, pollution-free environment without discomforts.
From this appealing new property, a triumph of designer-rustic,
you can gaze upon rolling tea plantations, whilst absorbing
the natural karma of this creatively designed eco-hotel.
Day 5 & 6: stalagmites and stalactites in the 3.4 million-year-old
pre-Cambrian cave and 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 leave
for the beautiful south-coast. Spend two nights at Eva Lanka
Hotel – the second day being given over purely to relaxation.
Accommodation profile:Eva
Lanka lies above a quiet, untouched bay that ranks as one of
the most beautiful on the island. Italian owned, the hotel has
been spaciously developed on the private and flower-strewn hillside
that tumbles down to the sea, ensuring a relaxed and secluded
atmosphere. The terracotta cottages are laid out on three separate
levels, all with easy access to two sea-water swimming pools.
The small white-sanded beach has a castaway feel. Swimming on
this beautiful stretch of coastline should be be treated with
caution.
Day 7 & 8:
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. Move onto Yala by early
evening, for two nights at Yala Village Hotel. 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.
Accommodation profile:Yala
Village Hotel opened in 2003, as a much-needed deluxe addition
to the sprinkling of hotels serving visitors to Sri Lanka’s
finest game park.It blends subtly into scrub forest,
close to Yala game park, overlooking the historic Yala lighthouse.
Yala arguably provides the
best leopard sanctuary in Asia. Two bird sanctuaries, Bundala
and the Kelametiya wetlands, are also within easy reach. Forty
well-appointed a/c chalets, which come in three different sizes
(single, twin and quad) enjoy a scenic location, stretching
from a lagoon to the border of Palatupana-Kirinda beach, which
boasts some of Sri Lanka’s finest unspoilt sand dunes.
Animals may wander through the village unhindered as the management
pursues a policy of existing in harmony with nature.
Day 8 & 9:
Head inland today to Sri Lanka’s stirring hill country.
Visit the pretty hillside region of Kital-Ella, a land of waterfalls,
light forests, mountain peaks and tea plantations. At Haputale,
a favourite haunt of the tea baron Thomas Lipton, you will find
Tangamalai, a natural bird sanctuary, with blue magpies, paradise
fly-catchers, green barbets, hornbills and many more. It stands
in the Benedictine monastery of Addisham, which produces home-made
jams and jellies for sale. Check into Kelbourne Cottages for
a two-night stay. The wild expanse of Horton Plains National
Park, more than 7,000 feet above sea level, offers a memorable
start to the day. Look for the endemic yellow-eared bulbul,
Sri Lanka white eye, Ceylon warbler, spot-winged thrush, whistling
thrush, blue magpie and parakeets. The walk to 'World's End'
and "Little World's End" offers one of the finest
views in Sri Lanka. Also grab a look at Baker's Falls before
your second night at Kelbourne.
Accommodation profile:Kelbourne
"Mountain View" Cottages, which date from the turn
of the 19th/20th century, are three increasingly sought-after
bungalows perched on a lush escarpment, less than two miles
fro m the hill settlement of Haputale. Each cottage comes with
cosy furnishings, books and magazines, and tv as well as chef
and room boy on call to prepare meals at any time of day. Here
is a chance to unwind in the hill country at its most serene.
Day 10 & 11:
We 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. Accommodation profile:Hunas
Falls Hotel enjoys one of the most scenic hotel settings in
Sri Lanka, high in the hills near Elkaduwa, about an hour and
a quarter north west of Kandy, the hill-country capital. It
will appeal to guests seeking seclusion in a peaceful mountain
retreat. From the Hunas Giriya mountain range, a waterfall cascades
through the steeply-banked tea and spice plantations to end
in the small lake alongside which this hotel is situated. It
is a land of fascinating sunsets, early-morning mists and relative
cool, where temperatures average between 17-25C by day, and
as low as 10C at night. Rest amid the hotel garden or enjoy
refreshing hillside walks. A hotel of solid country traditions
that, the tea plantations apart, would be just as at home in
the Scottish highlands.
Day 12, 13 & 14:
As 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. Birds such as the Malabar pied hornbill, and
little green bee eater thrive more successfully here. You are
in the heart of the cultural triangle and you can also visit
the ruined city of Polonnaruwa or the rock fortress of Sigiriya
on request. We have also included a guided walk in Ritigala,
a rarely visit Cultural Site in a beautiful natural setting.
We’ve recommended staying at the four-star Amaya Lake
overlooking the Kandalama Reservoir.
Accommodation profile:Amaya
Lake can be counted among the select number of hotels in the
cultural triangle. A luxurious calm settles over this excellent
eco-friendly hotel. Low-level buildings, giving a sense of calm
and natural light, blend subtly with the surrounding woodland
and the interior décor combines tradition with comfort.
Extensive grounds lead down to the lake and include a "quiet
zone" where you can listen to bird song.
Day 15: Leave the Cultural Triangle and return
towards the airport for your flight home the following day.
Spend your last evening at Horathapola Estate, a tranquil Colonial-style
boutique hotel situated in a spice and fruit estate just to
the north of Katunayake Airport. The hotel is hidden within
a vast green coconut belt and is an idyllic rural paradise.
Accommodation profile:
Horathapola Estate is a small five-bedroom British planter's
house that was built in the 1920's. The building, surrounded
by well-clipped lawns and breathtaking hardwood trees, has been
simply and tastefully renovated and the result is a calm and
peaceful atmosphere. The estate, which produces coconut, mango,
pineapple and spices, is still run by the Fernando family, Javana
and Pia, who add a friendly, laid-back but efficient air. The
Sri Lankan rice and curries, cooked in traditional clay pots
over a firewood flame, are mouth-wateringly delicious with many
of the ingredients grown on the estate.
Day 16: Depart in good time for
your flight home.
Cost: TBC
Package price includes:
•
15 night’s accommodation on twin-sharing BB
basis (Club Villa on HB, Rainforest
Edge on FB) • Air-conditioned car and
English-speaking driver with birding
expertise for tour • Entrance fees and
jeep hire: Yala, Uda Walalwe, Bundala, Sinharaja
Rainforest and Horton Plains •
Cultural sites: Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Ritigala
and Dambulla Cave Temples • Guided trek
in Knuckles mountain range
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hotels in the United Kingdom. [ Check
our licence ]
Sri Lanka is a birdwatcher’s delight. This tropical
island attracts more than 400 species, nearly half of them
migrants and more than 20 endemic to Sri Lanka. The best time
to visit is between November and March, when the migrants
have landed, but there is plenty to satisfy you all year round.
