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From $ 6,500 per person

Wildlife of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka
17 days (16 nights)
Early mornings trekking under a rainforest canopy teeming with life or drifting alongside island-hopping elephants. Afteroons cycling to wildlife hideouts or following leopards along dusty tracks. And nights, seeking civets under a star-filled sky. Our wildlife tour of Sri Lanka is a nature-lover’s dream.

From the bountiful elephants, macaque and junglefowl to the elusive leopards, sloth bears and pangolin, combining these fascinatingly varied parks ensures sensationally diverse wildlife experiences.

Inspired? Tell us what you most want to see or do, and we’ll design a bespoke itinerary built around your own highlights.

Your private driver will meet you at the airport and you’ll head north for the unspoilt, vast wilderness of Wilpattu. Along the way, keep an eye out for monkeys leaping between the coconut plantations or herons fishing the paddy fields and coastal lagoons.
You have morning and evening jeep safari drives in Wilpattu National Park today, accompanied by a ranger. Immersed in the park’s tranquillity and biodiversity, you’ll follow remote tracks, past the sand-rimmed “willu” watering holes, seeking leopards, eagles, elephants and wild boar.
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  • Morning and evening safari drives

Cutting southeast across the island, you’ll leave the dry, lowland wilderness for the lush, misty highlands of the Central Province. You’ll get a fabulous overview of the island, seeing mud-brick homes, majestic stupas, vibrant roadside stalls, dense jungle and cloud-forest ridges punctuated by steep valleys.

In the company of a knowledgeable naturalist, you’re setting off for a day-long trek in the Knuckles Forest Reserve, known for its incredible biodiversity. You’ll walk deserted pathways, climb cliffs, navigate cloud forests and descend past dramatic waterfalls and wildflower meadows.
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  • Half or full day guided trek in Knuckles Forest Reserve
After driving to Gal Oya, you’ll head out on a bird watching trek with the hotel’s resident naturalist. Winding through the jungle, you’ll emerge at the Gal Oya Lake with time to sit and stare, spotting kingfishers, kites, eagles and a plethora of aquatic birds.
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  • Afternoon naturalist-guided ornithological walk
From serenely boating alongside crocodiles and inter-island swimming elephants, to off-the-beaten track cycling to lesser-visited lakes and secret wildlife hideouts, your day is spent fully immersed in Gal Oya’s ecological reserve. Finish up with a forest-based night walk, tracking nocturnal delights such as civets and Pangolin.
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  • Morning boat safari on Senanayake Reservoir, afternoon naturalist-guided cycle ride, jungle night walk
After a morning’s drive to Kumana National Park, you’re heading out on a safari drive offering quiet, intimate wildlife encounters. Criss-crossing the coastal lagoons, mangroves and thorny scrub, you’ll find yourself in a bird-watcher’s paradise while trailing elephants, wild boar, deer, macaques, langurs and crocodiles.
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  • Afternoon safari drive in Kumana National Park
You have morning and evening safari drives today, accompanied both times by an experienced naturalist. You’ll punctuate your wildlife experiences with swims in the Kumbukan River, sundowners on its banks and guided stargazing or astrology sessions under the night skies
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  • Morning and evening safari drives in Kumana National Park, evening stargazing session
Head deeper into the park today with a full-day safari exploring this remote and diverse ecosystem. You’ll wander the jungle-clad archaeological remains, visit the mouth of the river and track foraging elephants, soaring birds of prey, slinking leopards and basking crocodiles, to the ever-present cacophony of bird song.
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  • Full day safari drive
A final morning game drive to seek out the more elusive inhabitants, before you head south to Yala National Park. The country’s best-known wildlife sanctuary, Yala is famed for having the highest leopard density in the world across diverse landscapes of forests, grasslands, lagoons and beaches.
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  • Morning safari drive in Kumana National Park
You’ll head out on two, ranger-led safari drives into Yala National Park today. While your main aim might be to spot a leopard, you’re likely to see plenty of elephants, deer, wild boar, jackals and mongoose alongside plenty of langurs, macaques and over 200 species of bird.
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  • Morning and evening safari drives into Yala National Park
You’re driving along Sri Lanka’s southern coastline today, getting a taste for the rich maritime heritage as you pass through traditional fishing villages. On arrival in Tangalle, you have time to explore this relaxed coastal town, prized for its turquoise waters and golden beaches.
You have a free day to relax. You might choose to wander the laid-back town, canoe around the mangroves of the lagoon, head out to explore on mountain bikes or simply sway over the sands in a palm-strung hammock.
Leaving the sun-soaked coastline behind, you’re journeying into the lush, misty interior of Sri Lanka’s lowland rainforests. As the air becomes cooler and more humid, towering trees, dense jungle and a chorus of tropical birdsong signal your arrival into the Sinharaja Rainforest.
With an early start, you’re trekking deep into the rainforest with a guide to explore Sri Lanka’s most biodiverse ecosystem. You’ll find a jungle teeming with life, including endemic birds, troops of purple-faced langurs and colourful frogs within a plethora of orchids, ferns and towering trees draped in vines.
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  • Morning nature trek
A relaxed coastal town with a vibrant morning fish market and striking colonial-era architecture, Nogombo is your final destination. With a free afternoon, you could wander the Dutch Fort and canal, dip into the ornate cathedral or watch the fishing boats haul their catch onto the beach.
You’ll be driven to the airport today with plenty of time to check in for your flight home. Time to look back through your photos and relive the diverse wildlife encounters you have experienced during your visit.

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What our travellers say

If Red Dot ever ceased to exist and I wanted to return to Sri Lanka I would probably go somewhere else instead. They were, in every way shape and form, impeccable. From Samanthie who created the itinerary to Wicky who drove us here, there and everywhere I cannot imagine anybody doing it better. Impeccable. I need say no more except it doesn’t get any better.
Stuart (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
We chose this company as we wanted our money to benefit the people of Sri Lanka rather than international companies. Their work supports smaller businesses, projects and communities as well as the environment
Jessica E (August 2025) London, UK Read the whole review here Feefo
Our 11th visit to this magical Island with always something new to discover and see. This time we made it up north to Jaffna, via Mannar Island, after beginning in the tea country and acclimatising to the heat, after leaving a very cold UK in January. We had total confidence that RedDot would organise everything to perfection, having used them many times before
Roy L (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo
We had a fantastic holiday. The itinerary and choice of hotels was spot on, and seamlessly organised.
Charlotte (August 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Exceptional tour of Sri Lanka with Dami. We cannot recommend Dami at Red dot tours highly enough. As our guide over 9 days he made sure that our trip to Sri Lanka was unforgettable- always going above & beyond to impart his knowledge, show us things off the beaten track, looking after us, getting us to try many local delicacies & making us laugh .. a LOT. Cannot imagine anyone doing a better job- if we could take him with us on every holiday we would!
Sarah (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo
Dulmini did a great job listening to our wishes and arranged an itinerary that was very busy but met all our needs. Sisira, our guide, was outstanding, providing us with great local knowledge and suggesting other activities on our travels. He was a great driver on the busy Sri Lankan roads, was always punctual but above all added colour to the whole trip.
Malcolm (April 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
I cannot recommend Red Dot Tours more highly. Thank you so much to Samanthie for her patience with me and all her hard work at putting together the perfect itinerary for my family. I had done a lot of research before I contacted Red Dot and Samanthie created a tour that fitted in all the activities we wanted to do and secured the hotels I told her we would like to stay in (not easy to do in high season).
Nina (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Wow what can I say, from start to finish we have had a wonderful holiday with Red Dot Tours. Dulmini was so helpful in putting an itinerary together for us as a family of 6 and catering to all of our needs. We have ticked off so many of Sri Lanka’s beautiful sights during our trip. Dulmini and Dhanu were a great help to us while we were out on our travels too.
Anupa (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here TripAdvisor
We spent 13 days on a Bawa tour with wonderful driver and guide Manjula, including Kandalama Heritance, The Kandy House, The Last House, Jetwing Yala, Jetwing Lighthouse and Club Villa hotels. We are 3 friends, one of them in the wheelchair. Dulmini Ekanayake from Red Dot Tours was very helpful and very patient and found solutions to all our special demands.
Rene (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
The itinerary was absolutely perfect and the hotels wonderful, especially Thotalagala, The Warden’s House and 41 Lighthouse Street. Our driver, Indika, was a delight-charming, knowledgeable, considerate and always punctual; he showed us more of this amazing country than we could have hoped for!
Karen - United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Wanted to take a moment to thank RedDot Tours, and specifically Jayandi for helping book a wonderful family vacation for my family and I. First time for my family and Jayandi took care of every detail, was so courteous and professional, and genuinely cared about our experience in SL. I would also like to mention Pradeep, our kind and understanding guide/chauffeur who took such good care of us while we were out and about. I cannot recommend RedDot enough!
Bob (November 2024) United States Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
We used Red Dot for the first time for our holiday in Sri Lanka. Dulmini put together such a wonderful experience for us, creating an itinerary she drew up after many discussions about what we like and also gave us suggestions for excursions and activities. It was totally bespoke and we were able to make changes throughout this process.
Gill (March 2025) Kent, United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
This is an excellent tour company. They planned our Sri Lankan holiday from start to finish. The trip was initially planned for 2022 but due to Covid and other issues we didn’t manage to undertake the trip until this year. Throughout all this time we had the same travel advisor Lahiru who responded quickly to my emails and rearranged and adjusted our holiday each year!
Anne (January 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
As a group of 8 we have had the most fabulous tour of Sri Lanka organised by Dulmini from RedDot who totally understood my brief of "some" culture, agriculture, nature, trekking and relaxation. The hotels chosen were a wonderful mixture of homestay, tented and pure luxury (Ceylon Tea Trails). The experiences to local villages, trekking the Pekoe Trail and climbing Pidurangala were memorable and our wonderful guide, Ananda, was so informative and knowledgeable and adapted to our needs admirable (not easy with a group of 8)
Anna (February 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
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