Adventure Birding 14-Day Tour
Price US$2,835
(based on two people sharing)
Price includes: Arrival / Departure transfers + tour in an air-conditioned vehicle - Accommodation on full Board basis (Lunch, Dinner & Breakfast) during the entire programme - Jeep services - All entrance fees, hotel tipping and portage - Services of a local Tour Leader - All taxes.
The price does not include: Visas*, Air Line tickets, Drinks, Bottled Water, Alcohol, laundry, telephone calls and Personal Tipping to Driver and Guide, Yala Trackers, Boat crew etc... (a charge of $50 per person will come into effect on Chrsitmas eve and New Year's Eve)
Single Occupancy Supplement $350
Reductions for larger groups: Price per person US$2,300 (3-4 persons), US$2.050 (5-7 persons)
*Sri Lanka has introduced a tourist visa that must be obtained in advance from 1st January 2012. These are in the form of Electronic Travel Authorization obtainable on-line for US$50 per person.
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival - Kitulgala
Arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayaka and transfer to Kithulgala then afternoon birding around Kithulgala.
Target species: Ceylon Green-Pigeon, Green-Billed Coucal, Chestnut-Backed Owlet, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Black-Backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Yellow-Fronted Barbet, Crimson-Backed Flameback.
Overnight: Kithulgala
Day 2 Kitulgala
After breakfast a full day birding in Kithulgala Forest Reserve.
Target species: Black Eagle, Rufous-Bellied Eagle, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ceylon Junglefowl, Ceylon Green-Pigeon, Ceylon Hanging-Parrot, Layard's Parakeet, Green-Billed Coucal, Serendib Scops-Owl, Chestnut-Backed Owlet, Brown Hawk-Owl, Ceylon Frogmouth, Black-Backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Ceylon Swallow, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Yellow-Fronted Barbet, Black-Capped Bulbul, Gold-Fronted Leafbird, Spot-Winged Ground-Thrush, Legge's Flowerpecker, Brown-Capped Babbler, Ceylon Rufous Babbler, Ceylon Hill-Myna, Ceylon Crested Drongo.
Overnight: Kithulgala
Day 3 Kitulgala
After breakfast full day birding in Kithulgala Forest Reserve.
Overnight: Kithulgala
Day 4 Kitulgala - Sinharaja
After breakfast we shall continue birding around Kithulgala & proceed to Sinharaja. In the afternoon we will have time for some birding around Sinharaja.
Target species: Ceylon Hanging-Parrot, Plum-Headed Parakeet, Ceylon Small Barbet, Yellow-Fronted Barbet, Ceylon Swallow, Forest Wagtail, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Gold-Fronted Leafbird, Loten's & Purple-Rumped Sunbird.
Overnight: Sinharaja.
Day 5 Sinharaja
After breakfast full day excursion to Sinharaja, which is a World Heritage Wilderness Area.
Target species: Crested Goshawk, Besra Sparrowhawk, Rufous-Bellied Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black Eagle, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ceylon Junglefowl, Ceylon Woodpigeon, Red-Faced Malkoha, Green-Billed Coucal, Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo, Serendib Scops-Owl, Chestnut-Backed Owlet, Ceylon Frogmouth, Malabar Trogon, Yellow-Browed Bulbul, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Spot-Winged Ground Thrush, Ceylon Scaly Thrush, Ceylon Rufous Babbler, Ashy-Headed Laughing Thrush, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Ceylon Blue Magpe, White-Faced Starling, Ceylon Hill-Myna.
Mammals: Purple-Faced Leaf Monkey, S L Giant Squirrel, Layard’s Striped Squirrel, Indian Palm Squirrel.
Overnight: Sinharaja
Day 6 Sinharaja
After breakfast we will have another full day birding in the Sinharaja Heritage Wilderness Area.
Overnight: Sinharaja
Day 7 Sinharaja - Embilipitiya
After breakfast at Sinharaja we will be leaving for Embilipitiya.
In the afternoon there will be a Jeep safari in Uda Walawe National Park famed for its elephants and other large mammals.
Target species: Spot-Billed Pelican, Oriental Darter, Cormorants, Lesser Adjutant, Montagu’s Harrier, Pied Harrier, Crested Hawk-Eagle, White-Bellied Sea-Eagle, Grey-Headed Fish-Eagle, Barred Buttonquail, Ceylon & Orange-Breasted Green-Pigeon, Plum-Headed Parakeet, Blue-Faced Malkoha, Sirkeer Malkoha, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Prinias.
Mammals: Toque Monkey, Grey Langur, Golden Jackal, Mongoose, Elephant, Spotted Deer, Water Buffalo, SL Giant Squirrel.
Overnight: Embilipitiya
Day 8 Embilipitiya - Tissamaharama
After breakfast and some birding around Uda Walawe National Park we will move on to Tissamaharama.
In the afternoon we will visit Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary.
Target species: Waders and other water birds, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Great Thick-Knee, Pintail Snipe, Water Cock, Alexandrine Parakeet, Rose-Ringed Parakeet, Coppersmith Barbet, Ceylon Small Barbet, Ceylon Woodshrike, White-Browed Bulbul.
Overnight: Tissamaharama
Day 9 Tissamaharama
After breakfast there will be a jeep safari in Yala National Park.
Target species: Painted & Black-Necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Black-Winged Stilt, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Great Thick-Knee, Small Pratincole, Yellow-Wattled & Red-Wattled Lapwing, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Little-Ringed, Kentish, Mongolian & Greater Sand Plover, Marsh, Wood & Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Bengal Bushlark, Ashy-Crowned Finch-Lark, Brahminy Starling, Rosy Starling.
Mammals: Toque Monkey, Grey Langur, Golden Jackal, Mongooses, Sloth Bear, Leopard. Elephant, Wild Boar, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Water Buffalo, Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel.
The afternoon will be spent birding around Tissamaharama Tanks.
Overnight: Tissamaharama
Day 10 Tissamaharama
After breakfast we will take a jeep safari in Bundala National Park.
Target species: Greater Flamingo, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Watercock, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Great Thick-Knee, Small Pratincole, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Little-Ringed, Kentish, Mongolian & Greater Sand Plover, Marsh, Wood, Terek & Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Brown-Headed Gull, Caspian, Great-Crested, Lesser-Crested, Gull-Billed, Whiskered, White-Winged, Saunders’s & Little Tern, Oriental Skylark, Brahminy Starling, Rosy Starling.
Mammals: Toque Monkey, Grey Langur, Golden Jackal, Mongoose, Elephant, Water Buffalo.
The afternoon will be spent birding around wetlands in the Tissamaharama area.
Target species: Spot-Billed Pelican, Black-Crowned Night-Heron, Yellow Bittern, Black Bittern, Lesser Whistling-Duck, Cotton Teal, Oriental Darter, Purple Heron, Brahminy Kite, Watercock, Pied Crested Cuckoo, Indian Scops-Owl, Brown Fish-Owl, Stork-Billed Kingfisher, White-Naped Flameback, Indian Reed-Warbler, Baya Weaver.
Overnight: Tissamaharama
Day 11 Tissamaharama - Surrey Estate - Nuwara Eliya
After breakfast leave for Nuwara Eliya, visiting Surry Estate en route.
In the afternoon we will be birding in Victoria Park.
Target species: Forest Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow-Eared Bulbul, Indian Blue Robin, Pied Ground-Thrush, Indian Pitta, Kashmir Flycatcher, Ceylon White-Eye.
Overnight: Nuwara Eliya
Day 12 Nuwara Eliya
Today will be a very early start in order to visit Horton Plains National Park so we will take a picnic breakfast
Target species: Ceylon Wood Pigeon, Yellow-Eared Bulbul, Pied Bush Chat, Ceylon Scaly Thrush, Ceylon Whistling Thrush, Common Blackbird, Sri Lanka Bush-Warbler, Grey-Headed Canary, Kashmir & Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Velvet-Fronted Nuthatch, Ceylon White-Eye. Purple-Faced Leaf Monkey, Sambar.
In the afternoon we will be birding in the Nuwara Eliya area.
Target species: Ceylon Woodpigeon, Forest Wagtail, Pied Flycatcher-Shrike, Yellow-Eared Bulbul, Pied Bush Chat, Ceylon Scaly Thrush, Common Blackbird, Sri Lanka Bush-Warbler, Rusty-Rumped Warbler, Large-Billed Leaf-Warbler, Great Tit, Velvet-Fronted Nuthatch, Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Kashmir Flycatcher, Ceylon White-Eye, Pied Bushchat.
Overnight: Nuwara Eliya
Day 13 Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
After breakfast we will leave for Kandy.
In the afternoon we will visit the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya.
Target species: Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Alexandrine Parakeet, Ceylon Small Barbet, Large Cuckooshrike, Indian Pitta.
Overnight: Kandy
Day 14 Kandy - Airport
After breakfast we will visit the Udawattakele Sanctuary.
Target species: Emerald Dove, Ceylon Hanging Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, Yellow-Fronted Barbet, Ceylon Small Barbet, Crimson-Backed Flameback, White-Rumped Shama, Tickell’s Blue Flyctacher, Brown-Capped Babbler, Common Hill-Myna.
In the afternoon we will leave for a hotel near the Airport where you can rest and change before dinner and the homeward flight
Late night Departure
