Cream of Sri Lankan Nature: trekking, hiking, wildlife
Day 1
Time : 7:00 am
COLOMBO / KITULGALA
Meet and greet by a Serendipity Tours representative and drive to the hotel in Kitulgala. You will drive in beautiful countryside on a largely isolated road, and the journey takes around 2 hours. Check in at the hotel and rest. In the evening, leave for the restaurant on the bank of the Kelaniya River for the barbeque dinner.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Kitulgala
Day 2
Time : 8:00 am
KITULGALA
After breakfast, leave starts the day with whitewater rafting in the Kelaniya River. Later, take part in a village walk, a bird-watching tour, jungle trekking, and many other adrenaline-pumping activities.
WHITE WATER RAFTING
You will be taken on a 4-wheel-drive Jeep to the starting point of the white-water rafting. This is the set-off point for most whitewater adventures. This enthralling adventure lasts around 2 hours, with several stops on the way down the river. You will encounter 3 major rapids and 5 minor rapids. The difficulty level of whitewater rafting in Kitulgala is rated as 4. Therefore, in every whitewater rafting, the helm is taken by an experienced rafter provided by us, who manoeuvres the boat, while the others need to paddle the boat. There is no age limit or experience level to take part in the whitewater adventure.
BIRD WATCHING
You will walk through the village, jungle, and plantations and search for the indigenous bird. Kitulgala is a top pick among bird watchers in Sri Lanka, where you have the opportunity to see many species of birds. Nature lovers, in particular ornithologists, will be rewarded with sightings of the Crested Serpent Eagle, the Ceylon Spur Fowl, the Ceylon Hanging Parrot, and the Lay's Parakeet. Activities such as mountain biking, cultural sites and sites of fruit orchards and lowland tea plantations can be experienced in Kitulgala.
TREKKING THROUGH RAINFOREST
Experience various fauna and flora of the Rainforest of Kitulgala Forest Reserve and see the beautiful scenery of waterfalls and streams hidden inside the forest. Have a cool dip in a scenic flowing water stream during your Rain Forest Trek in the Jungle of Kitulgala.
Unlike the rainforest trek in Sinharaja, the rainforest trek in Kitulgala is not purely within a virgin rainforest. The trek includes a part of the village, rainforest, plantations, etc. The trek lasts around 2 hours, and our nature expert shows you the places of interest along the way while explaining the fauna and flora that you see during the trek.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Kitulgala
Day 3
Time : 7:00 am
KITULGALA / SINHARAJA
After breakfast at the hotel, leave for Sinharaja, the last remaining rainforest in Sri Lanka. Check in at the hotel and rest. In the afternoon, a guided rainforest trek with a nature guide.
SINHARAJA RAIN FOREST
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic, and many of them are considered rare. 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of animals (especially butterflies, amphibians, birds, snakes, and fish species). It is home to 95% endemic birds. The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988.
Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as at dry-zone national parks such as Yala. There are about 3 elephants and 15 or so [vague] leopards. The most common larger mammal is the endemic, purple-faced langur.
Birds tend to move in mixed feeding flocks, invariably led by the fearless Sri Lanka crested drongo and the noisy, orange-billed babbler. Of Sri Lanka's 26 endemic birds, the 20 rainforest species all occur here, including the elusive red-faced malkoha, green-billed coucal, and Sri Lanka blue magpie.
Reptiles include the endemic green pit viper and hump-nosed viper, and there are a large variety of amphibians, especially tree frogs. Invertebrates include the endemic Sri Lankan birdwing butterfly and leech.
SINHARAJA RAINFOREST TREK
After the lunch at the hotel, leave for the nearby Sinharaja Forest main entrance and set off on the rainforest exploration trip with our nature guide. This memorable trek in the Sinharaja forest lasts about 5 hours, and you will have the opportunity to enjoy the untamed wilderness of a natural rainforest.
overnight stay at Hotel in Sinharaja
Day 4
Time : 7:00 am
SINHARAJA / UDAWALAWE
After breakfast leave for Udawalawe. En route, visit waterfalls, check in, and enjoy leisure. In the afternoon safari at Udawalawe National Park.
UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
The safari at the national park of Udawalawe includes a ride through the jungle with a 4-wheel drive jeep, a jungle tracker, entrance fees for the site, and all taxes. Every traveller who enters the Udawalawe national park wishes to see a couple of wild elephants (Sri Lanka's biggest animal). Because Udawalawe is one of the best wildlife parks in the world to spot Asian elephants, it has the largest concentration of elephants compared to any other national park in the world.
Travellers can see many animal species like elephants, wild boars, deer, buffalo, monkeys, and many other animals with leopards. It also accommodates many species of vertebrates and birds.
overnight stay at Udawalawe
Day 5
Time : 8:00 am
UDAWALAWE / MIRISSA
After breakfast, proceed to the beach hotel in Mirissa. check-in and leisure in the beach resort.
MIRISSA BEACH
Mirissa is one of the most popular beach destinations in southern Sri Lanka, and for a good reason! The area has it all: beautiful Sri Lankan beaches, great waves for surfing, and waters teeming with marine life, from turtles to big blue whales. Spend your days enjoying fresh coconuts in your hammock, eating delicious food from beachside restaurants, and zooming around by motorbike. Four days is the perfect amount of time to absorb the laidback culture of this sunny beach town, enjoying all the top things to do in Mirissa.
Overnight stay Mirissa
Day 6
Time : 8:00 am
MIRISSA / COLOMBO
Early morning leave for a whale watching tour off the beaches of Mirissa; later proceed to Colombo. en-route visit, Galle, Madu river estuary, Hikkaduwa beach, turtle conservation project.
WHALE WATCHING MIRISSA
Whale watching tour
Mirissa is famous for blue whales, and tourists have seen them throughout the years, although whales are considered migrating mammals. While blue whales are around here most days, Bryde's whales and fin whales were also recorded a few days in each month. Sperm whale pods are seen in Mirissa mostly in a few days only in March and April. Killer whales and short-finned pilot whales are also spotted from time to time.
CITY OF GALLE
Galle is the capital of southern Sri Lanka and is an economic hub in the region. The history of Galle dates back many thousand years, and it has some remnants that are mentioned in the Ramayana (the Ramayana is a story supposed to take place about 8000 years ago). Galle was an important seaport for merchants travelling from east to west and vice versa. In the 1500s, Galle's maritime capital and natural port were under the captivity of the Portuguese. Later, it was controlled by the Dutch and English. Today the city is under local administration after 450 years of colonial occupation. Galle Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its cultural and historical importance.
GALLE FORT
The fort has a colourful history and today has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. The Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world. The heritage value of the fort has been recognised by UNESCO, and the site has been inscribed as a cultural heritage UNESCO World Heritage Site under criterion iv for its unique exposition of "an urban ensemble that illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the "Ramparts of Galle," withstood the Boxing Day tsunami, which damaged part of the coastal area of Galle town. It has since been restored. The Galle Fort also houses the elite Amangalla resort hotel, located near the Dutch Reformed Church. It was originally built in 1684 to house the Dutch Governor and his staff. It was then converted into a hotel and named the New Oriental Hotel in 1865, which catered to the European passengers travelling between Europe and Galle Port in the 19th century.
MADU GANGA BOAT RIDE
A cruise on a modern motorboat is the best way to explore the natural wealth of Madu Ganga; the islands in the wetland are largely inaccessible by road. The inhabitants are also using boats and more often paddle boats as the means of transport. Serendipity tours offer particularly appealing boat trips around Madu Ganga. This Ramsar Wetland is one of the most visited natural attractions on Sri Lanka’s west coast, with riverscapes to quiet, thickly grown islands and mangrove forests with sites of immense natural interest. There are plenty of opportunities to spot fascinating wildlife based in the aquatic environment throughout the tour.
SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Projects have been launched to conserve the population of turtles that are reaching extinction, and such projects are found along the southern coast of Sri Lanka, where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. The turtle digs a hole on the beach, lays her eggs and covers it with sand where it is supposed to, and incubates in the heat of the sun. What often happens is that the eggs are dug out by fishermen and sold to people who consume them.