| Day 01 |
Arrive in Sri Lanka to be met by a representative of HEMTOURS and transfer Bolgoda, Colombo. |
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Arrive and check in at Villa Talangama - `village in the city’ surrounded by paddy fields, lotus filled lakes and birds everywhere - perched on the veranda, on trees, and even on the buffalo that relax on the lakeside. |
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Overnight : Villa Talangama |
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| Day 02 |
Wake up to soothing sounds of the birds chirping. After breakfast, stroll the roads outside the villa where village life unfolds. |
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The surrounding Talangama wetlands is a birder’s paradise with over 45 species of birds inhabiting this area including Purple Swamp hens, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, White-breasted Water hens and Spotted Doves, along with the endemic Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys, water monitors and numerous species of butterflies.. |
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After lunch drive down to Colombo for a brief city tour. |
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Return to Talangama |
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Overnight : Villa Talangama |
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| Day 03 |
After breakfast, check out from the hotel and proceed to Hambantota, en route visit the Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda. |
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Arrive and check in at the hotel. Rest of the evening will be at leisure. |
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Overnight : Peacock Beach Hotel |
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| Day 04 |
After an early breakfast proceed on a Bird Watching Safari at Bundala Bird Sanctuary, a highly revered wetland ecosystems located on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, 20 km eastward from the town of Hambantota,. It has garnered international accalaim for its significant role in the conservation of shorbirds, 20,000 of which can be seen at any one time in the migratory season from August to April. |
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The brackish lagoons provide abundant food for the 149 species of visiting and resident birds recorded in Bundala. Migrant birds of 45 species come as far from Eastern Europe and Siberia. Of them all it is the dazzling Flamingo that comes from India that is the significant species of Bundala. The mile long beach borders Bundala and avifauna life is plentiful. Among them are the endangered sea turtles who make the beach their nesting place. The mixed scrub forest is the home to deer and water buffalo. Due to wetland habitat this is one of the best places to see the island’s two crocodile species, including the endangered estuarine variety. |
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With golden sand dunes rolling out to the ocean backed by a glistening wetland habitat teeming with birds, Bundala is one of the island’s treasures. |
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On completion return to the hotel. |
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Overnight : Peacock Beach Hotel |
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| Day 05 |
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Drive to Ratnapura and check in at the hotel, where the rest of the day will be spent at leisure. |
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Overnight : Martins Lodge |
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| Day 06 |
Early morning leave for Sinharaja Rain Forest with picnic breakfast packets. |
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SINHARAJA RAINFOREST is a world heritage site, which can also be described as a Tropical Lowland Rainforest or Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest. Whatever its ‘technical’ name, it is undoubtedly a rich treasure trove of nature with a great diversity of habitats and a vast repository of Sri Lanka’s endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Bird Watching in this ecosystem is particularly interesting because it is home to 95% of the endemic birds of Sri Lanka! Named as a world heritage site in 1989, this lowland evergreen rain forest is steeped in deep legend and mystery. The word ‘Sinharaja’ means, Lion (Sinha) King (Raja), and it is popular belief that the legendary origin of the Sinhala people is from the union between a princess and the lion king who once lived in the forest! |
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Return to the hotel and freshen up. Check out and proceed to Kithulagala with an en route visit to GILIMALE FOREST, a rain forest north-east of Rathnapura. Pompadour Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Ceylon (Malabar) Trogon, Three-toed(Oriental Dwarf) Kingfisher, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Indian Blue Chat(Robin), Green and Large-billed Leaf Warblers, Layard’s (Brown-breasted) Flycatcher, Indain Scimitar Babbler, Gold – fronted Chloropsis (Leafbird), Ceylon Crested Drongo. |
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Arrive and check in. |
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Overnight : Rafters Retreat |
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| Day 07 |
Early morning after breakfast leave for a bird watching trail in Kitulgala,
a rain forest across the Kelani River from Kithulgala resthouse, east of Colombo. At the foot of the central mountain massif, this is the area of higest rainfall in Sri Lanka. Mountain and rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagles, Besra Sparrowhawk, Crested Goshawk, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Ceylon Frogmouth, Ceylon(Malabar) Trogon, Ediblr-nest Swift(Indian Swiftler), Three-toed (Oriental Dwarf) and stork-billed Kingfishers, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Indian Blue Chat(Robin), Green and Largo-billed Leaf Warblers, Layard’s (Brown-breasted) Flycatcher, Paradise Flycatcher, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Gold- fronted Chloropsis(Leafbird), Ceylon Crested Drongo. |
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On completion, proceed to Waikkal and check in. |
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Rest of the day will be at leisure. |
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Overnight : Ranweli Holiday Resort |
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| Day 08 |
Early Morning leave for Anawilundawa bird sanctuary. |
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Sri Lanka is the southern most land mass of the Indu-Asian Flyway and is the final destination of migratory birds existing through western flyway, eastern flyway and via Andamon islands of the Indu-Malayan region. Therefore it is an important point for the migratory birds. The Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka has declared four Ramsar sites, which are hot spots of the migratory birds. |
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Return to Hotel for late breakfast. |
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Late afternoon visit the Marsh at Muthurajawela, which is one of the island’s most important wetland habitats, encompassing 3100 hectares of marshland, mangrove forest, located inland from the ocean and directly south of the Negombo Lagoon. Of this 1000 hectares is declared a sactuary and is the seasonal home for migrant shore birds and waders. |
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Overnight : Ranweli Holiday Resort |
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| Day 09 |
Departure transfer to the Airport |
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