Birds and wildlife

Sinharaja is famous for its mixed-species feeding flocks. Twenty or more species move through the trees together, usually led by the noisy orange-billed babbler and the Sri Lanka drongo. When one passes, stand still and let it come to you. You are also likely to see purple-faced langurs and giant squirrels, and a green or hump-nosed pit viper coiled beside the path. Leopards live here but are almost never seen. Book a guided bird-watching walk if birds are the main reason you are coming.

How to get to Sinharaja

Kudawa is roughly four hours by road from Colombo: leave the Southern Expressway at Dodangoda and head inland through Matugama and Kalawana. Phone signal drops out on the last stretch past Pothupitiya, so download your map before you go. For the Pitadeniya side, buses run from Matara to Deniyaya several times a day, a slow winding climb inland from the south coast. Most travellers hire a driver and add Sinharaja between the south coast and Udawalawe or the hill country.

Add Sinharaja to your trip plan and see it on a map alongside your other stops: Start planning your trip.

Where to stay

Base yourself in the guesthouses and eco-lodges around Kudawa and Weddagala for the northern trails, or in Deniyaya for Pitadeniya and Morningside. Many lodges near the forest edge run guided night walks for frogs, civets and sleeping birds, which are worth doing on your first evening.

Best time to visit Sinharaja

January to April is the driest stretch, and August and September are usually good as well. May to July and October to November bring the heaviest rain, and trails turn to mud. Rain is possible on any day, so pack a light waterproof whatever the month.

Know before you go

Leeches are everywhere, even in the dry months. Wear long trousers tucked into leech socks, closed shoes and repellent, and check yourself carefully after every walk. There are no shops or restaurants inside the reserve, so bring water in a reusable bottle and snacks, and eat only at the rest huts. A licensed guide is compulsory, foreigners pay a separate ticket that includes the guide, and you need your passport to buy it. Carry rupees, because card machines are unreliable.

Do not bathe in the streams unless your guide says the spot is safe, do not feed the monkeys, and take every bit of rubbish out with you. Removing plants or insects from the reserve is illegal.

Save the trails you want to walk, add a driver for the drive in, and send enquiries to local guides straight from your itinerary: Plan your Sri Lanka trip on VisitLanka.

Sinharaja