Wildlife in Sri Lanka

12 days

Indicative cost incl. flights:

A typical 4* holiday costs from

£3,630 per person

(Based on two people travelling in February 2025. Prices can be cheaper with 3* properties or during rainy season, and more expensive with 5* hotels or during school holidays.)

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Negombo and Around

Uda Walawe National Park

Yala National Park

Galle

Bentota and West Coast

Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Day 1

Overnight flight to Sri Lanka.

Day 2

Today you will arrive in Colombo, where you will be met by your private chauffeur guide and car. You will be taken to your accommodation in Negombo or Gampaha where you can simply relax after your flight.

Day 3

You will head 5 hours south to Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Sri Lanka's last remaining primary forest. This afternoon you will enjoy a trek through Sinharaja with a local expert guide. Expect to see rare and endemic birds here; the scenery is also remarkable.

Day 4

Leave Sinharaja this morning and head 3 hours east to Uda Walawe National Park, an area famed for its lowland grassland and herds of wild elephant. This afternoon you will have a jeep safari in the national park.

Day 6

This morning you'll visit the Elephant Transit Centre, a home for orphaned elephants to prepare them for their release back into the wild. You cannot feed or touch these wild animals but we recommend that you watch them from the viewing platform at feeding time! Drive 2.5 hours to Yala National Park.

Day 7

You will experience a full day jeep safari inside Yala National Park today, an area famed for leopards, birds and sloth bear.

Day 8

This morning you will be driven around 2-2.5 hours to the coast of Tangalle, a beautiful location for your beach stay. This evening you will be taken to nearby Rekawa Beach; this is a breeding ground for five species of marine turtle and if you are lucky you can see them hatch.

Day 9

Enjoy a short tour around Tangalle to see highlights including the Hummanaya Blowhole and the Mulkirigala Rock Monastery. Rest of day at leisure to relax.

Day 10

Day at leisure to relax by the pool or beach.

Day 11

Today you will head 2 hours along the coast to Galle, a 17th century fort and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your chauffeur guide will give you a walking tour of Galle Fort.

Day 12

If you are visiting between December and April we will include our Whale Watching Boat Trip, as this area attracts both blue and sperm whales. This is a rare opportunity to see these remarkable creatures.

Day 13

This morning you will be driven back up to Colombo for your flight home after a wonderful wildlife-focused journey through Sri Lanka.

Where you'll go
What you'll do
Where you'll stay

Similar Holidays

Everything we do is tailor-made; our itineraries are just suggestions to give you an idea of what is possible. Please contact us so we can tailor the perfect holiday exclusively for you.

Our 12-day ‘Wildlife in Sri Lanka’ tour is absolutely perfect for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts who also want some relaxation on the beach after safari time. Sri Lanka has an incredibly high concentration of national parks considering its size and also a region of untouched primary rainforest. It’s home to a high density of wild elephant and leopard, and has a huge variety of migratory and endemic birds.

The tour starts with a night upon arrival in the fishing town of Negombo only 20 mins from the airport, or inland in rural Gampaha to relax after your flight. The following morning transfer 5 hours inland to Sinharaja Rainforest Reserve, Sri Lanka’s last remaining area of primary tropical rainforest, and a UNESCO World Heritage site because of this. Sinharaja escapes the tourist crowds and its undisturbed lands are home to over 50% of the island’s endemic species! Next up you’ll visit Udawalawe National Park, a wild area home to elephants, followed by Yala, a coastal national park with a great population of leopard and the nearby local village of Tissamaharama where you can experience traditional activities like buffalo curd making, fishing and Palmyrah weaving.

This trip also includes some time on the beach from which you can visit a turtle hatchery and go on a whale and dolphin watching boat trip. If you are a keen bird watcher, the nearby Bundala National Park is an easy reach on this itinerary and really is a hidden gem. Finally, end with a couple of nights in the charming old city of Galle within the Fort walls, its cobbled streets flooding with character.

1 night Negombo – 1 night Sinharaja Rainforest Reserve – 1 night Udawalawe National Park – 2 nights Yala National Park – 3 nights Tangalle Beach – 2 nights Galle