Bustards Birding Tours

Day 01- arrival and overnight Negombo

Upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, you will be welcomed by local ground staff and transferred to your hotel nearby. Check into your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Hotel- Goldi Sands Hotel

Day 02- Kitulgala

After breakfast, leave Negombo heading toward the west to our first birding base, the lush lowlands of Kitulgala (4 hours drive).

One of the best lowland rainforest sites which a high rate of endemic species. Road side birding will occur as we travel, and given the high density of species, you may tick your first lifers even before you reach the destination. Arrive at the hotel for lunch.

After lunch begin birding in the surrounding areas. Endemic birds we’ll be looking for include Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Orange-billed Babbler, Brown-capped Babbler, Chestnut-backed Owlet (below), Sri Lanka Drongo, Spot-winged Thrush & Yellow-fronted Barbet.

Apart from the endemics, other interesting birds we’ll be on the lookout for include Square-tailed Bulbul, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher & Malabar Trogon.

Key reptile species which can be seen: Sri Lanka Pit Viper, Whistling Lizard, Lowland Kangaroo Lizard, Green Vine Snake & Ornate Flying Snake.

Mammal species we may encounter: Purple-faced Langur, Toque Macaque, Giant Rock Squirrel

Hotel- The Plantation Hotel

Day 03- Kitulgala

Today spend the full day exploring the Makandawa Rainforest which is an amazing lowland rainforest eco system teeming with unique bird species.

Some more endemics we look for on this day include: Serendib Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Green-billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, White-faced Starling, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Crimson-backed Flameback, Yellow-eared Bulbul (featured right), Sri Lanka Hill Myna, Sri Lanka Spurfowl & Sri Lanka Thrush.

Hotel- The Plantation Hotel

Day 04 – Nuwara Eliya

One more session of birding in Kitulgala, where depending on current news of its whereabouts we will try for the secretive Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush.

After breakfast we will commence our ascent to reach the cooler interiors of Nuwara Eliya (1,890m) (6 hours drive). We will stop for any ‘good’ birds noted along the way, but principally the morning is for driving today. Nuwara Eliya is the most famous hill station in Sri Lanka, named by some “Little England”, as it still bears evidence of its colonial past with its English-style holiday homes, a racecourse, vegetable gardens, shooting ranges, an urban park, a few pubs, flower gardens, and a fine 18-hole golf course.

As we ascend, vast stretches of tea gardens dominate the landscape, a cash crop introduced by the British, which is currently the country’s third-highest revenue earner.
We arrive at our hotel and break for lunch.

A serious drop in temperature (around 10-15 degrees Centigrade) at Nuwara Eliya will necessitate warmer layers!

In the afternoon we explore some birding hotspots in the highlands. Some highland endemics which you can keep an eye out for are: Dull Blue Flycatcher (right), Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler & Sri Lanka White-eye.

Other good highland birds include Kashmir Flycatcher, Indian Blackbird, Sykes’s Warbler, Green Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Slaty-legged Crake, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Dark-fronted Babbler, Common Tailorbird & Pale-billed Flowerpecker.

Mammals which can be seen in Nuwara Eliya area- Highland Subspecies of the Purple-faced Langur, Toque Macaque & Dusky Squirrel

Hotel- Heaven Seven Hotel

Day 05- Nuwara Eliya/Horton Plains

With an early start with a picnic breakfast set off to get to the high elevation Horton Plains National Park, where you will spend time in the forest looking for high-value montane targets. Some key species are – Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Dull Blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka

White-eye, and Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon. Mixed-species bird flocks are to be found in this forest, comprised of both white-eye species, Orange Minivet, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher & Bar- winged Flycatcher-shrike.

Some key mammal species are- Sambar, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Indian Brown Mongoose, Sri Lanka Leopard & Eurasian Otter.

In the afternoon descend back to near Nuwara Eliya, and continue birding in the region for any species one might have missed.

Hotel- Hotel Heaven Seven

Day 06- Tissamaharama

After an early breakfast head down to Tissamaharama (4.5 hours drive), your base for 3 nights as you explore this excellent area for a wide-range of birds and big mammals.

We arrive at the hotel in time for lunch.

After lunch, head towards the Tissa and Deberawewa wetlands. These are great for many species of waterbirds such as Black, Yellow, and Cinnamon Bitterns, Watercock, Great Stone-Curlew, Indian Stone-Curlew, Eurasian Curlew, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Tibetan Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Small Pratincole, Western Reef Heron, Striated Heron, Little Egret, Black-headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-necked Stork, Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Spot-billed Pelican, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Garganey, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Caspian Tern, White-winged Tern, Whiskered Tern, Common Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Little Tern, Brown-headed Gull, & Greater Flamingo. Non waterbird targets include Clamorous Reed Warbler, Eurasian Hoopoe, Ashy- crowned Sparrow-Lark, Brown Fish Owl, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, and Ashy Drongo.

Also a local village contact will take you to their village gardens, which have confirmed roosting sites of Jungle Owlet, Barn Owl, Oriental Scops Owl & Brown Fish Owl.

By late evening head to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Hotel- Hibiscus Garden Hotel

Day 07- Tissamaharama

Early morning head to Yala National Park for your first game drive. The main focus is on photographing the elusive leopard and secretive Sloth Bear (below). Besides these two iconic species you will also see plenty of other mammals such as the Asian Elephant, Wild Boar, Asian Buffalo, Chital (below), Sambar, Grey Langur, as well as the Marsh Crocodile.

In the afternoon head to a different zone in Yala National Park for a game drive this would give a very good chance of seeing leopards. Yala National Park is divided into several zones, and your guide will choose the zone for the day depending on the latest sightings.

Hotel- Hibiscus Garden Hotel

Day 08- Tissamaharama

Early morning we hop on a safari jeep and head towards Bundala National Park with a packed breakfast (1 hour from hotel). You will spend the morning birding the fascinating habitats of Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar site.

This is the premier site for waterbirds, and you can often get close to the birds in the vehicles to get very good photographic opportunities. You will get there as early as possible to maximize our time in this wonderful set of habitats.

Some of the species possible here are similar to the previous wetlands. Further species we will look for here include Barred Buttonquail, Painted Stork, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Greater Painted-Snipe, Common Ringed Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Terek Sandpiper, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Blue-faced Malkoha, Sirkeer Malkoha, Chestnut- headed Bee-eater, Indian Pitta, Forest Wagtail, Oriental Skylark, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Rosy Starling, Streaked and Baya Weavers, and Indian Silverbill.

Return back to hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon head back to Yala National Park for a chance to see more leopards. Hotel- Hibiscus Garden Hotel
Day 09- Udawalawe
In the morning spend some time birdwatching again in Tissa and Debarawewa.

After breakfast drive to the dry lowlands of Udawalawe National Park. After checking in at the accommodation for lunch, hop on a safari jeep and explore the fantastic Udawalawe National Park in search of dry-zone birds, which abound here.

Hotel- Elephant Trails Day 10- Udawalawe

Spend today exploring the outskits of Udawalawe which is a hotspot this time of year for very rare migrants and vagrant species.

Other birds we will be on the lookout for at Udawalawe National Park include dry-zone specials such as Malabar Pied Hornbill, Sirkeer Malkoha, Indian Silverbill, Barred Buttonquail, Lesser Adjutant, and if lucky Brown Fish Owl. With its vast open expanses the park also harbors a rich diversity of exciting raptors, such as Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Western Osprey, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Booted Eagle, Shaheen – the resident race of Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Crested Honey Buzzard, & Shikra. In addition to excellent birds a visit to Udawalawe also presents a good opportunity to observe Asian Elephant and the elusive Jungle Cat, both of which are found in good numbers in the park. As dusk falls we will look for Indian Nightjar and Jerdon’s Nightjar in the scrub near our accommodation, likely serenaded by a chorus of Indian Pittas as the sun sets.

Hotel- Elephant Trails

Day 11- Sinharaja

After some early morning birding and breakfast we will drive to the amazing Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which represents the largest expanse of lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka and the premier site for endemics.

A highlight of birding in Sinharaja is seeing mixed-species bird flocks, which is a strategy adopted by birds in the tropics to maximize feeding efficiency and to reduce the risk of predation; these flocks are likely to be led by Orange-billed Babbler and Sri Lanka Drongo. The star of these flock- specials is the enigmatic Red-faced Malkoha – a canopy dwelling endemic, found typically at heights of 25-35 meters, with a remarkable ability to melt away into the dense thickets. White-faced Starling too keeps to the canopy. Ashy- headed Laughingthrush, in comparison, is found in bottom levels of the flock, often scratching the forest floor for insect prey, and Malabar Trogon hawks insects in the subcanopy and remains largely silent.

Hotel- Jansen’s Bungalows

Day 12 and 13- Sinharaja

Spend the next two days exploring this lowland rainforest eco system. Your excellent village spotters would head to the forest early morning before light to try and locate some of the key elusive owls, such as the Serendib Scops Owl as well as the legendary Sri Lanka Bay Owl, and meet up with you and your guide to take you at dawn to see them.

You will also enter the main walking trail of Sinharaja Reserve where you can encounter more mixed feeding flocks as well as maybe Sri Lanka Frogmouth. The most iconic bird of Sinharaja arguably would be the beautiful Sri Lanka Blue Magpie who can be seen during your trails.

The next morning we head deep into a village road bordering the forest, to reach the edge where a pair of elusive Sri Lanka Spurfowl can be seen from time to time. This is also a great location for many other species of endemic birds. Your spotters and trackers will

guide you to the best locations at the time of travel may it be a nesting site of Chestnut-backed Owlets, or Layard’s Parakeets or the even rarer Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl.

Hotel- Jansen’s Bungalows

Day 14- Airport

After an early session of birding, and breakfast, you will checkout from your property and journey back towards the airport (3 hours’ drive) to catch your flight back home

Cost of the tour is available on request

Inclusions:

• Shared accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
• Guided by a top Sri Lankan Naturalist Guide.
• Transfers in comfortable tour vans with air conditioning
• All park and reserve fees and entrances
• All activities mentioned in the itinerary
• Bottled drinking water (we provide refillable bottles for each guest) and a large 20L purified drinking water can in the vehicle to refill and avoid single use plastics
• Detailed species check list for each guest
• All govt taxes and levies

Above cost does not include:

• PCR or other COVID tests/costs if applicable
• Travel or other insurance
• Airfare
• Alcoholic and other beverages
• Items of a personal nature Tips and Gratuities

Field guide for the region: Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Helm Field Guides

MAP OF THE TOUR