Limosa - Birdwatching and Wildlife Hoildays Worldwide

It would be difficult to think of a more perfect destination for birdwatchers to escape the winter blues than the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka. For despite lying so close to the southern tip of India, this Indian Ocean paradise has been isolated from the rest of Asia for so long as to have evolved more than 30 species of endemic birds. We should see most, if not all, of them on this Classic Sri Lanka tour - from the diminutive Legge’s Flowerpecker and comical Sri Lankan Hanging Parrot through to strutting Sri Lankan Junglefowl and the gorgeous Sri Lankan Blue Magpie. And with the help of our team of expert local guides, we may again be lucky to find the newly described Serendib Scops Owl, a species seen well by all our recent groups.

Sri Lanka’s appeal runs much deeper than this, however, for the one-time island of Ceylon also has many specialities shared only with southern India. Among them such delights as the peculiar Sri Lankan Frogmouth, the red-chested Malabar Trogon, Yellow-browed Bulbul, and the animated Loten’s and Purple-rumped Sunbirds.

A visit to Sri Lanka is even more welcome during Europe’s winter months - not just so we can enjoy some unseasonable sunshine and warmth, but because this bewitching tropical isle is also a winter retreat for large numbers of birds from farther north. Here we may thrill to the likes of Pintail Snipe, Blyth’s Reed and Green Warblers, Kashmir Flycatcher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, the highly sought-after Pied Thrush and the furtive Indian Pitta. We should also encounter some fine mammals during our stay, from Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel and Purple-faced Leaf Monkey to Asian Elephant. And this is a wonderful trip for anyone wishing to see something of Sri Lanka’s abundant and exotic butterflies, with their many appealing English names.

Sri Lanka is not only a very beautiful island, but its generally excellent tourist infrastructure allows birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts to explore prime habitats whilst, in the main, staying at some extremely good hotels. Those that wish to will be able to enjoy a little sightseeing at Kandy, with its famous ‘Temple of the Tooth’, and also pay a visit to a tea factory in the hills. Our finely-honed itinerary once again includes an extra night at the remote Blue Magpie Lodge for easy access to Sinharaja Forest, plus visits to the excellent wetlands on Sri Lanka’s west coast.

With upwards of 220 species likely on this tour, what could be better than spending a winter’s fortnight in the tropics, getting to know the birdlife of one of the world’s most enchanting island paradises?