It says a lot that in a country with such a rich variety of flora and fauna, Sinharaja Forest Reserve is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve. That's because as the island's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest, it is home to almost two-thirds of its endemic trees and also boasts endemism rates of 50% for mammals and an astonishing 95% for bird species.
Your guide will lead you down overgrown trails, past streams, river and waterfalls on the lookout for wild animals and rare plants. It's the trees that conceal the rainforest's fauna – birds, tree frogs, monkeys and lizards. Even if you can't see them, you can listen out for the calls of the grey hornbills, or the sounds of monkeys in the treetops. The rarely sighted Sri Lankan leopard also prowls this territory, so keep your eyes peeled for a glimpse.
After the hike, sit down for lunch before returning to your hotel. Sinharaja is a veritable Garden of Eden just waiting to be discovered.
