Sinharaja Rainforest Trek
A day inside Sinharaja, the rainforest reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988, where 20 of Sri Lanka’s 26 endemic bird species live and most of the trees are found nowhere else. Designed for travellers staying on the south coast, in Galle, Unawatuna, Mirissa or nearby.
- Day
- Easy to moderate
- From USD 195
- Private: just your group
- SLTDA-licensed guide
From the coast to the forest
Pickup from your hotel on the south coast at dawn for the drive inland to the reserve. It is a long day, and the early start is what makes it work.
Walking the reserve
Every visitor to Sinharaja walks with a licensed guide assigned at the gate: that is the reserve’s rule, and we arrange it. Routes range from the 3 km Research Loop at Kudawa to longer walks into the interior; we choose one to suit your group and the weather. Watch for the Sri Lanka blue magpie, the rare red-faced malkoha and the endemic birdwing butterfly.
Back to the beach
After the walk, the drive back to your hotel on the coast.
Read more in our Sinharaja guide. Another southern rainforest: Kanneliya.
Card photo: A.Savin, Wikimedia Commons, Free Art License.
Where it happens
Les repères numérotés correspondent à la liste ci-dessous. Ils indiquent les lieux mentionnés sur cette page, et non un itinéraire précis : c'est votre guide qui définit le parcours le jour même.
- Galle: Pickup area on the south coast.
- Mirissa: Pickup area on the south coast.
- Sinharaja, Kudawa entrance: The most-used entrance to the reserve, where the gate guide joins you.
On every trip
- Privé : Rien que votre groupe et votre guide, à votre rythme.
- Led by an SLTDA-licensed guide, who knows the route and the conditions on the day.
- Prise en charge et dépose on the south coast; ask us about other bases.
- Chaussettes anti-sangsues are provided. You will get wet feet: bring a rain layer in any season.
Bring walking shoes with good grip, a rain jacket, water and sun protection. If weather makes a trail unsafe, we’ll move your day. See the liste des affaires à emporter.
Price
From USD 195 per person, all in, including the reserve entry and the gate guide the reserve requires. Includes your own guide and private transport from the south coast.
Prices are per person for two people sharing a private trip, in US dollars. Solo travellers can book online too; larger groups and premium hotels are quoted on request. Guide gratuities and anything marked as extra are not included.
Quand y aller
Sinharaja gets rain all year; the question is how much. The drier windows are January to March and August to September. Leeches are heaviest from May to November.
Book with confidence
- Pay online in US dollars. We confirm your date by email, usually within 24 hours.
- If we cannot run your date, you get a full refund.
- If weather makes the trail unsafe, we move your day.
- Led by an SLTDA-licensed guide. Your group only, at your pace.
Full terms: politique de remboursement.
Plan your forest day
Tell us where you are staying on the coast, your dates and how many of you are coming.