Sri Lanka Jungle Tours and Treks
Sri Lanka jungle tours primarily revolve around rainforests and national parks such as Yala National Park, Kitulgala Rain Forest, and Sinharaja Rainforest, most of which are off-the-beaten-path tourist destinations. Wildlife, eco-travel, photography, and cultural immersion typically draw guests to the Sri Lanka jungle trek. The Sri Lanka 4-day southern tour, for example, includes many wildlife experiences, such as the Yala safari and whale watching off southern Sri Lanka.
Table of Contents
- Sri Lanka Jungle Tours and Treks
- What is the duration of the Sri Lanka jungle tour?
- When is the best time for the Sri Lanka Jungle Tours?
- Exploring rainforests on Sri Lanka Jungle Tours
- Rainforests and national parks for Sri Lanka jungle tours
- What are the 12 best places for Sri Lanka jungle tours?
- What are the main variations of Sri Lanka jungle tours?
- Sri Lanka forests for jungle tours and treks
- Visiting Nuwara Eliya on Sri Lanka Jungle Tours
- 1. Sri Lanka jungle tours: Sinharaja rainforest
Sri Lanka Jungle Tours and Treks
On Sri Lanka jungle tours, travelers will have the opportunity to encounter a wide range of tropical trees, plants, and animal species. In addition to the incredible wildlife experiences, travelers can learn about ancient native cultures on Sri Lanka jungle tours and treks while exploring places like Dambana, where aborigines are still based.
The travelers have a very good chance to encounter animals like elephants, leopards, buffaloes, bears, crocodiles, and many other animals on their Sri Lanka Jungle Tours. At the same time, during the Sri Lanka Jungle Tours, travelers encounter a wide range of fauna and flora in different varieties, such as birds, insects, spiders, geckos, orchids, and many other trees and plants. Sri Lankan jungle tours in national parks, rainforests, and nature reserves, as well as through intriguing mountain forests in high-altitude areas, are very interesting and certainly an unforgettable experience.
What is the duration of the Sri Lanka jungle tour?
The duration of Sri Lanka jungle tours varies largely depending on the time available for the trip and the budget of the travelers. Tour operators like Seerendipity Tours organize 1-day to 7-day Sri Lanka jungle tours, allowing travelers to explore numerous national parks and rainforests during their trip. We plan some of the jungle tours to include historical monuments, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, beaches, and more. However, as the number of activities increases on the trip, so does the tour duration.
When is the best time for the Sri Lanka Jungle Tours?
In general, from October to April, the summer monsoon or northeast monsoon is the best time of the year to visit the Sinharaja rainforest. The monsoon largely controls Sri Lanka’s weather, occurring in two variations. 1) north-east monsoons (October to November) and 2) south-west monsoons (April to October). Most rain forests, such as the Sinharaja rainforest, are located in the southern and western parts of Sri Lanka. Heavy rainfall throughout the year categorizes the southern and western parts of Sri Lanka as its wet zone. Heavy rains frequently batter Southwest Sri Lanka, especially during the southwest monsoon. Therefore, if you’re planning a Sri Lanka jungle tour and want to explore the island’s rainforests, it’s best to visit between October and November. Additionally, it’s crucial to base your trip on the western or southern coast to ensure daily sunshine.
Exploring rainforests on Sri Lanka Jungle Tours
Tropical rainforests in the world like the Sinharaja and Knuckles cover only 2% of the earth’s surface, yet they are home to more than 50% of the world’s species. That’s quite a species-to-space ratio!
To qualify as a rainforest, a patch of forest must meet certain criteria, including occupying land in the tropics, being lush and dense, and having a thick upper canopy. The upper canopy consists of two major parts, namely the canopy layer and the emergent layer. Usually, the upper canopy is thick, blocking the sunlight and keeping the moist air “trapped” underneath, between the floor and the upper canopy. Another unique feature of the rainforest is the frequent and sudden heavy rains. Every year, rainforests in Sri Lanka receive approximately 5000 mm of rainfall.
The dampness and humidity of these mysterious places, which usually prevail throughout the year, is the main reason to call them “rainforests.” Rainforests have an incredible, unique microclimate that helps all living beings at all stages of the journey, from the jungle floor to the canopy; therefore, the diversity of wildlife in the rainforest is always at a very high level.
Rainforests and national parks for Sri Lanka jungle tours
Tropical rainforests like the Sinharaja and Knuckles cover only 2% of the earth’s surface, yet they are home to more than 50% of the world’s species. Therefore leading rainforests are ideal for Sri Lanka Jungle Tours.
A patch of forest must meet certain criteria to qualify as a rainforest, including occupying land in the tropics, being lush and dense, and having a thick upper canopy. The upper canopy consists of two major parts, namely the canopy layer and the emergent layer. Usually, the upper canopy is thick, which blocks the sunlight and keeps the moist air “trapped” underneath, between the floor and the upper canopy. Another unique feature of the rainforest is the frequent and sudden heavy rains. Every year, rainforests in Sri Lanka receive approximately 5000 mm of rainfall.
The dampness and humidity of these mysterious places, which usually prevail throughout the year, is the main reason to call them “rainforests.” Rainforests have an incredible, unique microclimate that helps all living beings at all stages of the journey, from the jungle floor to the canopy; therefore, the diversity of wildlife in the rainforest is always at a very high level.
What are the 12 best places for Sri Lanka jungle tours?
- Sinharaja rain forest
- Yala national park
- Horton plains national park
- Kitulgala rain forest
- Kandy
- Knuckles mountain range
- Udawattekele sanctuary
- Minneriya national park
- Ecopark
- Wilpattu national park
- Habarana
- Sigiriya
- Bentota
- Madu estuary
What are the main variations of Sri Lanka jungle tours?
- Sri Lanka jeep safari
- Sri Lanka jungle trekking
- Boat tours
Sri Lanka forests for jungle tours and treks
There are many patches of forests and national parks in Sri Lanka. The number of rainforests, wildlife reserves, and national parks exceeds two dozen, and all of them have a large stock of fauna and flora.
There are some jungles that seem to spring from the pages of a collective traveler’s imagination. These are the mysterious and exciting lands of Kipling, Stevenson, and Burroughs. Of course, this has a complicated colonial history, with anthropomorphized animals and an undeniably simple colonialist view of the native human inhabitants of these beautiful and haunting landscapes.
However, putting all that aside, a Sri Lanka jungle tour into any one of these classic jungles is sure to awaken your inner explorer as you seek the truth beyond the stories and create your own adventure.
Visiting Nuwara Eliya on Sri Lanka Jungle Tours
The scenery along the highway from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is simply gorgeous, with cascading waterfalls, streams, tea gardens, patches of forests, and green-capped mountains. At the start of the journey, you may not encounter beautiful scenery, but as you make it further up the hilly road and reach a higher elevated area, the travelers meet the awe-inspiring scenery. At the highest point of this route, at an elevation of 1800 meters above sea level, travelers can witness Sri Lanka’s highest point and the island’s tallest mountain, Mount Pidurutalagala. All around the mountain are tea plantations of varying sizes.
The dramatic landscape of waterfalls, patched forests, vegetable plots, tea plantations, and mountains dominates the interior of Sri Lanka’s hill country. There are many hiking paths and trekking routes in the region. The tea plantation provides excellent routes for trekking and hiking, which are available all around the mountains. The Horton Plains National Park and Galway Forest are the two main trekking and hiking sites in Nuwara Eliya.
Nuwara Eliya is a small and laid-back town; therefore, nothing much is happening here with regards to shopping, fine dining, discos, casinos, etc. Colonial influence is evident in most parts of Nuwara Eliya, particularly around Gregory Lake. Around Gregory Lake, a multitude of colonial mansions are on display, with the majority now transformed into hotels. Wealthy planters built these mansions, showcasing typical English architecture, in the early 18th century. After Sri Lanka’s independence from the British crown in 1948, the wealthy planters handed over all their assets to the locals and left the country.
1. Sri Lanka jungle tours: Sinharaja rainforest
From kayaking and jungle trekking to bird watching, the Sinharaja rainforest attracts tourists to this virgin rainforest in all seasons. E.g You can join the one-day Sinharaja rainforest tour from Colombo, which is available throughout the year and is a private rainforest tour with one of our nature guides. Read more about the 1-day Sinharaja rainforest tour.
You can book the Sinharaja rainforest tour as a 1-day tour from Colombo or as a 2-3-day rainforest exploration trip, which offers in-depth knowledge of the forest’s fauna and flora. You can book these trips not only from Colombo, but also from most beach resorts on the western and southern coasts, and from hotels in the hill country.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a paradise for a Sri Lanka jungle trek because of its extensive endemic fauna and flora. Birds, both resident and migratory, flock to the canopy, especially between December and April. Therefore, a jungle tour of Sinharaja is a must for bird lovers. Sri Lanka jungle tours are part of Sri Lanka nature tours and Sri Lanka bird-watching tours. Adventure trips sometimes include Sri Lankan jungle treks as well.
It is the Sinharaja rain forest that comes to mind upon hearing the word “Sri Lanka jungle tours,” because Sinharaja is the most popular rain forest in Sri Lanka. At the same time, there is no other patch of forest on the island that can surpass the magnitude and biodiversity of the Sinharaja rain forest. There are many other places suitable for a Sri Lanka jungle trek, such as Udawattakele Sanctuary, Horton Plains National Park, and Knuckles Rain Forest. However, most travelers prefer to have their jungle in the Sinharaja rain forest over the other jungles because it is not only very convenient to visit, but also because the forest is very rich in fauna and flora.
To this day, new species are emerging from the Sinharaja rainforest, and researchers and scientists are carrying out endless projects to identify new creatures. Sinharaja reminds us that there are still unexplored and untouched parts of the country.
Home to many thousand species and occupying 118425 acres spanning through Sabaragamuwa, the southern and western province of Sri Lanka, the Sinharaja rainforest is the biggest rainforest on the island and the most ecologically diverse forest in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan jungle tours based on Sinharaja have been available for many years; however, they have gained much of their popularity within the last decade. Even though it is a double-edged sword, with more tourists, the jungle can earn more recognition and increase awareness of the plight it is facing, but it can also lead to many other new problems.
The tours to the Sinharaja rainforest are an opportunity to highlight the threats to the forest and provide visitors with context for how they can help. Travelers can start to work toward this goal by being as sustainable as possible when visiting this fragile ecosystem.
Trekking through the forest is the best way to explore the Sinharaja rainforest, and there are many options, ranging from a few kilometers to many dozens of kilometers of treks.
What should I see on the Sinharaja jungle tour?
- Sinharaja rain forest
- Dooli Ella (waterfall)
- Aranuwa Upper waterfall
- Aranuwa Lower waterfall
All the places mentioned above fall under “important places to visit in Singaraja,” and they are located within the borders of the rainforest. However, there are dozens of other interesting places to visit in the Sinharaja rainforest.
2. Sri Lanka jungle tours: Yala national park
The Sri Lanka jungle tour at Yala National Park (2-day tour) creates a totally different picture compared to the visit to the Sinharaja Rain Forest. The 2 Jungle Tours differ in many ways, from traveling through the jungle to the fauna and flora that you encounter during the tour. Perhaps you think that Yala is also a pristine, thick forest-like Sinharaja. Yala has a considerable population of trees, plants, and creepers, but it is not as dense as the Sinharaja forest. We categorize Yala as a dry-zone forest. The rainfall is far lower compared to the rainfall at Sinharaja.
Yala is the most popular jungle in Sri Lanka for wildlife jeep safaris. Thousands of travelers embark on Yala jeep safaris every day. Yala Safari is one of the most popular draws in Sri Lanka’s southern province and an important income generator for the locals.
Yala offers a unique travel experience for its visitors: a leopard tour. Witnessing the big carnivore is the main priority of every visit to Yala National Park. It has never been so easy to witness leopards anywhere else in the world like Yala. Yala has the highest density of leopards compared to any other national park in the world.
Tourists need to get an entry permit and hire a jeep in order to qualify for the Sri Lanka jungle tour at Yala. Yala Safari is available in two flavors: a regular Yala jungle tour and a full-day jungle tour. A regular jungle tour lasts about 3 hours, whereas a full-day jungle tour lasts 8 hours.
If you want to ensure you don’t miss the chance to see a leopard, we recommend embarking on a full-day jungle tour. Even on the regular jungle tour, travelers have the chance to see leopards, but it’s not a guarantee. Elephants, crocodiles, deer, wild buffalo, jackals, and mungos are the other common animals at Yala National park.
3. Sri Lanka jungle tours: Horton Plains National Park
When Wilbert Horton entered the Mahaeliya (later named the Horton Plains), who worked as the British governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837 on his search for Ratemahattaya (the local administrative officer in the area), he encountered an unknown world of shifting fog, filtering sunlight intermittently, and covering and revealing small indigenous settlements along the way. Horton Plains National Park rests on a plateau between the 2nd and 3rd highest mountains of Sri Lanka. The jungle’s elevation varies between 1,200 and 2,300 meters.
n Sri Lanka, there are few patches of mountain or cloud forests. The Horton Plains are the largest of their kind, and most other mountain forests are much smaller than Horton Plains National Park. They are named cloud forests because these jungles are covered with fog for most of the day. They can be visited only during midday; even during midday, the bank of fog hovers at the canopy level. Horton Plains is the best place in Sri Lanka to experience cloud forests, where travelers can walk right among the canopy, getting a unique view of how special these jungles are. Horton Plains are included in most Sri Lanka tour packages meant for nature lovers and adventure trips.
4. Sri Lanka jungle tour: Kitulgala Rainforest
Engage in activities such as canoeing, jungle trekking, waterfall abseiling, whitewater rafting, caving, camping, and bird watching. Sri Lankans refer to the rainforest of Kitulgala as their adventure playground. The laid-back countryside offers dozens of interesting activities for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Kitulgala’s rainforest attracts tourists in all seasons. You can join the one-day Kitulgala trip from Colombo, which is a private rainforest tour with one of our nature guides. The trip includes many interesting activities, such as bird watching, jungle trekking, and whitewater rafting based on the Kelaniya River.
The hanging bridge, which dates back to English colonial rule (1796–1948), is located a few kilometers in the northern direction of Kitulgala town, bordering a rubber plantation, and is a good starting point for crossing the Kelaniya river and entering the Rainforest. The village, where a handful of families live, is right after the hanging bridge. The travelers need to cross the village to enter the rainforest and a guided jungle trek in the rainforests lasts about 2 hours.
5. Jungle tour, treks in Kandy
Kandy is Sri Lanka’s hill-country capital, with large tracts of jungles and tea plantations. Kandy is also home to many hundreds of mountains, rivers, and waterfalls. Some of the very popular trekking sites in Sri Lanka, such as Hantana and Udawattakele Sanctuary, are located within easy reach of Kandy. In Sri Lanka, Udawattakele is popular for jungle tours and bird watching, while Hantana is popular as a trekking site.
We highly recommend booking a one-day trekking trip to Hantana for those seeking a memorable trek. It has a distinct landscape and very different trekking conditions. The Hantana mountain range sits towards the western part of Kandy City and runs down towards the west coast beaches.
The trekking route is full of trees and plants, and it offers great walking in a magical area with mountain ridges and deep gorges mixed with considerable forests and tea plantations, a fertile valley of vegetables, eucalyptus plantations, and isolated hamlets. The terrain may make for gentler trekking, but it still offers some challenges and plenty of rewards.
The Hantana Plateau, a captivating region of highland meadows, is especially delightful during the rainy season (April to November), when wildflowers cover them. Despite being less strenuous than many other trekking routes in Sri Lanka’s hill country, hidden gorges, dense forests, peaks, and stunning small hamlets still crisscross the Hantana.
6. the Knuckles mountain range
UNESCO has declared the Knuckles Mountain Range a natural world heritage site. This is one of the last remaining patches of forest in the central mountain range. Many Sri Lankan nature tours, hill country tour itineraries, and adventure trips incorporate Knuckles, the largest forest in the central province of Sri Lanka.
Knuckles’ rugged terrain is home to many indigenous flora species. Knuckles Forest is home to many species of Sri Lankan endemic fauna and flora, and it has one of Sri Lanka’s highest biodiversity levels. Knuckles Forest is not only one of the best places in Kandy for trekking, but also for nature exploration.
As the name suggests, the “Knuckles Mountain Range” is a range of mountains with the shape of a knuckle when you look at it from a distance. This mountain range is composed of nine mountains and peaks, ranging from 1220 meters to 1900 meters above sea level.
The highest point of the mountain range, known as “Gombaniya,” is 1906 meters above sea level. The Knuckles mountain range is another important catchment area on the island, where the rainfall varies between 2500 and 5000 mm. For instance, the eastern part of Knuckles receives about 5000 mm of annual rainfall, while the northern part receives around 2500 mm.
Knuckles Mountain Range feeds several major rivers with its rainwater and Mimura Oya, “Kalu Ganga,” or Black River, and Kote Ganga are heavily dependent on the waters of these tributaries.
Knuckles Mountain is an ideal destination for nature exploration, rewarding you with breathtaking scenery. Several popular Sri Lanka trekking sites are located here, drawing a large number of local and foreign trekkers each day. Most of the tracks are well maintained and accommodate campsites.
Pitawala Pathana Nature Trail, Mini World End Track, Ash Cave Trail, Knuckles Summit Nature Trails, and Nitre Cave Trail are some of the popular paths in the Knuckles Mountain Range. Apart from the earlier mentioned tracks, there are dozens of miniature footpaths for an exciting and enjoyable short trek in nearby villages.
What are the 5 Popular jungle tours and treks in Kandy?
01. Knuckles Mountains Range Day Hiking, 80 USD per person, includes entrance tickets to the forest, village lunch, mineral water bottles, tea, and a guide and helper. This one-day tour starts at 06.30 am from the trailhead and lasts about 10 hours.
02. Hanthana Mountains Range Day Hiking. The cost for the day hike is 70 USD per person, with an additional fee of 20 USD per person. The package includes a village lunch, mineral water bottles, tea, and a guide and helper. This one-day tour starts at 06.30 a.m. from the trailhead and lasts about 10 hours.
03. Three Temples Culture Day hiking. For hiking, the cost is 70 USD per person per day, plus an additional 20 USD for each additional person. This includes entrance tickets to all temples, a village lunch, mineral water bottles, tea, and a guide and helper.This one-day tour starts at 07.30 a.m. and lasts about 6 hours.
04. Kandy-based Farms Village: one-night camping and two-day hiking. The cost is 90 USD per person per day, which includes free camping. The package includes camping accommodations, village meals, mineral water bottles, tea, and a guide and helper. The tour begins at 07.30 a.m. and lasts for two days.
05. Riverston Knuckles 2 days hiking and one night camping The cost is 110 USD per person per day, which includes free camping. The package includes entrance tickets to the forest, camping accommodations in the village, all meals, mineral water bottles, tea, and a guide and helper.This one-day tour starts at 06.30 a.m. from the trailhead and lasts about 10 hours.
When is the best time for Sri Lanka jungle tours?
There is no seasonality for Sri Lankan jungle tours. However, we recommend avoiding rainy days when visiting the rainforest. It can be difficult to trek through the rain forest during the rain; you will encounter more leeches than usual, apart from the muddy and slippery jungle path. Most Sri Lankan rain forests come under heavy rains frequently from April to November, which is the main rainy season in Sri Lanka, known as the southwest monsoon.
Few other useful links
5 best places to visit in Sri Lanka in one day
12 best places to visit in Sri Lanka in 2 days
15 best places to visit in Sri Lanka in 3 days
Places to visit in Sri Lanka in 4 days
22 places to visit in Sri Lanka in 5 days
Sinharaja jungle tour
A large number of leisure travelers and beach holiday lovers from the southern and west coast beaches, as well as from Colombo, book the Sri Lanka jungle trek to Sinharaja. Due to the high demand, local tour operators, such as Seerendipity Tours, organize Sri Lankan jungle tours. Most Sri Lanka adventure tours also include exploring the Sinharaja rain forest, as it is an integral part of the adventure trip. For instance, Seerendipity Tours organizes a 6-day adventure tour in Sri Lanka that includes a Sri Lanka jungle tour based in the Sinharaja rain forest.
