An excursion through a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the major eco-tourism destinations in Sri Lanka will be a dream for most of the adventure tourists and nature lovers.
Sinharaja rain forest is the last remainder of Sri Lanka's tropical lowland rainforest which spans an area of 18,900 acres over the administrative districts of Ratnapura, Galle and Matara, and is indubitably the home of rich natural aspects when it comes to the variety of habitats, and also is the lifeline for a vast number of endangered species which cannot be found anywhere else in the globe.
The word 'Sinharaja' itself came about from the two words 'Sinha' (Lion) and 'Raja' (King).
It follows the widespread belief about the origin of Sinhala people are from the union between a princess and the lion king who once lived in the forest.
Tourists visit Sri Lanka to experience the rich heritage, to have a first-hand experience of the two-thousand plus year old culture, to enjoy the eco-tourism and closer to nature experience which is rare in other countries.
Knowing these needs of the tourists, the hotels in Sri Lanka and resorts in Sri Lanka, have increasingly shown interest in organizing and packaging excursions to Sinharaja forest for their guests who are enjoying their holidays in Sri Lanka.
These excursions have been receiving a lot of praise from the nature lovers and wild-life photographers who have first-hand experience in bird watching, wildlife safaris, camping and wildlife photography.
And it must be noted that Sri Lanka has claimed 20 bird types as endangered species, and 19 of these are found in Sinharaja forest.
A few examples of the endangered birds to be found in this area are Green-billed Caucal, Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lankan Wood Pigeon, Sri Lankan white-headed starling, Ashy-headed Babbler, Sri Lankan Spur fowl, Sri Lankan Blue Magpie, Layard's parakeet, Brown- capped Babbler, and the Grey Hornbill.
Similarly endemic mammal, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies are found in Sinharaja forest.
A few example for these species are the mouse deer, the barking deer, the python, the endemic green pit viper, the endemic hump nosed lizard, the rough-nose horned lizard, the giant squirrel, the dusky-stripped jungle squirrel, the badger mongoose, the brown mongoose, the golden palm civet the purple-faced leaf monkey and the torque macaque.
These species are frequently seen within the forest and have made Sinharaja forest their home.
Ratnapura is the easiest region to enter the rain forest and many hotels in and around Ratnapura organize safari excursions to Sinharaja with camping activities.
These resorts have a wide array of other packaged offers in addition to top-notch accommodation which also include safari trips to Udawalawe National Park, and the more interesting tour into gem mining.
Hotels in Sri Lanka, have tightly adopted the core offering of eco-tourism and have been at the forefront with the aim of providing a better customer experience with full eco-friendly offerings.
Tourists who visit Sri Lanka are sure to experience the "real thing".
From Ambalama Leisure Lounge, located in Hanwella, reaching this magnificent tropical rainforest through Ratnapura, the city of gems may take around 3 hours' drive.
Sinharaja rain forest is the last remainder of Sri Lanka's tropical lowland rainforest which spans an area of 18,900 acres over the administrative districts of Ratnapura, Galle and Matara, and is indubitably the home of rich natural aspects when it comes to the variety of habitats, and also is the lifeline for a vast number of endangered species which cannot be found anywhere else in the globe.
The word 'Sinharaja' itself came about from the two words 'Sinha' (Lion) and 'Raja' (King).
It follows the widespread belief about the origin of Sinhala people are from the union between a princess and the lion king who once lived in the forest.
Tourists visit Sri Lanka to experience the rich heritage, to have a first-hand experience of the two-thousand plus year old culture, to enjoy the eco-tourism and closer to nature experience which is rare in other countries.
Knowing these needs of the tourists, the hotels in Sri Lanka and resorts in Sri Lanka, have increasingly shown interest in organizing and packaging excursions to Sinharaja forest for their guests who are enjoying their holidays in Sri Lanka.
These excursions have been receiving a lot of praise from the nature lovers and wild-life photographers who have first-hand experience in bird watching, wildlife safaris, camping and wildlife photography.
And it must be noted that Sri Lanka has claimed 20 bird types as endangered species, and 19 of these are found in Sinharaja forest.
A few examples of the endangered birds to be found in this area are Green-billed Caucal, Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lankan Wood Pigeon, Sri Lankan white-headed starling, Ashy-headed Babbler, Sri Lankan Spur fowl, Sri Lankan Blue Magpie, Layard's parakeet, Brown- capped Babbler, and the Grey Hornbill.
Similarly endemic mammal, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies are found in Sinharaja forest.
A few example for these species are the mouse deer, the barking deer, the python, the endemic green pit viper, the endemic hump nosed lizard, the rough-nose horned lizard, the giant squirrel, the dusky-stripped jungle squirrel, the badger mongoose, the brown mongoose, the golden palm civet the purple-faced leaf monkey and the torque macaque.
These species are frequently seen within the forest and have made Sinharaja forest their home.
Ratnapura is the easiest region to enter the rain forest and many hotels in and around Ratnapura organize safari excursions to Sinharaja with camping activities.
These resorts have a wide array of other packaged offers in addition to top-notch accommodation which also include safari trips to Udawalawe National Park, and the more interesting tour into gem mining.
Hotels in Sri Lanka, have tightly adopted the core offering of eco-tourism and have been at the forefront with the aim of providing a better customer experience with full eco-friendly offerings.
Tourists who visit Sri Lanka are sure to experience the "real thing".
From Ambalama Leisure Lounge, located in Hanwella, reaching this magnificent tropical rainforest through Ratnapura, the city of gems may take around 3 hours' drive.
Source...