Sinharaja with a private driver

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is Sri Lanka's most important remaining tract of lowland rainforest, a 18,900-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site in the wet zone of the southern hills that holds an extraordinary concentration of Sri Lanka's endemic species. Birdwatchers come from around the world: Sinharaja has been recorded with 26 of Sri Lanka's 33 endemic bird species within a single day walk, and morning mixed-species foraging flocks — in which dozens of endemics move together through the canopy in loose association — are a phenomenon found almost nowhere else in South Asia at this density. Beyond birds, the forest holds endemic amphibians, reptiles, purple-faced langurs and a botanical diversity that includes 60% of Sri Lanka's endemic trees. Entrance is via a forest department permit; licensed village trackers lead groups of up to 12 on trails starting from Kudawa in the north or Pitadeniya in the south.