27/01/2023
🍀🍀Sinharaja Rain Forest Sri Lanka🍀🍀
🌲Excursion package for nature lovers🌲
➡️ Safe safari jeep service
➡️ Guide
➡️ Food and Beverage
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☎️ book your excursion: 0778522347 - Chandika
🌳🌳🌳🌳Sinharaja rainforest 🌳🌳🌳🌳
Sinharaja is a Rain Forest and a biodiversity hotspot which is located in south west lowland wet zone within Sabaragamu and Southern provinces of Sri Lanka. Sinharaja rain forest is the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rain forest. It covers an area of 11,000 Ha of primary and secondary forests. This narrow strip of rolling site comprises of a series of ridges and valleys. More than 60% of the trees are endemic to Sinharaja Forest and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of butterflies & mammals and also many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians. This is one of the main reasons that UNESCO declared Sinharaja Forest as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1988 under the name of Sinharaja Forest Reserve. In 1936 Sinharaja Forest was first recognized as being the only considerable patch of virgin tropical rain forest in the Island.
Sinharaja forest was accepted by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in 1978. Recognizing the need for maximum possible 4 protection the site in near declared as a National Heritage Wilderness Area. Being the habitat for rare and endangered species and an outstanding site for study of the process of biological evolution. Sinharaja Forest is the best place to watch mixed species bird flocks. According to a study carried out on the mixed species bird flocks, 42 individual birds occur in the flocks on average which makes this the world’s largest mixed species bird flock. The mixed species Bird flock study of Sinharaja forest has been continuing since 1981 and is considered as the World’s longest bird flock study.
Location of Sinharaja Rain Forest
Sinharaja forest consists of a series of continuous ridges, aligned approximately in an East-West direction and lies between the tributaries of the Kalu Ganga in the North and the Gin Ganga in the South: There are four main routes of access to Sinharaja. The Kalawana-Weddagala road from the northwest, the Rakwana-Morning side estate road from the north-east, the Hiniduma- Neluwa road from the south-west and Deniyaya- Pallegama road from the South-east. Among these roads the kalawana- Weddagala road is shorter and more convenient for visitor travelling from Colombo.
Endemic Species in Sinharaja Forest
Sri Lanka is home to 830 endemic species, of which 217 trees and woody climbers are found in the low land wet zone. Of these, 139 (64%) have been recorded in the reserve including 16 rare species. Faunal endemism is particularly high for birds with 19 (95%) of 20 species recorded in the property being endemic to Sri Lanka. Endemism among mammals and butterflies are also greater than 50%. A number of threatened, endangered and rare species occur within the reserve including leopard, Indian elephant, endemic purple faced langur, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, green billed coucal, Sri Lanka white-headed starling, Sri Lanka blue magpie, ashy-headed babbler and Sri Lanka broad-billed roller.
On a birding trip to Sinharaja, birdwatcher can see close to 21 of the 33 endemic bird species although the actual number of endemic birds recorded at Sinharaja is more. The former logging roads provide the best access for prime birding in Sinharaja where a mixed species bird flock and give you with a selection which include Orange- billed Babbler, Crested Drongo, Red faced Malkoha, Ashy headed Laughing Thrush, Green billed Coucal, Lesser Yellow nape, Orange Minivet, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Black napped 5 Monarch, Yellow fronted Barbet, White faced Starling, Sri Lanka Spur fowl, Yellow browed Bulbul, Bronze winged Pigeon, Spot winged Thrush, Sri Lanka Myna, Legge’s Flowerpecker, Brown backed Needle tail, Green Imperial Pigeon, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Chestnut backed Owlet, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Sealy Thrush, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Black- throated Munia, Layard’s Parakeet, Black Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Dark fronted Babbler and Velvut fronted Nuthatch, As the dusk falls you could look for the sub continental endemic Sri Lanka Frogmouth.