Bird Watching Tours in Sinharaja Rain Forest

I recently booked a bird tour in the Sinharaja Forest with Achi and had an amazing experience. The bird tour was perfectly tailored to my wishes and Achi took care of all my needs despite my spontaneous, short-notice booking. He is extremely knowledgeable about the rainforest and its wildlife, and I was able to learn so much from him during the tour. Besides the bird tour, Achi supported me with many of my wishes – for example, he arranged a visit to a tea factory and even organized a trusted driver for my next destination, since I couldn’t find an Uber in this remote area. Achi was always friendly, professional and very supportive. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe, comfortable and well looked after at all times. The hospitality of Achi and his family added a very personal touch and made me feel truly welcome. I can warmly recommend this bird tour and staying at the family’s accommodation – to anyone visiting Sinharaja Forest. It’s a wonderful way to experience nature while directly supporting a local family business.

Achi knew his birds, we saw many different ones and he was sure to point anything out that we had missed. Great guy. Learnt many things about the fauna and flora of Sinharaja.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a must visit place for keen birdwatchers. However, to get the best out of your visit you need a good guide. I spent 2 days with Achi who is a first class bird guide with a mountain of experience in Sinharaja. He knew the bird calls, habitats to visit and bird behaviour so as to predict when and where to go. Sinharaja has many Sri Lankan endemics and we saw most of these on our average of ~ 45 different species per day. You will need some good binos as well to get the best out of your visit.

I was lucky enough to meet up with Achi for two days in Sinharaja. Achi was friendly and knowledgeable on both flora and fauna introducing me to this special habitat. His knowledge of bird song along with his keen observation made a great couple of unforgettable days for me. He also was very keen to discuss ecology and evolutionary processes not just for Sri Lanka but also from my experiences and understanding of the natural world. Highly recommended for nature lovers of all levels due to his good natured enthusiasm.

It was a great experience in Sinharaja. Achi was so knowledgeable about animals and trees. We were particularly interested in Birds. Even in the dense forest he spotted birds very keenly. Not only in forest but also in the village he could spot many birds. Overall it was a great experience.

We have done birding in many places around the world, but Sinharaja forest is best. It's a beautiful forest with plenty of birds, including rarely seen owls. Achi was a real professional guide. He knew the forest well and where some of the rare birds. And also his English is perfect.

Achi is a very experienced birder, and the whole bird watching tour was exceptional. Achi knows the place very well and he was able to name every bird we spotted. I would definitely recommend.

It was a great experience. Incredible how many different birds you can see through the binoculars. My guide Achi was a lovely person who was very excited about the birds as well, gave a lot of information and had an amazing eye. Highly recommend!