sri lanka

Sri Lanka Blue Magpie

Day 1, March 29 ARRIVAL IN COLOMBO Final day of our India tour. Participants who take the India tour will spend the night of March 28 in New Delhi and catch a midday flight to Colombo today, arriving at 4:05 PM on Air India Flight 281. Participants who are taking only the Sri Lanka tour will arrive in Colombo today at various times and will be transferred to their Kithulgala hotel upon arrival, with no additional activities planned for the day so they can rest from the long flights. O/N Palmstone Retreat (dinner) www.palmstoneretreat.com/en/home Day 2, March 30 KITHULGALA Full day of birding birding at the Kelani Valley Forest Reserve. In the morning, a local villager will help you cross the Kelani River in a dugout canoe to reach the Kelani Valley Forest Reserve, which is a lowland tropical rainforest rich in endemic fauna and flora. The Kelani Valley Forest Reserve is ideal for lowland endemics such as Sri Lanka Myna, Green-billed Coucal, Spot-winged Thrush, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Brown-capped Babbler and Red-faced Malkoha. We will also look for Hill Mynah, Lesser Yellownape, Crested Drongo, Greater and Black-rumped Flamebacks, Black-capped Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Black Eagle. At dusk we will look for the sub continental endemic Sri Lanka Frogmouth. O/N Palmstone Retreat (BLD) www.palmstoneretreat.com/en/home

Day 3, March 31 KITHULGALA – NUWARA ELIYA We will enjoy a morning of birding in the Kithulgala area before driving to Nuwara Eliya. We will depart after lunch and enjoy a bit of birding along the drive (if any opportunities present themselves) and arrive in time for some relaxation before dinner. O/N Jetwing St. Andrews (BLD) www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingstandrews

Day 4, April 1 NUWARA ELIYA This morning we will leave very early to visit Horton Plains National Park to see cloud forests and rare montane fauna. We hope to find Bear Monkey, Giant Squirrel and Sambhur, as well as the endemic Rhino-horned Lizard, which was featured in Charles Darwin's monumental work on evolution. Horton Plains National Park has unique vegetation and is famous for many rare and endemic highland bird species that you will not see elsewhere in Sri Lanka, making it a very important site for birders. There are a number of walking routes in the park, and our guide will take us to some of the very best birding spots on the Plains. Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lanka Hill White-eye, and Dull Blue Flycatcher are just a few of the species we hope to find here. O/N Jetwing St. Andrews (BLD) www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingstandrews Day 5, April 2 NUWARA ELIYA - TISSAMAHARAMA We will visit Hakgala Gardens early this morning, where we will find habituated troops of Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, some montane endemics and other highland species. We will then leave for Tissamaharama for three nights. En route we will visit Tissa Wetlands for the rare White-naped Woodpecker. We will also visit Debarawewa and other tanks (ponds or lakes) in the area. We will search for Watercock, Common Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Asian Openbill and Spot-billed Pelican, among others. O/N Jetwing Yala (BLD) www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingyala

Day 6, April 3 TISSAMAHARAMA We have scheduled both a morning & afternoon open-jeep safari at Yala National Park, which is known as the best place in Asia to see Leopards. Research on Leopards in Yala Block 1 has shown it has one of the highest densities of Leopards in the world. Other large animals you may see include Elephant, Sloth Bear, Spotted Deer, Sambhur, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Wild Buffalo, Jackal, Grey Langur and Mongoose. In the water holes, you may see Mugger Crocodile, Painted Stork, Lesser Whistling Teal, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Great, Medium & Little Egrets & the rare Black-necked Stork. We will also drive up to the Buttuwa Tank to see the rare winter visitor, Bay-backed Shrike. O/N Jetwing Yala (BLD) www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingyala

Day 7, April 4 TISSAMAHARAMA We will enjoy a second morning & afternoon safari at Yala National Park. This will allow us an additional opportunity to find animals we may have missed on our first day in the park, as well as time to explore other areas of the park. O/N Jetwing Yala (BLD) www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingyala

White-breasted Waterhen

Day 8, April 5 TISSAMAHARAMA - SINHARAJA We will take a bit of time trying to “sweep up” any species we’ve missed in the Tissamaharama area before leaving for Sinharaja. We will have our lunch on the way and arrive at Sinharaja Rainforest (A UNESCO World Heritage) in the late afternoon. Sinharaja is home to many endemic plants, reptiles and birds. Some of the endemic birds we hope to see include the Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard's Parakeet, Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal, Serendib Scops Owl, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Sri Lanka Small Barbet, Crimson-backed Flameback, Black-capped Bulbul, Spot-winged Thrush, Sri Lanka Rufous and Brown-capped Babblers, Ashy-headed Laughing-thrush, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, White-faced Starling, Sri Lanka Hill Myna, Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush, Sri Lanka n Scimitar Babbler and Sri Lanka Crested Drongo. Indian sub-continental endemics include Malabar Trogon and Sri Lanka Frogmouth. O/N Rainforest Eco Lodge (BLD) www.rainforest-ecolodge.com

Day 9, April 6 SINHARAJA We will enjoy a full day of birding at Sinharaja Rainforest. Your naturalist guide will take you to some of his favorite spots to look for the Serendib Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, and other specialties of the reserve. O/N Rainforest Eco Lodge (BLD) www.rainforest-ecolodge.com

Day 10, April 7 SINHARAJA - TALLANGAMA We will spend one last morning birding in Sinharaja before departing for Colombo, a drive of about 4 hours. We will have a bit of time to relax before dinner at the lodge O/N Tallangama Villa (BLD) http://www.villatalangama.com/ Day 11, April 8 TALLANGAMA - COLOMBO After breakfast, we will walk along Talangama Lake for Black and Yellow Bitterns and other common sub-continental species. Drive to Colombo after lunch, where we will check in to our hotel. In the afternoon, participants may wish to rest in their hotel room or join our guide for a sightseeing tour of the city. O/N Cinnamon Red Hotel, Colombo www.cinnamonhotels.com/en/cinnamonredcolombo

Day 12, April 9 DEPARTURE You will be transported to the airport for your international flights home. Price includes:

➢ Accommodation on Half Board basis (Breakfast + Dinner) ➢ Meeting and assistance. ➢ Arrival/departure transfers. (If you arrive earlier or depart later than the itinerary indicates, there will be a charge

for airport transfers) ➢ Private Luxury AC mini Coach (27-passenger) with driver throughout. ➢ Jeep Safaris in Yala. ➢ Bottled water ➢ Local English speaking birding guide throughout

Sri Lanka Frogmouth

➢ Services of two Cheepers! tour guides (Jim and Cindy Beckman) ➢ Pre-trip gift box, including customized checklist ➢ Post-trip photo collection and electronic final checklist

Price Excludes:

➢ International airfare ➢ Trip and medical insurance ➢ Personal expenses such as Laundry, Telephone, Beverages, etc. ➢ Lunches ➢ Gratuities

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Deposit of $600 with registration with balance due by November 29, 2018. Checks should be made payable to Cheepers! Birding on a Budget and mailed with the registration form to: Cheepers! Birding on a Budget Post Office Box 385 Spring Valley, OH 45370 Cancellation policy: Cancellation must be made in writing (email or snail mail) More than 6 months prior to departure – full refund of deposit Between 4 and 6 months prior to departure – 50% refund of deposit Less than 4 months prior to departure – No refund of deposit If cancellation occurs after full payment is made, a refund will be given only if the vacant spot is filled.

Trip insurance is recommended.

You can compare prices offered by various trip insurance companies at these websites:

http://www.quotewright.com/?sub_id=6056 www.insuremytrip.com Cheepers! Birding on a Budget LLC reserves the right to make changes in the itinerary if the need should arise due to unforeseeable circumstances such as weather, landslides, and other natural phenomena, as well as suggestions by local guides in order to take advantage of an unusual birding opportunity. Lodging is subject to change based on availability.