Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Covering a mere 112 square kilometres, Sri Lanka’s only biological UNESCO World Heritage Site is a biodiversity hotspot and the last significant tract of undisturbed primary rainforest on the island. Sinharaja has a high endemicity of trees, oddities such as the purple-faced leaf monkey, and is famed among birdwatchers for mixed feeding flocks and for protecting the majority of the island’s endemic bird species. Of Sri Lanka’s 26 endemic birds, the 20 rainforest species all occur here, including red-faced malkoha and green-billed coucal. Reptiles often seen are the hump-nosed lizard and green pit viper and there are a large variety of tree frogs. Sinharaja is a priceless and rare natural jewel.