I met a Sri Lankan a few days ago here in London and she said that there were still shortages, but that as a foreigner I would be allowed to go to the front of queues, as they are so keen that tourists keep coming! A bit embarrassing really, maybe I'd allow it and give some money to a local charity to assuage my guilt..
Anyway, can you provide the itinerary for the trip?
I got all the endemics with the exception of the Owls which I didn''t really work for, at just a few sites in only a week.
• Kitulgala
• Sinharaja
• Nuwara Elya for Victoria Park, Haggala Botanical Gardens and our (Baur's) guides site site for the Whistlingthrush, he also had his own site for the Spurfowl.
This was my itinerary.
27th Jan - Collected from my guesthouse in Negombo at 0430 by my guide Sunil De Alwis for the drive to out first destination of Kitulgala. Afternoon birding at Kitulgala and some night birding.
28th Jan - Morning birding at Kitulgala then drive to Sinharaja. Afternoon birding around ‘Blue Magpie’ gardens.
29th Jan – Morning and afternoon birding in the Park at Sinharaja.
30th Jan – Up early to go to Sunil’s own site for Sri Lanka Spurfowl then depart for the three hour drive to Uda Walawe.
31st Jan – The park at Uda Walawe was closed due to the civil war so only a small amount of birding was done here by scoping the lake from the road that runs through the middle of the park, we had to drive this road anyway on our way to Nuwara Elya.
Late afternoon visit to Sunil’s site for Sri Lanka Whistlingthrush where we also got great views of the Bush-Warbler
1st Feb - Early start in Victoria Park, afternoon at Haggala Botanical Gardens and dusk visit to Victoria Park.
Apparently already up+running:
