Sinharaja is a tropical rainforest, spread over 11187 hectares. Sinharaja is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites which has kept this rain forest untouched for the last century. The forest has unique ecological diversity where visitors may see over 280 bird species (as many as 30 species are endemic), a host of insect species, a plethora of mammals such as the purple faced langur monkey, leopards and elephants (according to the guides there are three elephants living in the forest).
As Sinharaja should be explored on foot it is important to mention that there are several entries to this forest, however the best starting points are considered to be Daniyaya Mederiptiya on the east or Kudawa in the north.
If visitors like to observe bird and would like to see some bird species that they had no opportunity to see before we would recommend them to climb on Singahella and Moulawella peaks as they will have a wonderful view from there. In Sinharaja visitors will be able to see wood pigeon, green-billed Coucal, broad-billed roller, green-billed coucal, blue magpie and many more.
Even tough there are elephants living in Sinharaja, the chance our visitors will spot them is quite low. However, it is our belief that it is quite exciting to see a wild leopard or a langur monkey obtrusive with its purple faces (this is really rare species). It all heavily depends on the season and we must say a bit of luck as well.
At the entrance to the forest visitors shall get the guide who is an expert, and they will lead you through Sinharaja. Visitors shall see many endemic trees, between 30m and 50m in height, that one may see only in Sri Lanka. The hiking trail is a truly unique experience as visitors shall witness some amazing plants and flowers along the road, beautiful peaks and muddy lowlands. The guide will most certainly point out waterfall locations; there are eight waterfalls in Sinharaja and they are a must see. We would recommend our visitors to bring the rain coats with them as they will have the opportunity to walk across the trails over these picturesque waterfalls.
The ticket price for the Sinharaja rain forest in Sri Lanka
The entrance ticket to Sinharaja costs 575 LRK per person. An official guide will be waiting for you at the entrance. We must point out that guides are really doing a great job. They will guide you along the whole Sinharaja and point out every single thing that one should see when entering the rain forest. You might like to leave a tip for a guide as well.
Working hours of Sinharaja rain forest
Sinharaja is open every day from 06:30am to 6:00 pm.
