17-Day Sri Lanka: Wildlife Photography Tour

Dates: 21st January to 7th February 2028
Group Size: minimum of 4, maximum of 6.
Cost: £4,295 per person (single supplement of £850)
Deposit: A non-refundable £1000 deposit required at time of booking.
Meals: Full Board included (all meals and bottled water).

Itinerary & Accommodation

2 Nights: Jensen’s Bungalow - Sinharaja

Day 1: Arrival in Colombo, followed by a private transfer to our rainforest lodge in Sinharaja. Settle in and rest after the long flight, with the option for an evening walk around the lush lodge grounds looking for photographic subjects.

Day 2: Full day exploring the pristine primary rainforest of Sinharaja with private local guides. Our main focus will be endemic bird species alongside macro photography opportunities.

3 Nights: Rain Tree Tissamaharama

Day 3: A morning photography session around Sinharaja, before transferring to Tissamaharama (4 hour drive). Settle into the hotel and enjoy an evening photography session around the ancient Tissa lakes, concentrating on fruit bats/flying foxes.

Day 4: A morning safari in Yala National Park (Block 5), where we will be concentrating on finding Leopards, Sloth Bear and wonderful birdlife. Rest up at lunchtime followed by an evening of bird photography at Debarawewa sanctuary.

Day 5: A full day safari drive into Yala National Park (Block 1). We will be concentrating Sri Lanka’s apex predator, the leopard, which is seen here in high densities, alongside all of the other wildlife we will encounter.

Day 6: A morning safari to Bundala National Park, a magnificent wetland paradise perfect for monkeys & bird-in-flight photography. Back to the hotel to refresh and then transfer to the wild and remote southeast coast at Wild Edge Panama (4 hour drive). Settle into the eco-lodge and spend the evening exploring the hotel gardens and surrounding area.

3 Nights: Wild Edge Panama

Day 7 & 8: On both days we will have private full day 4x4 safaris into Kumana National Park (Yala East). This area offers an exclusive, low-crowd experience where we can photograph leopards, sloth bears, and vast species of birdlife.

2 Nights: Gal Oya Lake Club

Day 9: A final morning safari in Kumana National Park, then back to the hotel to refresh and check out. Transfer north to the spectacular Gal Oya Lake Club (3 hour drive). Spend the evening photographing birds in the beautiful lodge grounds.

Day 10: On this day we will have both dawn and dusk private safaris on/around Gal Oya National Park. We will be doing one safari from a boat and another safari via jeep, which is in the morning or afternoon will depend on our local information closer to the date. We will be looking to photograph white-bellied sea eagles, grey-headed fish eagles, and elephants feeding along the water's edge.

2 Nights: Lavendish Wild Safari - Wasgamuwa

Day 11: A morning spent photographing on the Gal Oya Lake Club grounds followed by a transfer to the central plains of Wasgamuwa (3.5 hour drive). Settle into our lodge and enjoy a relaxing evening photographing on the hotel grounds.

Day 12: A full day dedicated to Wasgamuwa. We have a full day in this secluded park, focusing on birdlife and environmental portraits of elephants moving through the tall grasslands, completely away from the main tourist routes.

3 Nights: Thibiriwewa Resort - Wilpattu

Day 13: A morning spent photographing on the hotel grounds before our transfer across the central plains to Wilpattu (3.5 hour drive). Settle into the hotel with the option of a gentle walk around the nearby lake for bird photography.

Day 14 & 15: Two full days dedicated to Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka's largest and most scenic reserve. We will utilise private 4x4 jeeps to explore the unique landscape. The white sand tracks provide a beautiful high-key aesthetic for capturing leopards, sloth bears, deer, and rich birdlife.

1 Night: Pledge Scape Negombo

Day 16: A leisurely morning & group breakfast followed by a transfer back towards the coast to Negombo (3.5 hour drive), perfectly positioned close to the airport. We will celebrate our final evening with a group farewell dinner.

Day 17: Transfer to the international airport (20-minute drive) for your return flights home.

As this is wildlife photography, please allow for some minor changes in the itinerary depending on what I and the local guide think is best to maximise our chances for photography.