Declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sinharaja rain forest is Sri Lanka’s most important protected forest reserve. This living heritage is the last viable area of tropical rainforest in the country. Being home to lots of endemic flora and fauna, it considers a wonderful treasure trove of nature. Mostly covered in dense fog, the Sinharaja forest is still a mysterious place. Sinharaja means the Lion King and according to folklore, a legendary lion lived in this forest long ago.
Indeed, Sinharaja forest is a rich biodiversity hotspot with more than 60% of the trees are endemic. Moreover, it is home to over 50% of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of mammals, birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Sinharaja rain forest is a wonderful place for bird watching, where you can see around 20 of the 34 endemic bird species. Since a large number of endangered and rare species live in this forest, Sinharaja is a strictly protected nature reserve in Sri Lanka.
The forest cover in Sinharaja rain forest is a lot denser than other dry zone national parks. The trees shoot up their canopies towards the sky competing with each other for light. Therefore, many of them grow taller than 50 m. You’ll find the light falling to the ground is minimum and inside the forest is dark. Although it is more secure for the wildlife, it makes little harder for visitors to have a glimpse of them.
Location of Sinharaja Forest
The forest reserve extends over an area of 11000 hectares, bordering Galle, Matara, and Ratnapura districts. It is fed by mainly two important rivers; Gin Ganga and Kalu Ganga Rivers. You’ll find many streams and waterfalls flowing through this verdant forest reserve.
There are a total of five entrances in Sinharaja Forest Reserve. They are Lankagama, Kurulugala, Pitadeniya, Morningside, and Kudawa entrances. You can select the best entrance according to the place you are based.
Among the five entrances, the most famous one is the Lankagama entrance. You can see six waterfalls in a very short time period during this trail. Therefore, this entrance is very popular among local travelers.
Here in this post, we are going to introduce you to the most amazing things you’ll see in Sinharaja Rain Forest.
1. Duwili Ella Falls
Certainly, Duwili Ella Falls is the most beautiful waterfall in the forest. It can be accessed from the Lankagama entrance of Sinharaja. This spectacular hidden waterfall is located in Lankagama Village within the border of the forest. Cascading with three tiers, 23m tall Duwili Ella Falls adds stunning beauty to the jungle. It calls as Duwili Ella, as it spreads water like a spray.
There is a hidden cave measuring 2m in height and 4m in length at the base of the fall. You’ll find two large ponds at the bottom of the falls and they are quite safe for bathing. This is a photogenic place, where you can capture some beautiful shots of the falls.
Other than Duwili Ella, Sinharaja rain forest is home to several beautiful hidden waterfalls. You’ll find around 8 waterfalls while walking through the jungle. Some waterfalls are very high and some are narrow with unique shapes. Undoubtedly, these waterfalls give eye-pleasing views to the visitors.
2. Pitcher Plants
Sinharaja rain forest is home to some extraordinary plants. One of them is carnivorous pitcher plants. They catch small insects using their pitcher and get nutrients from them. You’ll find these pitcher plants are abundant in the rainforest.
Nepenthes distillatoria is an endemic tropical pitcher plant you’ll find in the forest. It is the only Nepenthes species recorded from the island. It grows in waterlogged embankments and wet areas in Sinharaja Rain Forest.
3. Giant Liana
There are many old floras within this biodiversity hotspot. Sinharaja Forest Reserve is home to some veins about 200 years old. You’ll find this old giant endemic liana called Pus wela (Entada pusaetha) in the middle of the rainforest.
4. Bim Orchid
Needless to say, the Sinharaja rain forest is rich in colorful flowering fauna. They include different varieties of orchids growing harmoniously with the great trees. Among the more common orchid flowers found in Sinharaja is Bim Orchid (Arundina graminifolia). It is also called bamboo orchid. These attractive orchids are pinkish in color with a purple central area.
5. Ceylon Junglefowl
The Ceylon Jungle fowl (Gallus lafayetti) is the national bird in Sri Lanka. Although they distribute in all climatic zones, the Sinharaja rain forest is the best place to see them in close quarters. Without a doubt, this is the most colorful endemic bird in Sri Lanka.
This large, beautiful bird is mainly bright blue with a red bill and a long graduated blue tail. It has elongated reddish-orange feathers all over the back. There is an orange spot in the red comb. This bright color combination gives him a colorful, dazzling appearance.
6. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie
Sri Lankan Blue Magpie (Urocissa Ornate) is a beautiful and colorful attractive bird living in the Sinharaja rain forest. It calls as Kehibella in Sinhalese. It has a dark brown head with bright blue plumage. The blue tail is long with a white tip. The bill, legs, and eye-ring are vibrant red.
This striking bluebird is endemic to the country. Blue Magpies are frequent in the high forest canopy of Sinharaja. Remember to look for this gorgeous bird, while you are exploring the rainforest.
7. Red-faced Malkoha
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyffhocephalus) is a rare, endemic bird in Sri Lanka. It is a forest dweller, found mostly in undistributed areas of the Sinharaja rainforest. It is the easiest place to observe this rare bird.
This bird can identify without a mistake by his crimson red face. The malkoha is about the size of the common koel, but a little slender, and the tail is longer. You should be lucky to witness this beautiful bird who is a scarce bird in the country.
8. Ceylon Hanging Parrot
There are five parrot species that live in Sri Lanka. Out of them, Sri Lanka hanging parrot (Loriculus beryllinus) is endemic to the country. He is mainly living in wet zone jungles including the Sinharaja rain forest.
The hanging Parrot is a quite small bird only 13 cm long with a short tail. This little bird is green in color with an orange-tinted nape and red curved beak. It hangs by his legs while feeding and sleeping. As a result, they have got the name hanging parrots from their unique behavior of hanging upside down.
9. Purple-faced Langur
The purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus) is the most common larger mammal you’ll find in the rain forest. It is an endemic species to Sri Lanka. The species tends to have whitish to gray body and purplish-black faces with white sideburns. And also, part of the back is covered with whitish fur, and the tail is furred with black and white mixed colors. The feet and hands are purplish-black in color.
10. Hump Snout Lizard
Hump Snout Lizard (Lyriocephalus scutatus) belongs to the agamid family. It is the largest agamid endemic to Sri Lanka and lives in dense wet zone forests. It is also called the hump-nosed lizard or hump snout lizard. In the Sinhalese language, it is known as Kandukara Bodilima.
11. Horned Lizard
Horned lizard (Ceratophora aspera) is an Agamid lizard that lives in the Sinharaja rain forest. It is distinguished from all the other species by the presence of a complex rostral appendage. It calls as the rough-nosed horned lizard or Sri Lanka horned agama.
12. Grizzled Giant Squirrel
A large number of smaller mammals are living in Sinharaja. Among them, one interesting mammal is the Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura). This species is the national animal in Sri Lanka. They are living in central highlands including Uva province, as well as in Sinharaja Rain Forest.
These squirrels are a lot bigger than normal squirrels. Their upper parts are jet black with contrasting color variation with a creamy yellowish ventral surface. Moreover, they have a long bushy tail frosted with black fur and the snout is pinkish in color.
13. Ceylon Tree Nymph
Ceylon tree nymph (Idea iasonia) is an endemic butterfly in Sri Lanka. There are two populations of the Ceylon tree nymph. The smaller and darker variety is found in the Sinharaja rainforest. They usually inhabit the sub-canopies of the forest.
14. Glassy Tiger
The glassy tiger (Parantica aglea) is a beautiful butterfly species you’ll find in Sinharaja. The subspecies Parantica aglea aglea can be seen only in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats.
15. Ceylon Birdwing
The Ceylon Birdwing (Troides minos) is the largest butterfly in Sri Lanka. It is endemic to the country and found in large numbers in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the forest is between December to early April or between August and September. Sinharaja rain forest gets the benefit of both monsoons. Rainfalls are regular during the south-western monsoons from May-July. Since this monsoon brings heavy torrential rainfall, visiting the Sinharaja forest reserve isn’t recommended during the months from May to August. As well as, the north-eastern monsoons bring rainfall from November-December. The driest month is February with the least rainfall.
What to bring
Sinharaja is infested with leeches, so long clothing and leech socks or leech repellent are essential. Since snakes such as the green viper are quite common in the area, wear sturdy boots and long trousers. As well as, a walking stick is useful for protection against them.
Don’t forget to bring food and plenty of water as there are no restaurants or shops inside the forest area. The forest reserve spreads over a huge area, so it is advisable to stick with your tour guide.
What not to bring
Polyethylene wrappings and bags aren’t allowed to carry inside the forest reserve. Water can be taken in a reusable bottle, while temporary plastic bottles and soft drink bottles are not allowed. Remember to take back all your litter home with you and keep only your footprints in this serene environment.
To sum up, here we have bought you a few of the amazing things you’ll see in Sinharaja Rain Forest in Sri Lanka. You’ll be able to see hundreds of different types of fauna & flora during your walk through the jungle. It is one of the best ecotourism destinations on the whole island. Moreover, it is a must-visit place for bird watchers, where you can capture some nice shots of several rare bird species. Welcome guys, Let’s explore the Sinharaja Rain Forest and witness the amazing beauty of this biodiversity hot spot.
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Unsplash, Facebook, and Twitter. All copyrights are reserved by original authors.
