Trails Around The Rainforests Of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has some amazing areas that can be explored. The rainforests here have some amazing flora and fauna. The two rainforests I visited over two weekends were Sinharaja and Kenneliya.

My first trip was to Kenneliya on January 16th where we went for a 3km trail where we were able to see different types of frogs, medicinal plants, and some fascinating carnivorous plants. On our way we had 3 stops, the first one being a bat cave which was really dark but since we were a little late all the bats had flown away but we still got to go through a small stream with our flashlights in our hand to navigate the way. After we came out of the cave it took us about 30 mins to reach the second stop which was a waterfall. We were advised not to go into it as there was a heavy water flow that day. Along with that, there was a lot of moss that made the surface really slippery. We still went up to it and took a few pictures around it before we headed back up and back on the route for our third stop.

The route for our third stop was really interesting as we passed a broken bridge and under the bridge was a river where we stopped for a few moments to admire the different fishes that gathered around us. From the bridge, the road ahead had many canopies that blocked the sunlight until we approached a giant tree which was our last stop for the day. The trip was exciting and on our way back we even saw some purple-faced langur’s after which we concluded our trip and headed back to Colombo just to go back to another rainforest the next weekend.

The weekend after that we went to the Singaraja rain forest where we saw and heard a lot of birds around us and on the trail we did. In Sinharaja we were staying near a river and got to down several times again to find some really beautiful fishes around us.

The next morning after reaching there we took a guide and went on the trail just to find some birds and look at the plant life around the area. The beginning of the forest area was paved before we saw a large gate from where the path to the jungle started. It was a long walk before we spotted the red face malkoha. Sadly it was under too many branches so we could not get any pictures of it. We also saw a blue magpie that was there around us for quite a long time. Early that morning there was a lot of rain, therefore, we could hear sounds but none of the birds were seen. On the way back to where we were staying we saw quite a few imperial green pigeons sitting on the branches of one tree.

The trails in the rainforest of Sri Lanka have not only been a great way to get active but also learn a lot about the nature and different birds and animals around us. I have been taking a keen interest in the birds of Sri Lanka as I have spotted so many different ones in Colombo itself.

Inside the cave in Kenneliya
On the way to the waterfall at Kenneliya

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