Moist and muggy, murky and mysterious; an experience of Sinharaja is like nothing else in Sri Lanka. Trekking through this magnificent jungle, the last surviving stretch of virgin rainforest on the island is a treat; through a bewildering land of exotic colours and wonderful sounds is a truly enriching experience. From top to bottom the forest is teeming with life, colour and sound; gushing waterfalls, gurgling streams, ants marching, leaves rustling, leeches waiting, crickets creaking and fluttering butterflies combine to stir the senses. UNESCO made Sinharaja Forest a World Heritage Site in 1989.

Located in the southwest corner of Sri Lanka, 40km inland from the historic city of Galle, the Sinharaja rain forest straddles a series of mountains and ridges in the country’s wet zone, containing a number of streams, waterfalls and fresh-water springs which flow into the Gin River on the southern boundary and Kalu River to the north. The Sinharaja region has long played an important role in the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. For folklorists, the name of the forest, which literally means ‘lion king’, suggests its significance as the primary home of the legendary lion of Sri Lanka. Other less romantic historians believe that the name refers to Sinharaja’s role as the ‘king-sized’ or ‘royal’ forest of the Sinhalese people, at a time when over 100,000 hectares of wet evergreen jungle covered the South Western hills and lowlands of Sri Lanka.

The forest not only offers a window into in Sri Lanka’s distant past but is also houses an incredible array of flora and fauna (including a sum total of 73 endemic species of birds, butterflies, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians) making a world famous hotspot for biodiversity.