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A White-throated Kingfisher perched above the water in the Knuckles range
Knuckles Mountain Range · Sri Lanka

Birdwatching in the Knuckles Mountains

Birds, nature, consciousness. Discover the birdlife of Sri Lanka from inside the forest, not from the edge of it.

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Welikande sits within the Knuckles Conservation Forest, part of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka UNESCO World Heritage property.

Although the range covers a small fraction of the island, it holds a remarkable share of its biodiversity: around 128 bird species, 17 of which are found nowhere else on earth.

The reason is habitat. In a short walk you pass from semi-evergreen forest with tall trees in the valleys, through tropical montane rainforest on the upper slopes, into cloud forest at the top. Each layer holds different birds.

We walk with local guides who know these routes and these calls. Mornings begin before dawn, which is when the forest species are most active.

What you might see

Seventeen of these birds live nowhere else on earth

SpeciesScientific nameStatusWhen
Sri Lanka Blue MagpieUrocissa ornata EndemicAll year
Yellow-eared BulbulPycnonotus penicillatus EndemicAll year
Spot-winged ThrushGeokichla spiloptera EndemicAll year
Dull-blue FlycatcherEumyias sordidus EndemicAll year
Sri Lanka Whistling ThrushMyophonus blighi EndemicBest at dawn
Sri Lanka Bush WarblerElaphrornis palliseri EndemicAll year
Layard's ParakeetPsittacula calthrapae EndemicAll year
Sri Lanka Hanging ParrotLoriculus beryllinus EndemicAll year
Sri Lanka Grey HornbillOcyceros gingalensis EndemicAll year
Crimson-backed FlamebackChrysocolaptes stricklandi EndemicAll year
Sri Lanka Green PigeonTreron pompadora EndemicAll year
Black-capped BulbulRubigula melanicterus EndemicAll year
Sri Lanka Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus melanurus EndemicAll year
Black EagleIctinaetus malaiensis All year
Come with us

Join the next expedition, or bring your own group

Guided end to end: accommodation, meals, guides, transport and excursions are arranged for you.

A guided group scanning the ridge line for endemic species
23 October to 2 November 2026

Our next expedition

11 days, 10 nights · 6 places left

Explore mountains, forests, jungle, lakes and wildlife with our professional local guides. Accommodation, meals, guides, transport and excursions are all arranged.

  • Two licensed guides, and 13 endemic species on the list
  • Accommodation, three meals a day and transport included
  • Small group, so everyone gets the scope
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Your own group

Bring your own group

If you lead birdwatching trips, we can host your group and take care of accommodation, meals, guides, transport and excursions.

Talk to us about a group
Photographed here

Birds our guides have found on these routes

Click any photograph to see it large. Thirteen of these species live nowhere else on earth.

A Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot feeding beside a ripening rambutan
A Crimson-backed Flameback, an endemic woodpecker, gripping a mossy trunk in the forest
A Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler calling from a moss-covered branch in cloud forest
A Black-capped Bulbul, endemic to Sri Lanka, among wet leaves after rain
A Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, endemic to the island, its long tail hanging below the branch
A Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, endemic to the island, catching the first sun in the canopy
A Yellow-eared Bulbul, endemic to the highlands, on a bramble against an open sky
A Black Eagle quartering the forest canopy, wingtips spread like fingers
A white-eye, its eye ringed in white, perched on a thin branch
A drongo watching from a bare branch, its tail deeply forked
In the field

What a morning looks like

Scanning the ridge line with binoculars
Scanning the ridge line with binoculars
Watching from the covered hide above the valley
Watching from the covered hide above the valley
Photographing from the edge of the paddy fields
Photographing from the edge of the paddy fields
A giant squirrel in the canopy above the estate path
A giant squirrel in the canopy above the estate path
Rice paddies and village houses on the Heeloya trek
Rice paddies and village houses on the Heeloya trek
Cloud filling the valley below the estate at dawn, the mountains standing above it
Cloud filling the valley below the estate at dawn, the mountains standing above it
Where next
A walker standing on a rock above the Knuckles range

A new adventure every day

A different afternoon every day

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The Knuckles hills above the estate, tea and jungle under a blue sky

Getting to Welikande

45 minutes from Kandy, transfers arranged

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Enquire about birdwatching at Welikande

Join the next expedition, or bring your own group. Our guides will answer your questions directly.

Optional. Many guests prefer to talk on WhatsApp, and so do we.

Our guides answer these directly, usually within a day.

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"Welikande is one of those places that feels like home from the second you arrive. From the delicious home-cooked food, yoga and meditation twice daily, and the fantastic experiences and excursions: massage, pottery, waterfalls. All you need to do is turn up, and the rest is taken care of. Can't wait to go back."

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"Arriving at Welikande is like reaching the top of the world. Mountains and lakes as far as the eye can see, and no photo will ever come close. The property is gorgeous, as are the lovely hosts whose hearts and souls are poured into this paradise. The experiences on offer are totally unique. I spent six weeks in Sri Lanka and nothing came close to the unusual daily adventures we had."

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