Sinharaja

Rainforests are incredible places which cover only 6% of the surface area of the Earth, however more than half of the world’s plant and animal species lives in them.

 

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is probably the best kept secret in Asia – Sinharaja is one of the least disturbed and biologically unique lowland rain forests in Sri Lanka.

 

The average annual temperature of Sinharaja is 23.6 C. Rainfall figures show values ranging from 3,700 to 5,000 in and around the Sinharaja forest. Sinharaja is a vast forest which covers an area of approximately 11,000ha, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located quite close to Ratnapura with approaches from other directions as well.

 

 This dense rain forest has an amazing variety of flora and fauna, and this has caught the attention of scientists as well as nature lovers who make excursions into the jungle to explore and appreciate its many natural wonders.  Among these are cool waterfalls, rushing streams and crystal clear freshwater streams. A lot of attention and emphasis is now being placed on the conservation of this precious treasure that is Sinharaja.

 

The vegetation is described as a Tropical Lowland Rain forest, and has striking characteristics like the loftiness of its massive collection of trees, and the abundance of regeneration with a diversity of species. The vegetation has a humid wet evergreen forest type, and out of the 25 general endemic to Sri Lanka, 13 of them are represented in Sinharaja.

 

Due to the dense vegetation, wildlife is rarely seen though the most common larger mammal is the endemic Purple-faced Langur. One of the most important spectacles is the mixed feeding flock of birds, led by the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and the noisy Orange-billed Babbler. From the replies include the Green pit viper and the Hump-nosed vipers; however there is a large variety of amphibians, especially the tree frogs. The invertebrates include the most common of the endemic Birdwing butterfly.