Nature & Wildlife

Where naturetells its story.

An island within a global biodiversity hotspot — where rainforest, highlands and ocean shape everyday life.

Small island,vast nature.

Natural World Heritage Sites: Sinharaja and the Central Highlands.

30+

Endemic bird species found nowhere else.

5 of 7

Marine turtle species nest on its beaches.

Endemic leopard subspecies, Panthera pardus kotiya.

A · Fauna

Few places so small hold such a variety of large animals: elephants, leopards and bears on land, and blue whales offshore.

B · Protected Areas

From misty rainforest to dry-zone scrub and lake-dotted plains, Sri Lanka’s protected areas guard a remarkable diversity of habitats.

C · The Sea

Ringed by more than a thousand kilometres of coast, Sri Lanka lives by the sea — its reefs, lagoons, turtle beaches and fishing towns.

D · The Highlands

In the centre of the island the land rises into misty peaks, cloud forests and grasslands, cut by countless waterfalls.

E · Hill Country

Emerald terraces wrap the hills of Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. Tea shaped this landscape — and the lives of the communities who tend it.

Field notes