Reviews by Tour Type

We could not have enjoyed our first visit to Sri Lanka more. We came as near-beginner birders, with only four or five years' experience. We were a bit worried that since most of Jith's clients seemed to be hard-core bird-watchers, dealing with us would be like looking after the village idiots. But that fear dissipated once we met out guide, Thilina, who assumed we would have the same ambitions to see birds as any expert.  Here, I have to say this man is something of a phenomenon. His ability to find a bird simply from the reactions of other wildlife, or from the slightest, barely audible whistle (which we often couldn't detect) is little short of uncanny. Thanks to his skill, we saw all but one of Sri Lanka's endemic bird species. And the one that got away was the victim of abnormally dry conditions in his habitats, something we were forced to admit after Thilina led us in two and a half days' hunts. We knew that if he couldn't find it, it wasn't there.

Overall a very well planned tour: Upali was knowledgeable and patient as out guide. Although there was a lot of time on the road (often wind and bumpy). He drove carefully and there was time to stop when we needed or something of interest.

Kitulgala was a good place to start and although it rained some of the time, we were able to see a lot of birds. Kaudulla park was excellent both for the elephants and Roller birds and Bee-eaters.   

We enjoyed the cultural triangle, particularly Polonnaruwa (close up views of birds as well as the ruins) and Dambulla cave temple. Kandy was also enjoyable although the train ride was less scenic than expected. Horton plains was one of the highlights.

Tissamaharama and the nearby wetlands were also amazing, although there wasn’t a lot to see at Bundala park (no migrants).

Sri Lanka is a magical, varied, colorful and charming country. The cultural, historical and natural heritage is worth to discover. The variety of landscapes and natural environment is overwhelming, beaches, rainforests, national parks with an exceptional fauna, impressive forests and diversity of birds and vegetation that we had never seen before much of it endemic.     

Hetti has been an excellent guide and also an extraordinary travel companion.  He has dealt with all the details and has taken care of us in every aspect. The most notable thing is that he has been able to transmit us his broad knowledge of the environment and above all, his passion of birds. For us it has been totally enriching and a great learning. (He is an excellent master of ornithology)

Walk with Jith did a great job of mixing specialist bird watching and cultural tourism, all packed into 8 days! The tour was very well planned to enable us to do the impossible: mix expert guided birding with visiting the main cultural centres.

The driving guide they gave us, Chamil, was superb at finding birds for us. In just 4 days of birding we saw 135 species including 26 of the 33 birds endemic to the island. It was well beyond anything I expected. He was brilliant as a bird guide and as a driver, but he also made a very good job of taking us to the key cultural sights that we could fit into the short time we had. He was very courteous and considerate throughout.