Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Protected rainforest in Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a protected rainforest in southern Sri Lanka covering 11,000 hectares of primary tropical forest with steep hills, deep valleys, and varied woodland zones. The landscape contains numerous microhabitats that support distinct plant and animal communities across the reserve's terrain.
This forest formed during the Cretaceous period, making it one of the world's oldest woodlands. Its remote location in the hills allowed it to remain largely undisturbed and protected over millions of years.
Local communities have long gathered herbal remedies and forest products here, practices that remain central to their daily lives and traditions. For many people in the region, this place holds spiritual significance and remains woven into their way of living.
Visitors must hire a local guide to explore and navigate through the forest safely. Multiple entrances including Weddagala, Rakwana, Neluwa, and Deniyaya-Mederipitiya provide different starting points, with hiking times varying from short walks to full-day treks depending on the chosen route.
The forest shelters more than half of all bird species found nowhere else in Sri Lanka, along with amphibians and butterflies found only in this region. Researchers and conservation teams work regularly here studying these species, making it a living laboratory for tropical biodiversity.
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