Sinharaja is the only “World Heritage Site” Rain Forest in Sri Lanka, with a very high rate of bio-diversity. The vegetation is tropical wet evergreen forest and the area under the reserve is 11,187 hectares. Out of the 331 woody trees and lianas identified, 192 (60%) are endemic at Sinharaja. Regarding Fauna 141 bird species recorded here and about 28 are endemic (34 for the entire country), Butterflies 65 species (1 endemic), Fishes 10 (07 endemic), Amphibians 19 (08 endemic), Reptiles & Snakes 29 (14 endemic), and Mammals 40 (07 endemic). Sinharaja is the only relatively undisturbed rain forest of any considerable size and many of the plants are rare and are represented by only one individual of its kind in a large area.

Kanneliya Forest Reserve located in the Galle district is the largest of the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN) forest complex. It is regarded as one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country. The bio-diversity of Kanneliya is considered richer, even compared to the World Heritage Rain Forest “Sinharaja”.

Haputale is a town in the Uva Province situated at an elevation of 1431 m (4695 ft) above the sea level. The area has a rich bio-diversity dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Haputale is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than its surroundings, due to its elevation. The Haputale-Pass allows views across the Southern plains of Sri Lanka. The South-West boundary of Uva basin is marked by Haputale mountain ridges, which continue on to Horton Plains and Adam’s Peak to the west. CNN named Haputale as one of Asia’s most overlooked destinations.

The Lipton’s Seat located at Dambetenna in the Haputale Mountain region was a favourite look-outpoint for Sir Thomas Lipton who created the Lipton Tea brand. The point has a fabulous view over Uva, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern provinces. Sir Thomas Lipton visited Sri Lanka in the 1890s and made business deals with James Taylor the man who introduced tea plantations to Sri Lanka. Sir Lipton’s company purchased tea from Sri Lanka and distributed it through Europe and the USA.

Udawatta Kele Sanctuary is a historic forest reserve on a hill-ridge in the city of Kandy. During the days of the Kandyan kingdom, Udawatta Kele was known as “Uda Wasala Watta” in Sinhalese meaning “the garden situated above the royal palace”. The sanctuary is famous for its extensive avifauna (birds). The reserve also contains a great variety of plant species, especially lianas, shrubs and small trees. There are several giant lianas. Many of small and medium size mammals that inhabit Sri Lanka can be seen here. Several kinds of snakes and other reptiles might also be seen. Udawatta Kele was designated as a forest reserve in 1856, and it became a sanctuary in 1938. The Sri Lanka Forest Department has two offices in the reserve, one of which (i.e. the one located at the South-Eastern entrance) has a nature education centre with a display of pictures, posters, stuffed animals, etc. Being easily accessible and containing a great variety of flora and fauna the forest has a great educational and recreational value. Groups of school children and students regularly visit the forest and the education centre. The forest is also popular with foreign tourists, especially bird watchers. The forest is also of religious importance as there are three Buddhist meditation hermitages and three rock shelter dwellings for Buddhist monk hermits.

20 miles (32 km) from Nuwara Eliya via Ambewela and Pattipola, is the Horton Plains only 3,160 hectares in extent. Known to Sri Lankans as Mahaeliya, it became Horton Plains after Sir Robert Horton, British Governor from 1831- 1837. Horton Plains became a Nature Reserve in 1969 and upgraded as a National Park in 1988 due to its unique watershed and bio-diversity values of the “Cloud Forest Reserve”. Its flora has high level of endemism. The hills are covered with diverse wet low evergreen forest with even large trees grown flattened to the ground on the higher windswept slopes. Two escarpments- “World’s End” and “Little World’s End” falling from the Horton Plains 1,000 feet and 3,000 feet respectively, to the land below and the Baker’s fall are places you should visit. This is the only National Park where visitors could walk on their own on the designated tracks.