Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary - Bird Watching & Ecotourism

Our visit to the bird reservoir was an unforgettable experience. Cruising on a boat allowed us to witness a myriad of bird species in their natural habitat during the serene evening hours. The breathtaking views of the reservoir's surroundings painted a tranquil scene that soothed the soul. The highlight, undoubtedly, was the opportunity to climb a rock in the area. Scaling the rock not only brought a rush of adventure but also rewarded us with a mesmerizing panoramic view that captured the essence of the entire reservoir landscape. This destination truly offers the best of both avian wonders and thrilling exploration.

An extraordinary experience. A quiet, peaceful boat ride through the stunningly beautiful lagoon. A lot of birds and other animals to watch, a highly competent and lovely young guide and most of the time only us and the nature. It was a fantastic early morning excursion! We loved it!

The Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary situated 20 km away from the Tangalle city has faced a lot of turmoil over the years. However, it still stands as one of Sri Lanka’s key habitats for bird watching. Initially declared as a Bird Sanctuary in 1938, it was abolished in 1946 due to the pressure from local residents.  Fortunately, it was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary almost 4 decades later in 1984. It is celebrated as a haven for weaver birds who nest frequently within the sanctuary. The brackish water lagoon that is adorned with lush mangrove forms the main habitat component of area. The bird composition of Kalametiya consist of over 150 species that include 54 migratory birds. In addition, over 20 species of mammals, 41 species of fish and 38 species of reptiles seek refuge in the sanctuary.

Gorgeous morning on the boat during the sunrise, really peaceful and relaxing way to see the reservoir and birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we saw 50 species in total! Much cheaper and nicer experience than a traditional jeep safari.

I can't recommend this tour enough! We called that morning to make arrangements with Gayan who was extremely helpful, polite and professional. On arrival at 4pm we went out on the boat with our guide Chaminder and his colleague who did the punting. It's such a beautiful, serene location you can feel it calm and relax you as soon as you get on the water. Chaminder was extremely knowledgeable and amazing at spotting wildlife. We saw so many birds including pied kingfishers, spoonbills, openbills, grey headed fish eagles and pheasant tailed jacanas to name but a few.
We were also offered home made kokkis which were delicious as well as bananas. The trip ended watching the sun setting over the lagoon. Certainly a must do if you're in the area!

Wonderfully peaceful, relaxing experience! We were very lucky to have such a great tour guide Chamila - who was so informative and professional, in addition to being wonderful company, together with Mahinda. We were provided with binoculars and Chamila pointed out more than 30 different varieties of birds in addition to water buffalos and a giant squirrel along with a lot of very interesting information about the surrounding wildlife. The view from atop the hill was amazing. The provision of bananas and Gayan's "kokis" was such a nice touch. Thank you Gayan and your awesome team for an unforgettable experience!!

Ideal place to watch many indigenous birds..morning time is ideal. Great hospitality by kalamatiyana eco tourism gayan n team.

Very nice place and kind people. We was coming here early morning. We saw beatiful sun rise and a lot of kinds of animal and bird. Our guide was amazing, he showed to us every bird there was. We was also hiking to the rock. Very nice view to the nature from the top. We tried traditional New Year fried snack. We recommend this place! Near from the lagoon is a beautiful temple that we also recommend to visit!

Wonderful peaceful boat trip shortly after dawn on this salt/freshwater lagoon and bird sanctuary. It was silent apart from the calls of the birds, the slight swish of the punt and the quiet voice of my lovely guide Chimila as he pointed out the birds and said their names. He was extremely knowledgeable and clearly loves the job and the nature around him. He could answer all my questions. We climbed a rock at one point (optional) and saw loads of birds from above the canopy. It was magical just to be surrounded by so much unspoiled nature in the early morning light. The boat was steered expertly by Mihinder. It was fantastic. I went on my own and Gayan (founder of the company) really looked after me and made sure to stay with me after the trip until my partner came to pick me up. Highly recommended!

Incredible, unforgetable experience. The calmness and beauty of nature was simply spectacular. The guide to all the beautiful birds and the never-ending scenic environment made it even more magical.🤩 And the information about the variaty of birds was fasinating. Not falling in love with nature of the protected lagoon and the bird sanctuary was absolutely impossible.
100% worth it!⭐
Thank You Gayan, Chamila and the team!
Recommended for a great experience in the calming environment.
Don't forget to start the tour early at 6am!😉

We had a wonderful tour with Guyan and his captain. He was so knowledgeable and the sheer number and variety of birds was amazing. The place, a protected wetland that you visit on a small raft, is so special and peaceful. It is well worth going out of your way to add this to your Sri Lanka itinerary. Thank Guyan, we hope to come back.

I went for a boat birds watching in the Reserve this morning. The protected area and lagoon within it is just stunning, untouched by a human hand place where there is a plenty of wildlife, freely living colorful and diverse type of birds. For birds lover is the perfect place. For all other is just a great place to get in direct touch with a wild nature. If you like to experience that, Gayan is a great person to get in touch with.
He will arrange the boat, a guide and welcome you to this area. I highly recommend this experience and supporting the local ecotourism.

We can recommend this tour so much!! He showed us in a private tour more than 3 hours so many beautiful birds and he explained every detail in good english. We saw kingfisher, pelican, Papagei, Peacock etc...
The best time to come here is definitely in the morning. We climbed on a small hill to watch the sunrise and we got bananas and homemade cookies.
It was such an impressive adventure for small money!
Just text him on WhatsApp for easy communication: 0094777060920.

We highly recommend Gayan at KalametiyaBirds.com. we had the most gentle morning and then evening tour.
We loved the peace and tranquility of being silently punted around this huge (10square km of lagoon, mangrove and wetlands), magical lagoon.
The punts are very stable even for an older, weighty couple like us.
Each tour last 3-4 hours and Gayan, who speaks excellent English brings spare binoculars, snacks and water for everyone. We would recommend the sun rise and the sunset tours. His number is 0094 (0)777 060920.

Incredible experience. I was astonished by the fact how knowledgeable Gayan and the crew were about the birds, environment and its ecosystem. The crew took us to a high view point where we could catch the spectacular view of the lagoon and the birds. Highly recommended.

this was one of our favorite experiences on our trip to Sri Lanka. We went on a late afternoon boat safari with guide Chamila and had with him both a zen-master and a bird-whisperer in our midst. We saw a LOT of different species, learned a ton and had a very calming and relaxing afternoon. This boat safari also is a great activity when the weather isn't that great, since it doesn't really matter (and they provide huge umbrella's - that helps!). We initially ended up here because of the bad rain at the south coast but ended up having an experience we wouldn't want to miss!!

Awesome and a quiet place with so much scenery. When wen enter the wetland area, in the dry season, the whole area is dry, but when we walk further, the rock top shows a amazing scenery. The vegetation, the diversity shows the richness of the integration of flora and fauna.
People must visit there, but remember not to leave your garbage there. Please protect the valueble wetland ecosystem because they are the oxygen generators of the planet.

Amazing experience! Our guide was extremely informative and smart, we had a great time there! The scenery was pristine and wonderful. Great way to relax and to connect with nature!

Gayan is a very experienced birder, and the whole bird watching tour was exceptional. Gayan knows the place very well and he was able to name every bird we spotted (Gayan is probably one of the most patient people in the world). We got on a boat and binoculars were provided (also water and some snacks). There was a book provided as well if you need a reference. The lake was very tranquil and all we heard was the beautiful singings of different kinds of birds. Darters, Kites, egrets, kingfishers, bee-eaters, etc...We also climbed on a big rock, had a look at the lake and birds from a high point, and the view was epic. Thank you again Gayan for a 5-star bird watching experience and hopefully will see you again in near future. Highly recommended!

Excellent experience ! For the price it is really worth it. During two hours you explore the natural lagoon area with a professional bird guide (we have forgotten his name but thanks to him again).

In the middle of the tour we had a small climb on a beautiful rock where you can observe the bird ecology. Our guide has such powerful eyesight that he recognizes birds without any binoculars! We were provided light snack, binoculars and a bird guide book in the tour.

We definitely recommend this activity.

Ps. the best moment is early in the morning.