The Sinharaja rainforest.

The Sinharaja rainforest reserve is a hotspot for biodiversity, and it made it to the UNESCO list in 1988. It is not a big area. 21 kilometers long and 7 kilometers at its widest, but still a true gem as far as wildlife concerns. Inaccessibility was what saved it from loggers and poachers long enough to survive.

I took a series of local buses, starting down at Galle on the coast and eventually landed in Deniyaya, a small inland town close to the Sinharaja reserve. My accommodation of choice was the homestay of the Palita brothers just outside thẻ centre of town-yet far away in a tranquil location. Palita himself-a funny guy, has years of guiding experience and knows what he is doing. The wildlife watching actually started as soon as i arrived. His garden is actually teeming with life.....treefrogs, spiders. Small reptiles. And there were many scorpion burrows in the soil. They started to come out in the evening and i got to see them strolling around.

A green pitviper. Venomous but non lethal. A bite is not something to ask for though. This snake ís endemic to Sri Lanka. On this hike i actually saw at least two endemic species-highlighting the importance of this forest-endmism among several animal groups including the reptiles is as high as 50%. A staggering number. It is a peacefull snake, and if irritated it will vibrate its tail before mounting an attack.

My hike to the forest started with a tuktuk trip on twisting dirtroads going up and down trough the countryside. There were villages and lot of farmland-fruit, rice and coffee. Eventually i was met by a guide in the outskirt of the last village. We started walking. We entered a moist, shady green world of trees and plants, crisscrossed by small, shining streams. There were the sounds of countless insects playing and some birds. The air was filled with the smells of wet soil, and that of vegetation-living and dead. To begin with we saw no traces of animals, and i started loosing hope in my wished for creature fiesta. But then it loosened and my guide started to find a lot of interesting stuff. My guides eyes were sharp.  Reptiles was what we saw the most of. Fine with me-that's why i had come. Reptiles are often hard to find so i was happy.

The kangaroo lizard. A true runner and jumper. It is lightening fast, and run on two legs when threatened. My second endemic reptile encountered that morning.

The kangaroo lizard is able to change colour. Right now it is a bit intimidated by us.

A treeclimbing frog. They live most of their life up in the trees, only coming to the ground to spawn. They are lightweight to be able to walk on thin branches, and have large discs on their toes to improve their grip.

Showing off,trying to scare us off. An hump nosed lizard, endemic to Sri Lanka.

The hump nose lizard, a charmer.

Green vinesnake. Mildly venomous venomous but gentle in its ways.

A funny face.

Humpnose pitviper. Lethal if not treated. Its venom is necrotic, meaning the tissue dies.

A doctor snail, filled with healing substances. Or at least so they say.

Fungus on a dead branch.

There are some massive vines in this forest-with a mass outweighing most trees from where I come from.

a snail with egmass.

Resting in a pool below a waterfall. Small fishes come in starting to nibble on my feet.

Then freshwater crayfish joined in, they were tickling seriously and no problem, only when a crab arrived i retreated. Its claws were a bit too powerfull!

Colourfull sap oozing from a treetrunk.

Many legs, imagine this one wanting sandals!