Jetwing Eco Holidays are Sri Lanka's leading tour operator specializing in birding and wildlife tours. Some of the country's top naturalist guides work exclusively with us.
In 2008, the team at Jetwing Eco Holidays played a pivotal role in developing whale watching in Sri Lanka and branding Sri Lanka as being the best place in the world for watching Blue Whales. During the period between November to April Blue Whales can be seen virtually everyday off Mirissa with a strike rate of over 95%. It has also recently emerged that Blue Whales can be seen from Trincomalee from May all the way through to September, allowing a 10 month whale watching window.
Sri Lanka is also within the top ten sites in the world for watching migrating Sperm Whales, which are see predominantly from December - April. Kalpitiya in the North-west apears to be the top location for Sperm Whales, while both Mirissa in the South and Trincomalee in the North-East are competing for top spot for being able to see both Blue Whales and Sperm Whales in a single whale watching trip.
Whale watching can also be combined with other land-based birding & wildlife watching excursions as a part of a tailor-made tour program. Some of Sri Lanka's other wildlife highlights which should not be missed are:
- Watching Leopard and Sloth Bear at Yala National Park and the recently re-opened Wilpattu National Parks,
- Asian Elephant year-round at Uda Walawe where sightings are virtually guaranteed.
- The Gathering at Minneriya (Ranked 6th amongst the world's top wildlife spectacles by Lonely Planet) from June - October where up to 300 Asian Elephant can be seen in a single location
- The Sinharaja Birdwave for the largest and longest studied mixed species birdwaves in the world.
Contact us: www.jetwingeco.com / eco@jetwing.lk
Months
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • November • December
Duration
Short (1-3 hours) • Half-day (3-6 hours) • Full day (6-9 hours) • Multi-day
Vessel types
Helicopter / Plane • Kayak / Canoe • Large boat (50+ passengers) • Rigid inflatable • Small boat (0-50 passengers)
Times and prices
About our skippers and naturalist guides
Facilities
Deck with 360?vision • Disabled access • Naturalist guide(s) as well as skipper • Posters / displays / maps • Reading material available • Restrooms / toilets on board • Scenic backdrop to encounters • Snacks / drinks • Support conservation • Use a code of conduct
We frequently
See a whale's tail • See leaping dolphins • Showered by whale blows • Watch whales and dolphins
Baleen Whales
Blue Whale • Bryde's Whale
Toothed Whales
False Killer Whale • Killer Whale / Orca • Short-finned Pilot Whale • Sperm Whale
Ocean Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphin • Fraser's Dolphin • Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin • Pantropical Spotted Dolphin • Risso's Dolphin • Rough-toothed Dolphin • Spinner Dolphin • Striped Dolphin
Other wildlife and points of interest
There are 28 species of cetaceans which have been recorded off Sri Lankan waters. In addition to the whales and dolphins, Whale Sharks and Manta Rays may also be encountered occasionally.
Our naturalists at Jetwing Eco Holidays are also on the lookout for pelagic seabirds, which can be encountered on whale watching excursions. Species seen may include: Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Persian Shearwater, Red-billed Tropicbird, White-tailed Tropicbird, South Polar Skua, Pomarine Skua, Long-tailed Skua, Large Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black-naped Tern, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Bridled Tern, Sooty Tern, Little Tern, Brown Noddy, Lesser Noddy.
Five species of Marine Turtles (Loggerhead Turtle, Green Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Leatherback Turtle and Olive Ridley Turtle) are also seen coming ashore and laying eggs on Sri Lankan beaches, particularly around Rekawa in the South.