Sinharaja World Heritage Site

Located in south-west Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians.
Based on the numerous eco-geographical classifications of the island, the Sinharaja can be described either as a Tropical lowland rain forest or Tropical wet evergreen forest. However, the most recent classification by UNESCO identifies it as a Tropical Humid Ceylonese Rain Forest of Indo-Malayan realm.
At present, the Sinharaja Reserve covers an area of 8,800ha of natural and modified forests. It measures 21Km in length and is 7Km in width at its widest point and 3Km at its narrowest point. It consist of approximately 6,091ha of forest reserves and 2,773ha of proposed reserves.
The boundaries of the reserve consist of several rivers and streams - Napala dola and Koskulana ganga in the north; Kalukanda ela and Pitakele ganga in the west and Maha dola and Gin ganga on the south. The eastern boundary now encompasses the area of Morning-side.
Sinharaja belongs to the middle elevational range or the 'uplands' which has a height range of 270 to 1,060 meters and a slope range of 10⁰ to 35⁰ . It lies within a rainfall range of 3,000 to 6,000mm. Rainfall figures available for the last 60 years show values ranging from 3,614 to 5,006mm in places in and around the Sinharaja. The high annual temperature of the Sinharaja is typical of the tropics, recording little seasonal variation, but with marked daily ranges.
The elevation of the Sinharaja reserve ranges from 200m to 1300m. The peak of Hinipitigala is the tallest, rising up to about 1150m. Other important ridges in the reserve ranges between 550-800m in height, namely Moulawella (760m), Kosgulana (797m), Sinharaja (742m), Kohilearambe (575m), Dotalugala (769m) and Tibbottagala (904m). 
As in most of the tropics, in Sri Lanka too, a rapidly increasing population is causing intense pressure on the island's natural resources. Steps were taken to secure its future in 1988 by declaring it a National Wilderness area. This was then followed by its inclusion in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Access
There are four main routes of access Sinharaja. The Kalawana-Weddagala road from the north-west, the Rakwana Morning side estate road from the north-east, the Hiniduma-Neluwa road from the south-west and Deniyaya-Pallegama road from the south-east. Among these roads, the Kalawana-Weddagala road is shorter and more convenient for visitors travelling from Colombo.
Flora
The total vegetation density of the forest including trees, shrubs, herbs and seedlings has been estimated to be around 240,000 individuals per hectare, of which 95% comprises individuals of the ground layer.
The endemic flora of the Sinharaja occupies a unique status for it accounts for 64% to 75% of the total number of species recorded among the trees and lianes over 30 cm in girth. It is also interesting to note that out of the 25 genera endemic to Sri Lanka, 13 are represented in the Sinharaja, and several of these genera are monotypic. Studies show that    85% of all under story species fall into the categories of 'Rare', 'Vulnerable' and 'Endangered' as described by the International Union for Nature and Natural Resource conservation (IUCN) Red Data Book. Out of these endemic species, almost 25 species were restricted to a single forest site.
Fauna
The complex vegetation structure of the rain forest provides a variety of dwelling places or niches for animals. Thus, not surprisingly, there is a rich diversity of fauna within a rain forest. Unlike the flora, the fauna of the Sinharaja has received comparatively little attention, and descriptions of the fauna had been limited to the occasional report by enthusiasts. It was only as recently as 1981 that preliminary systematic investigations were initiated. These studies were confined to the western sector of the forest. Up to date, a check-list of 262 vertebrate species has been compiled which includes 61 species endemic to Sri Lanka. 
Among mammals, the Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, Trachypithecus vetulus is perhaps the most observable of the mammals. These monkeys move in groups 10 to 14, high up in the forest canopy and their territorial calls echo for miles around the forest. The Toque Monkey Macaca sinica is rare inside the forest but is more more commonly observed in the peripheral areas. Several large mammals are characteristically terrestrial and feed off the forest floor. This group includes herbivores browsers and mixed feeders, such as Wild Pig Sus Scrofa the sambur  Cervus unicolour Mouse Deer Tragulus meminna and Barking Deer Muntiacus munjak.
The major carnivore of the forest is the Leopard Panthera pardus. Leopards are seldom sighted but their presence is frequently confirmed by tracks and other signs. Genuinely rare are the Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosa and Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrina, while Jackals Canis aureus have been occasionally seen in the periphery of the forest.
The two most commonly sighted nocturnal species are civets and mongooses. The small mammals recorded in Sinharaja are mainly rats, shrews and squirrels. The Bi-coloured Rat Srilankamis ohiensis and Spiny Rat Coelomys mayori pococki, both endemic genera were found here, as were the endemic species of shrews, the Long-tailed Shrew Crocidura miya
and the Horsefield's Shrew Crocidura horsefieldi.
The reptile fauna of Sinharaja is represented by 45 species, of which 21 are endemic. This includes snakes, lizards, tortoises and skinks. among the snakes, two very rare species, Rhinophis tricolorata and Haploceros ceylonensis have been recorded. Green-pit Viper Trimerasurus trigonocephalus Hump-nosed Viper Hypnale hypnale and Krait Bungarus ceylonicus represent the common venomous snake species in the forest. Several rare and endemic species of lizards are found in the forest. Among these are the Calotes liolepis and the Hump-nosed Lizard Lyriocephalus scutatus.
The rain forest is the habitat par excellence for amphibians. It is not surprising therefore that half of the total number of amphibian species in Sri Lanka and nearly half the endemic amphibia are represented in Sinharaja. These amphibians are mainly frogs and toads and a single limbless form. One of the commonest frogs is the Wrinkled frog Rana corrugata heard frequently from marshes and streams. Several species of tree frogs and the Reed frog  Rana greeni has a call similar to that of a bird and can be heard distinctively at night.
The fish show little diversity with only three species commonly occurring in all forest streams. All these species are endemic to the island. The Comb-tail Belontia singnata is found in slow moving streams. The Stone sucker Gara lamata ceylonensis is found clinging to rocks which feeds on moss and the Striped loach Neomachilus notostigma is found among the leaf at the bottom of the streams.
The Sinharaja Reserve is rich in bird life with an impressive 147 species recorded to date. It is also the only locality where 18 out of 26 bird species endemic to Sri lanka may be viewed. Interestingly, a few endemic and other species thought to be confined to the hill-zone haave also been sighted at Sinharaja viz. Mixed species of bird flocks are one of the most interesting experience of the forest. Observations made on at least 100 such flocks at Sinharaja, reveal that over 40 such species of birds, including 12 endemic species participate in flocks. Bird flocks show a distribution pattern that corresponds closely with the stratified vegetation structure, and are usually accompanied by animals such as Giant Squirrel, the Jungle Squirrel, the Purple-faced Leaf Monkey and the Mouse Deer.