Meet the feathered celebrities of Mannar
01-Aug-2025
Category: News Stories
Discover the island of Mannar on the northern west coast, with its low landscapes barely a few meters above sea level, arid climate, lagoons, mudflats, and shallow coastal waters, that makes it a remarkable hotspot and a getaway for flamingos and many of the over 200 species of migratory birds. Explore this secluded island through a specially curated experience designed exclusively by Aitken Spence Travels.
Every year these areas and lagoons comes alive with shades of pink and white as flocks of greater flamingos arrive and settle in the regions salterns, lagoons and wetlands for the winter.
The migrant flamingo’s start arriving in by November to beat the winter season and generally stay on until April. It is witnessed that around 5000 birds could be spotted on a good day and is a paradise for bird lovers and photography enthusiasts. With these feathered celebrities of Mannar also arrives thousands of ducks and other rare migrant birds which makes the location undeniably the best in Sri Lanka to see these birds during this season in tranquility and peace. The migrant season has always been an exciting time for visitors, who get an unparalleled opportunity to view in marvel, study and photograph at leisure, the graceful and stately Flamingos that spend more than five months in the wetlands of Mannar.
The Greater Flamingo found in Sri Lanka is probably the most notable migratory bird species due to their beauty according to National Geographic and seeing large flocks of these gregarious pink birds flying back and forth continuously is an exhilarating experience that one should not miss!
Aitken Spence Travels are represented in the UK and Ireland by Rob Haynes of www.redtree.org.uk for details please email rob@redtree.org.uk
