Sri Lanka nature & wildlife holiday

This is a trip that simply combines both rural lifestyle and amazing biodiversity of Sri Lanka. Activities of the whole tour would make you feel as if you’re living with a local family for seven days.

We will provide accommodation at family run, small but clean and comfortable eco lodges. Sisira’s River Lounge located on the edge of the Kelani River is an amazing eco lodge with wooden cabanas. The entire architecture of the five cabanas property has been designed to safe guard the natural habitat that surrounds the place. A team of local villagers runs Sisira’s River Lounge, they are very passionate about the forest reserve and they are proud to welcome each and every one of you to explore the forest reserve. They serve lovely Sri Lankan meals cooked with supplies bought from the local vendors. The very reasonable prices they charge reflect that their aspiration is not to rip off their guests, instead to sustain the revenue stream at least to cover the cost of operations in the longer run. The garden at Sisira’s attracts many species of lowland endemic birds of Sri Lanka, Sisira and his team are careful that the garden is maintained to sustain the habitat, which attracts these birds.

You would be also visiting, Sinharaja Rainforest, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the Kudawa ticket point we will use a local jeep transfer operated by a local village person to take you up to the Martin’s Lodge which is located close to the entrance to the forest. Martin and his family are really happy to welcome you. Martin who has lived all his life at Sinharaja is well knowledgeable about the fauna and flora at Sinharaja. Martin has persuaded so many of the village boys and girls to take up a keen interest towards nature. Many of the local boys and girls work as forest department guides, one of whom will also accompany you during your walks inside the rainforest. These forest department guides save a part of their salary to invest on equipment and books to complement their profession.

We will also take you to Yala National Park; we hire safari jeeps from a local supplier who has been working with us since inception, your entry ticket fee will contribute towards the fund requirements of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, which invests these proceeds on continuous maintenance of the National Park.

Our guides have been trained to stick to and implement the company responsible travel policies during the whole tour, we are very particular that as much as we want you to enjoy your holiday with us, we want you to co-operate with us in implementing our responsibilities legislatively and ethically to the environment and people. We will give you a pack of information on arrival, which will include precise details of our responsible travel policy.

At a suitable point during the tour we will advice you to visit “Yala Fund” which is a UK charity set up in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. It raises money to alleviate financial hardship and suffering with a particular focus on Sri Lanka. The name "Yala" comes from Yala National Park in south-eastern Sri Lanka.

The charity helps tsunami communities as well as impoverished rural schools and other deserving causes. A holiday in Feb 2005 with us inspired Jon Ashworth to set up this charity.

Photograph: Crimson Rose Butterfly