Yala jungle lodge accommodation in Sri Lanka

Planet

- ) This is a private Sri Lankan ecotourism venture that grew up as a pioneering grass root project since year 2001. A step by step project founded on the vision to use ecotourism as a way forward for the local community and environment by creating a great, authentic, nature and service based tourism experience. Utilizing tourism as a tool to conserve the environment by creating new nature based jobs. Simply by using the nature in a constructive – not destructive way in the local area which is a wilderness, forest as well as slash and burn cultivation area north of the Yala National Park.

- ) The camp is situated in a border area between protected areas and human habitation as well as farming areas. It means the local area also is a place to witness village-life in remote rural areas. By inviting tourists to come and live with the jungle-lodge team in the wilderness it’s an aim to create awareness amongst the local community as well as political and administrative authorities about the important value of the natural environment outside the Yala National Park itself. We do not follow any blue print project implementation program and we are economically 100% depending on the arrival of visitors. But we are always working to use our influence and network so as to preserve this unique piece of nature from the threat of destruction. Preserving wild, natural habitats and forests outside the national park is the most important way to solve the 'human-elephant conflict', the main threat to the Sri Lankan elephant population.

- ) Our 25 acres private land camp property has been allowed to grow wild to be an integrated and natural part of our wild environment surroundings. We work under a minimalistic land-use concept, self-imposed restriction that’s about avoiding any hotel-like development and expansion. That is the the background for the camp concept. A set up which is preserved as a small and special lodge and with only 3 accommodation units. That’s the special recipe conserving the camp as an original and pure jungle experience.

People

- ) All staff members are recruited from the local area. They have been trained and educated for tourism by the camp management. The tourism schooling in this particular local community is done with great care and consciousness of using the natural sense of hospitality found in this remote Sri Lankan area.

- ) We consider sustainable small scale nature based tourism an important contribution to the environmental threats to the area and work to build awareness of nature tourism as a tool to use the local environment in a constructive way as an alternative to using nature in destructive ways.

-) Small scale responsible tourism is generating a new type of income in the local community and we have proven this is a different way to use the local environment in a positive way compared to traditional land and forest use. At the same time the management depend on the local knowledge of the jungle which the local staff team possess.

-) We are conscious about using simple technology only as it can be handled, repaired and managed by the local staff.