Dry Zone
Kumbuk River Lodge
Nominated for the World Travel Awards 2007 for its ecologically sensitive construction and ethos, the small lodge is set by a river within easy reach of the north entrance to Yala and exudes simple yet natural charm.
The main lodge is built from wood and thatch in the shape of a 40ft elephant. Inside the elephant is a villa which provides a lounge area, bedroom and bathroom with hot water.
There are two other villas available to guests, the tree luxuria, is a luxurious tree house with glass walls overlooking the river and has a separate bedroom, private bathroom , air conditioning and tea and coffee facilities.
There is also the Kumbuk chalet which is slightly more rustic but still an experience to stay in, it is built to resemble a traditional Sri Lankan farmhouse and offers an outdoor shower and solar powered lighting.
Meals include a mixture of Sri Lankan cuisine and more international dishes and are prepared using fresh local ingredients.
As well as game drives in the world famous Yala National Park, the lodge also offers walking safaris along the river, zip lines, a sky chair and swimming.
Facilities
Private bathrooms, dining room, air-conditioning,
Local Wildlife
Yala has one of the highest densities of leopard in the world enabling reliable and excellent sightings. Elephant, sloth bear, sambar and spotted deer, wild boar, stripe-necked mongoose, black-naped hare and several civet species could all be encountered on night drives. In the water holes you may see mugger crocodile, painted stork, lesser whistling teal, black-headed Ibis, Eurasian spoonbill and the rare black-necked stork. Palu trees dominate the monsoon forest vegetation of the park. (Manilkara hexandra) and thorny bushes dominate the thick undergrowth.
Optional Activities
Game drives, walking safaris, zip lines
Alan Godwin
Area Specialist
If you have any questions regarding our Sri Lanka tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
We were absolutely thrilled by the whole experience and can only commend the helpfulness and friendliness of everyone who made our holiday so special. We cannot speak highly enough of all of our guides who were extremely knowledgeable and went above and beyond to enhance our Sri Lankan wildlife encounters. We felt very privileged to be with guides who have so much expertise.