Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you prefer to catch up on your sleep after an
energetic day's hike, bed down in the simple
wooden hut nestled among the trees.
434 see a rainForest
BeinG Born, sri lanKa
Need to know The rest huts sleep twelve, but is
only hired out to one group at a time, at the same
price regardless of number. There are cooking
facilities, or you can employ the services of one
of the villagers. For directions, prices and more
information, see W www.mahausakande.org; T +94
(0) 365 671 421.
Fifteen years ago the land around
the village of Hindurangala, 70km
from Colombo, was a degraded
rubber plantation. Now, the
Mahausakande forest - a swathe
of dense foliage - carpets the area.
This remarkable regeneration
has come about thanks to the
Ellawalla Foundation Trust, a
non-profit organization committed
to conserving and safeguarding
the southwestern Sri Lankan
rainforests, which are fast
disappearing as tea and coconut
plantations, rice paddies and new
settlements are developed over
them.
Ellawalla's main aim is to nurture the
rainforest's endemic species, and to cast out
invasive ones. It works with local communities,
encouraging them to cease environmentally
damaging activities such as illegal logging and
overzealous farming, and to focus instead on
looking after their surroundings, from which
they can foster sustainable incomes. Children
from nearby schools are brought here to learn
about conservation and local women have formed
a co-operative to make crafts from recycled
paper and natural products.
To help fund all this, the Foundation has
created four nature trails. The yellow trail
winds you through the lush riverside habitat;
the green deals with woody plants; the red
shows off the forest's birds and butterflies. The
fourth trail meanders through Mahausakande
up to the adjoining Bambaragala Reservation,
where visitors can have a picnic lunch beside
a waterfall - a deafening but exhilarating
experience after heavy rains.
If you want to listen to the scuffles, squawks
and squeaks of the forest at night, and perhaps
spot a porcupine, you can spend an hour or two
in the purpose-built “night watch” tower. Or, if
435 PicK a PaPaya in sri lanKa
If, along with rest and relaxation, your idea of
the perfect holiday hideaway involves cooking
up your own meals with fresh ingredients, then
a self-catering stay at Samakanda Guesthouse
might be just what you're looking for.
Tucked away in the hills above the town of
Galle, Samakanda comprises two comfortable,
solar-powered cottages: one a restored planter's
hut, the other a small bungalow overlooking
lush terraced fields. As well as being an idyllic
spot to cook your own food, it's a great place to
pick it - guests are welcome to take what they
need from the organic spice, herb and vegetable
gardens that enclose each property, from fresh
salad greens to delicious fruits such as papayas,
coconuts, passion fruits and bananas. The estate
even grows its own rare strain of red rice, while
local markets can supply fresh fish.
Should you fancy a night off from cooking, call
on gourmet chef, Rory, the owner and founder of
Samakanda, to show you how the stone pizza-
oven works, or help you prepare some of his
own favourites. With all the meals you and he
can rustle up, you'll also need a way to work it
off; walk some of the trails laid out through the
surrounding fields and forests, amble down to
the river to cool off, or for the more energetic, try
an exhilarating 40km cycle ride down through
the jungle to the beach…and back.
Red chillies (top) and papaya
(bottom) are some of the
fresh produce ready to
be picked and cooked at
Samarkanda
Need to know For directions, accommodation
details, rates and reservations visit W www.
samakanda.org.
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