Making your way to the South Eastern part of the island, a seven-eight hour journey from Colombo on a road that twists, turns and with varying gradients leads you to the Gal Oya Lodge, which sits on a 20-acre property, which is an oasis of serenity. Three individuals namely Sangjay, Tim and John set out on a mission to establish a wildlife resort here in Sri Lanka. After visiting many of the national parks around the country, it was love at first sight for the trio when they visited Gal Oya National Park after witnessing the boat safaris, elephant crossings and the un-spoilt jungles of Gal Oya. They wanted to build something very unique, since its one of the first such places to come up in the area.

Using local building techniques and resources like illuk, the bungalows are placed all over the property among the natural greenery where guests have total privacy. There are eight bungalows and one villa that offer two bedrooms, each have their en-suite bathroom with his and her sinks and both indoor and outdoor showers alongside a private terrace, which provides unique views for every room. One of the unique and best features of the rooms is that, they have no ceilings, which allows the breeze to pass through and provides a relaxed feeling. The furniture is all hand made with locally obtained wood and the whole resort is situated in the middle of the jungle and is perfect for wildlife enthusiasts to unwind after a tiring week of work in the concrete jungle and its no surprise that you’ll hear birds chirping throughout the day alongside other different sounds made by insects in the jungle.

Whilst on holiday, good food is key. The dining experience at the lodge is great and is all made possible by the courteous staff that will provide you with almost anything. Starting off the day with a fruit platter and a traditional meal for breakfast with rice and curry to follow for lunch. You could choose from having courses for dinner or to have any other preference of meals. The dining area is perched on top of the lounge, which offers a breathtaking view of the landscape all around. The swimming pool is situated right at the front of the lounge with a giant rock, which sits behind it and acts as a backdrop and you could enjoy a dip in the pool after sipping on an iced tea.

Gal Oya is the only place in the island at present, which operates boat safaris. Whilst on a safari, you could witness elephants swimming between islands, various species of animals like deer and crocodile and not forgetting the different varieties of birds. Gal Oya Lodge provides its guests with their very own 4x4’s to use for jungle safaris inside the national park. After the jeep trail in the national park is over, guests have the opportunity to make a small trek towards the largest tank present in the country namely the Senanayake Samudraya. Elephants can be sighted a few hundred meters away on the other side of the tank and the whole landscape is spectacular during the evening. The walk with the indigenous chief veddhá in the morning is not to be missed. He will take you on a brisk and invigorating walk in the interior of the lush jungle and show places of interest like cave dwellings where he and his ancestors used to live and explain the use of various medicinal plants.

The staff at the Gal Oya Lodge is very hospitable and is very enthusiastic about their work and never fails to provide the best of service. Sangjay, Tim and John would take you back in time and explain the whole concept of the lodge and the processes related to its construction. It is one of those places that cannot be described in words, thus the Gal Oya Lodge is yours to discover!

Best Features: Outdoor showers under the night sky, Total tranquility all around the resort.

For more info on the Gal Oya Lodge, visit http://galoyalodge.com. Be up to date with what’s happening at the Lodge on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GalOyaLodge.

Text and pictures by Migara Wijesinghe