Choosing the Slow Path on Your Sri Lanka Eco Holidays
The smell of a rain forest. Footsteps on a path through the ancient worlds of a royal kingdom. Find your spiritual side or find the chef in you just for a day. The sounds of Brahminy Kites circling, searching, hunting. An elephant trumpeting in the distance. Sri Lanka is one of those islands where you are spoilt for choice.
At Ayu in the Wild, we believe the future of sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka rests, not in higher visitor arrivals, but in aggressively pursuing that time consuming art of tailor made immersive luxury holidays where conserving biodiversity, respecting animals and engaging with people are the cornerstones of travel designing. We curate eco tours that balance a travelers itch for stylish luxury holiday accommodation with the yearning to discover an intriguing centuries old life on your Sri Lanka holidays.
Explore the slow path with Ayu in the Wild’s curated collection of meaningful Sri Lanka Eco holiday ideas across the island, tracing the dots between the most stylish Eco lodges with intuitive experiences where you engage with traditions, meet experts and your days are filled with unhurried and reflective connections with the everyday lives of everyday Sri Lankans’ - with everything.
The Kind of Slow Sri Lanka Holidays That Inform Your Senses.
To feel the true joy of travel, you need to really get to know the country you’re visiting. Learn how the past and the present, from ancient kingdoms to modern cosmopolitan cultures are redefining traditions.
On our eco holiday itineraries your best memories will be the locals you meet. Whether you choose mindfulness meditation or learn the predatory habits of leopards, each experience host of Ayu in the Wild will awaken your curiosity. Each unusual experience curated by Ayu in the Wild is designed to give you a perspective of 'life' in Sri Lanka through the eyes of locals who are passionate about their island - where for a moment or a day you will be a bohemian professional proudly Sri Lankan by nature, you will be an author, a community based wildlife guide, a photographer, a chef, a Jungle Farmer or even a poet.
Hand-picked Selection of Sri Lanka’s Best Eco Lodges
Your eco holiday can include a lovely mix of luxury juxtaposed with a touch of Sri Lanka’s best eco lodge accommodation. In a two week trip you could enjoy a few nights of boutique stays interspersed with sun dappled tree huts, eco resorts, a luxury stay at a Relais and Chateaux Resort and even a stunning eco lodge by the beach. We love those special places that are spearheading the eco movement in accommodation. A unique selection of earthy mud huts and cottages; tree houses with the right comforts; middle of nowhere glamping sites; and an agro eco luxury resort. Lit up at night either by lanterns or muted solar power that lends to the tranquility of this island’s nature and wilderness. Meals can be varied and utterly delicious and the local rice and curry are a must try. Beautiful open to the skies en-suites are equipped with solar powered hot water. None have air conditioning while some have pools. Your head rests each night on comfortable beds surrounded with mosquito nets.
These fabulous Eco Lodges are set around the island in the most beautiful forested settings to give you an authentic experience of vernacular design, monsoon architecture and indigenous raw material like wattle and daub walls and thatched roofs. Some are in the midst of far flung rural villages where you traverse through tiny gravel roads bounded by vast rice paddies to get to your eco escapes. Some border Sri Lanka’s wildlife hotspots like Yala where elephants and leopards abound. This is digital detox at its ultimate where you spend your days engaging with life on an island and time away from everyday life as you know it.
Customized Eco Holidays In Sri Lanka To Suit You
Whether you want your days filled with adventures or a few days of fun for the whole family where kids are kept engaged with junior ranger styled treasure hunts, we’ll customize your itinerary to suit you. From in-depth and exclusive one of a kind adventures with our team of natural history experts to a family cooking class, or opening up a new world to your teens with star gazing in a private tented camp in the wilds, our eco holidays will help you see Sri Lanka from a new perspective.
Let Ayu in the Wild open a new choice of travel across Sri Lanka. You’re in for a truly enriching experience.
Ayu In The Wild Curated Collection of Eco Holiday Experiences
Meet the Experts
You will meet specialists. Treasure-troves of in-depth knowledge who will guide you in what ever field you choose to explore, whether it’s the island’s marine biology or the ancestral heritage of one of the world's oldest cultures. Each host will open your mind to greater cultural awareness of a heritage steeped in religion, art, music, living with wildlife and in traditional livelihoods from over 2000 years ago, and the challenge of modern life in an island with scarce resources.
A Day In the Life of A Far-Flung Village
Explore the natural habitats and the pristine environments in authentic Sri Lankan villages off the usual tourist trail. See how these remote rural communities balance conservation and seasonal livelihoods and explore the countryside. Sit with local artisans to learn their craft and get to know the traditional way of life. Learn the challenges of rural living, make pottery, learn to cook on an open hearth or walk through a classroom with real challenges. Your eco tour can provide a source of income to the rural community, contribute to Classrooms in the Wild and will be part of Ayu in the Wild’s purpose driven policy of sustaining local communities.
Life In The Wild
Sri Lanka was once a delta of elephant corridors that connected lush jungle spaces from the north to the south for elephants to roam freely. With time, came the fight for space between man and animals and today, it’s more important than ever for greater advocacy to protect our wildlife and wilderness habitats. On your Sri Lanka eco holiday, you can meet top conservationists to learn about the essential work being carried out to conserve leopard habitats, contribute to reforestation and understand whether releasing turtles into the sea is done in a responsible manner.
The Art of Uda Rata Nattum Dance
Kandy, up in the hills, is the heart of Uda Rata (highland) Nattum (dance). Fall under the spell of the sinewy movements, the rhythm of the drums and the stories of the famous dancer as he cajoles your hands, feet and body to sway to the varied beats of his drum. Each session is pitched to suit all talents and ages and is a perfect eco holiday experience for families. Each tour contributes to sustaining this traditional art passed down through the generations of this family. If you are on a summer family holiday in August, a wonderful way to round off this lesson is to watch a famous dance troupe participate in the world famous annual Kandy Perahera that honours the tooth relic of Lord Buddha with a magnificent pageant that parades the streets of Kandy for 10 days.
Discover the Northern Culture and life
Image© : Nazly Ahmed
In the far north of the island is a culture that is intriguing as it is complex. Once known as the front-lines of battle, Jaffna is a potpourri of adventures and livelihoods. Learn about the lives of the fishing community, the local markets vendors, entrepreneurial women who are engaged in home based businesses and how speech and hearing impaired kids are being integrate into society through special education and vocational training. Your Eco holiday will help fund the special education needs of these differently able kids.
The Kirinda Farm Day Out
Get involved in the fascinating experience of helping a Sri Lankan farmer cultivate part of his land. Learn about traditional crops, how age old harvesting processes have evolved and are creating challenges to environmental conservation. Learn about farm to table cuisine and taste the most delicious meals on an immersive day out that will help a farming family.
Is it Safe to visit Sri Lanka and other Sri Lanka Travel Advice
Ayu in the Wild Holidays are specialists in curating curious slow travel holidays to Sri Lanka using the knowledge of the widely traveled Sri Lanka owners, and are experts in luxury private tours for couples and small groups, family holidays to Sri Lanka, low carbon footprint travel, wildlife, ayurveda, and ecotourism holidays that respect people and places.
Whatsapp Us on +94 77 248 1100
or email info@ayuinthewild.com