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Luxury wilderness living experiences

Ahaspokuna

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Ahaspokuna

Horton Plains National Park
, Sri Lanka

The camp is in a remote area surrounded by protected forests. The last leg of the journey to the camp is undertaken on foot, accompanied by the camp staff, providing a unique and invigorating way to reach your retreat in the wilderness.

The stay includes all meals, accommodation, tea & coffee, drinks, as well as all walks and activities. We will meet you at a pre-designated point and take you to your new home in the wild through a welcome trek which will take approximately 20 minutes.

The accommodation units are built around a grassland and waterhole, which has been the previous livelihood of man and beast over 100 years ago. We offer you probably the largest private space that any camp, lodge, hotel or accommodation-provider could offer in Sri Lanka. At our camp we have not fenced-in the elephants, but have instead fenced the living area, providing absolute peace of mind for our guests. Your stay involves an all-inclusive meal / beverage plan, with a personalised menu and silver service.

Our Rating: Luxury
Property Type: Tented Camp

Destination

Ahaspokuna, located in Sri Lanka’s hill country, is a novel experience for adventurers wishing to explore the best of what Sri Lanka has to offer.

Only accessible by foot, this all-suite camp provides experiences that are all about bushwalks in an environment that provides new experiences around every corner. Enjoy Sri Lanka’s famous warmth and hospitality at its finest and make your walking safari dreams come true.

In the Sinhalese language, ?Ahas? means ?Sky? and ?Pokuna? means ?Pond? or ?Pool?. Ahaspokuna is so named in reference to the lake here, high up in the hills, that is only fed by rainwater. A former settlement that sprung up on its shores was subsequently also named ?Ahaspokuna?. Today, the jungle tide has washed over where people once lived and the camp provides a wilderness retreat for those in search of something different.

Accommodation

There are only three tented suites at the site, offering exclusive, private, bushwalk and wilderness living experiences.

Tent and Living Areas

Your accommodation unit (private space) would consist of your arrival deck with a living room setting, sleeping tent bedroom, washbasin lounge with beanbags, a tent with a flushable toilet, an indoor shower with hot and cold water, a romantic star bed / day bed for you to relax or sleep in during the day or night, and the first-ever bush bathtub in Sri Lanka which overlooks the grassland in 1000 square metres of private space protected by an elephant fence. There are plenty of private spaces within our boundaries for you to read, relax, meditate or practice yoga. If you wish to take part in guided meditation and yoga, specialised teachers can be arranged for your stay. While you unwind in your private sanctuary, don?t forget to enjoy the magnificent views of the open grasslands and mountains from your suite-tent.

Dining

We have pitched our Dining Tent away from the Sleeping Tents, allowing complete privacy to the residents closer to the watering hole. We offer outdoor dining around a central campfire ? a highlight of wilderness living, where the stars and sounds of the night will keep you company. Before dinner, you may sit by the campfire with a bottle of wine and talk to our naturalists about the day?s bushwalk and experiences in the wild. After all, what?s a campfire without a few campfire stories?

You will mostly be offered traditional Sri Lankan food. A truly local, authentic Sri Lankan cuisine takes you on a new path of gastronomic pleasure. Our executive chef carefully prepares Ahaspokuna?s Signature Dishes using age-old cooking traditions, with your palate in mind.

Some of the delicacies you may find during your stay are the local sweetmeats, polos cutlets (young jackfruit cooked in spices, mashed and deep fried) local breadsticks ?Viskiringe?, and ?Lavariya? (coconut and jaggery wrapped in string hoppers) amongst a host of others.

Unless you request otherwise, our chefs will calibrate the degree of spiciness to the region you are travelling from (Europe / America / India / East Asia etc.) and tailor your menu accordingly.

You will be served mostly vegetarian fare, cooked in traditional clay pots. You are welcome to try your hand in the preparation of your food as well.

No hard liquor is served or sold at Ahaspokuna. Complementary, good quality wine is served around the campfire and during meals. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas.

Prior to your arrival, mainly due to logistical reasons, we require a list of your food preferences and allergies.

Experiences

Tradional cooking lessons, painting, stargazing,night walks are included in your stay. They can also organise yoga, guided meditation and ayurvedic massages at an additional fee.

Why we love this place

This luxury tented camp with only 3 luxury Suite Tents , provides experiences that are all about immersive luxury living in remote wilderness – an environment where there are new discoveries around every corner. Your suite , tastefully & uniquely decorated is surrounded by a 10,000 Sq M of private space with a magical star bed and bush bathtub overlooking the grasslands. Impeccable service levels , Sri Lankan gourmet cuisine and miles & miles of serenity in isolation which you can’t get anywhere else in the country sets the benchmark of real wilderness living.

About your host

“It?s high time that we, as the key tourism industry stakeholders, understand our responsibility when it comes to creating accommodation and expenses. We should not limit our creativity and only flock to where everyone else is going. We should have the courage, creativity and grit to go to places that seldom others goes to and create a successful, creative and sustainable Tourism Experience. That?s exactly what we have done by creating Ahaspokuna.”

Anuruddha Bandara – (Founder, Ahaspokuna Bush Walks Camp)

Responsible/Sustainable Tourism

We have limited solar and generator power for the tents and common dining / relaxing areas. You are able to charge your basic electrical appliances. We discourage the use of playing music on speakers that will disturb other guests and the tranquillity of the setting. As we are eco-friendly accommodation provider, we encourage ?lights out? past 10pm. You are provided with lanterns and candle jars in your suite-tent at night.

We have created a ?waterhole? for humans too. It?s a spring water pond which is freely overflowing and the water is not treated with any chemicals. You are free to get in and cool yourself off. We ask you not to use soap or shampoo to minimise environmental impacts.

During the extreme Dry Season (generally September / October), this pond is used as a water storage facility, and is out of bounds for leisure use.

Our Recommendation

Take a tub safari in the elevated bathtub overlooking the grasslands, equipped with hot and cold water, which accompanies every suite-tent. While your bathtub caddy keeps your book and glass of wine steady, enjoy an immersive experience of an alfresco Wild Bath, in the open plains, at any time of the day.

Can’t find a suitable itinerary that features a destination, experience or accommodation you fancy? All our group tours and holiday ideas can be personalised, or we can create a tailor made itinerary for you.

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Our Accommodation Ratings

Opulent: Exceptional, unashamedly the best of sheer luxury. (£££££)

Luxury: Outstanding levels of 5* comfort, hospitality and facilities. (££££)

Premium: Excellent levels of comfort and hospitality and a wide range of facilities. (£££)

Mid-Range: Good levels of comfort and hospitality, with a reasonable range of facilities. (££)

Simple: Clean and simple, no frills. Often in areas of natural beauty or near wildlife reserves. (£)