Tree Tops Jungle Lodge

Tree Tops Jungle Lodge is situated in a dry zone wilderness in Southeast Sri Lanka a few km north of the famous Yala National Park. The area of Tree Tops is almost cut of from the outside modern world by the steep rocky Weliara Ridge, thick bush and mature forest.

Tree Tops is the last settlement before the great uninhabited jungles of the southeast corner of the island. You can walk on a dirt track further 3 km to a large lake where wild elephants are often seen. Hereafter no road, Yala starts here.

The lodge began as a private jungle base camp and has gradually been converted to an ecolodge. With two huge freshwater wells the lodge is selfsufficient with plenty of water for bathing and drinking. No bottled water needed.

Our mission is to preserve the surrounding forest and wildlife. This work began in activistic style with a lot of enthusiasm and motivation but always lack of cash so the lodge has been developed step by step.

Original mud and tree huts have been rebuilt and improved again and again so we are a natural part of the local area and the lodge is carefully made between main elephant tracks.

The whole staff team are from nearby tiny villages, they have been trained and educated and are today very capable when it comes to creating a special jungle experience for visitors in an uncommercial and authentic atmosphere.

Why ecotourism? Because low impact and small scale responsible nature based tourism is the only way to protect the local environment. There is no other realistic way. The bottomline of environmental destruction is poverty. Tourism generates new jobs, a new source of income amongst the local community - people who have been living a traditional lifestyle partly as hunter/gatherers combined with wet season slash/ burn cultivation.

* Guided trekking with team of 4 trackers is an essential part of a stay.

* 4WD safari wildlife tours into Yala organised with the team. Southern part of Yala fantastic leopard watching.