good for you

Galapita Eco Lodge is built on the banks of the Menik Ganga, the sacred "Gem River" in the southeastern corner of Sri Lanka. This incredibly chilled-out retreat, set in a magnificent Healing Garden spanning over 60 acres, began as a private holiday home and is now open to guests. Galapita lake and the paddy fields are beautifully laid before a stunning backdrop of Galapitagala (meaning: 'Rock upon a Rock') in the nearby Yala Wildlife Reserve. Upon crossing the dizzying river bridge that spans Sambandawala, you alight on an island scattered with rocks, boulders and lotus ponds. Nestled among the tropical garden are sleeping pavilions, healing pavilions and the meditation pavilions, while at the centre of the site is a waterfall, spilling into a gorge, sculpted over thousands of years by the powerful river. According to legend, Sambandagala (in the Sinhala language, it means the male/female union) was the rock pool where Sugala devi, the beautiful warrior Queen of the south, met her future husband Prince Senaka.

You may or may not meet a warrior Queen or a princely husband, but you'll find it hard not to be enchanted by the place, the food, the hospitality and the relaxing spa treatments on offer in this secluded corner of Sri Lanka

good for sri lanka

The food comes from the lodge's organic farm and all the cooking is traditional Sri Lankan, the staff and guides are all locals and the lodge is solar-powered.

Rooms

Food

The splendid isolation of Galapita means that most of the food is either grown right here in the organic herb and vegetable gardens and rice paddies, or caught in the river and lakes surrounding the retreat. Expert local chefs cook up traditional treats in clay pots on wood fires. The food is principally vegetarian, but the chef will happily add chicken or fish to your meal if you let the lodge know a few hours in advance. The kitchen is in the open, so you're welcome to watch and pick up Sri Lankan cooking techniques.

Features & Facilities

guides

Galapita staff are locals who know the area well and are happy to lead you through the jungle, showing you around the important sites and explaining their history.

spa services

Enjoy a herbal bath or ayurvedic massage - just the thing for relieving city stress, or reviving tired muscles and joints after a day's exploring in the jungle. The river itself forms small rapids and pools that act like a natural Jacuzzi.

yoga

Galapita Healing Garden is scattered with smooth rocks and boulders where yoga teachers conduct classes on scheduled dates. The Yoga Sala is built on one of the seven lotus ponds on the Asanagala in the garden.

safari

Galapita is equipped with a four-wheel drive soft top jeep for dawn & night safaris. This is perfect for traveling at night under the stars, or at dusk and dawn. If you cruise around the vicinity of Yala National Park at night, you will generally come across elephants or if it's your lucky day, a bear or leopard. Safaris in any of the Wildlife reserves in the vicinity (such as Yala, Uda Walawe or Galoya) can easily be arranged - just let the staff know in advance. Remember to bring your flashlight and mosquito repellant for your night safaris.

canoeing

Galapita Lake, within the sanctuary, can be a heavenly experience in the moonlight under a canopy of stars, or you can paddle about during the day to get a close look at the waterbirds.

tubing

Large inner tubes are available on request from the lodge's lounge. The ideal starting point for tubing is by the natural jacuzzi below the waterfall. A ten-minute ride takes you past bends and twists until you drop into the point where the two tributaries rejoin under a tree canopy full of monkeys. For the more adventurous type, pass the river's converging point and ride up to the end of the rapids, a further ten minutes away, but you'll take a long hike back carrying your own tube. The river is fuller and quicker depending on the season, and the lodge provides life jackets & helmets.

hiking

Sunrise over Galapitagala can be breathtaking, with peacocks flying in the dawn mists around Galapita Wewa. If you follow the white sand paths around the island, you'll be treated to incredible bird life as well as, squirrels, bees and butterflies greeting the day. Hikes through the jungle can be led by knowledgeable staff on request.

biking

The lodge can provide bikes for a ride by the lakeside to the local village, checking out the birds and iguanas on the way. Other options include a two-hour ride through the cane fields where you might come upon wild elephants (take a guide - the elephants can be dangerous) or a three-hour ride to the Kuda Oya river for a picnic and a swim, and a visit to the local temple ruins.

babysitting

This can be arranged on request.

Local Info & Activities

Galapita means 'atop the rock'. One look at the location and the name explains itself, yet there is another explanation. Eastward, through the trees, a great rock stands balanced on a distant hillside. This is Galapita Gala, the Rock Upon the Rock. The place where it stands, Budugallena, is only a short distance from the lodge.

These rocky promontories, scattered all over the plains of Sri Lanka, have a close association with the Buddhist religion. The missionaries who brought the religion from India preached their first sermons atop Mihintale rock near Anuradhapura. Major Buddhist shrines like Dambulla, Aluvihara and the cave-temple complex at situlpauwa (an hour's journey away by jeep) are built on such promontories.

budugallena

This ancient natural hermitage combines great physical beauty with history and legend. Galapita staff, many of whom are local people, are well versed in its lore. The hills around Budugallena are riddled with caves, some of which are home to meditating hermits and wild bears. Leopards like to sun themselves on the high rocks, while birds, monkeys and hundreds of other forest species are found here.

menik ganga

The "Gem River" flows into the island calm, tree-shaded bathing pools above and below the island, where birds and butterflies flit above the stream and the drowsy hum of insects mixes with the murmur of the river. While you bathe you can pan for gems - Galapita provides the necessary implements and staff can show you how. Uncut sapphires and cats'-eyes have been found here, rolling seaward along the riverbed - the largest stone was a cornflower-blue sapphire weighing 18 carats. You may even strike it rich - whatever you find at Galapita, you may keep.

handapanagala

"Moon-lantern Rock", with its nearby wewa or irrigation reservoir, is home to one of the largest wild elephant herds in Sri Lanka. Only 30 min. drive from Galapita, Handapanagala is a must for wildlife-watchers and photographers, as elephants graze, bathe, mate and spar in their natural habitat.

maligawila

Only 30 km. away, stand two giant statues of the Buddha from the centerpiece of a seventh-century monastery, now ruined and overgrown. The serenity of the location makes it clear why the ancient monks chose this spot to retire from the world.

wild east mystery tour

For those who really want to explore the Sri Lanka's southeast, Galapita offers their Wild East Mystery Tour - over three days, you'll visit a selection of destination, including some less-known spots. The itinerary varies depending on the season, the festival calendar and your own interests and inclinations. You may end up watching the sun rise on a deserted beach, accessible only by boat, with the jungle at your back, or sitting by a waterhole at dusk, watching the parade of wildlife coming to drink, or meditating at the summit of a great hill against with the jungle teeming all around you.

insider tips

Galapita Healing Garden is situated in a river ravine and bordered to the east by Yala Wildlife Reserve. The lodge suggests that you always walk about in the night with a flash light provided by Galapita. Insect repellent is available at the lodge. Guests with children should take extra care, both of the dangers of the river and the insects.

Occasionally you may encounter a snake. Some snakes are poisonous. Snakes do try as hard as they can to stay away from humans, but be cautious of running carelessly through undergrowth, and don't dig with bare hands under branches or fallen tree trunks. Your best protection is to walk slowly, observing your surroundings and staying on trails.

Sustainability

The lodge is solar-powered and uses all-organic food, nearly all of it grown and caught on site. The staff and guides are locals and waste is recycled. A genuine minimal-impact eco lodge.

Getting There

Located in South East Sri Lanka, between between Buttala and Kataragama.

The journey from Colombo by car takes about 41/2 hours at night or 6-7 hours during the day.

by bus

Take a bus to Kataragama and then change onto another bus from Kataragama to Buttala. From there jump in a tuk tuk to Galapita.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

US$80 per/person full board

• Rates are valid from 1/5/07 - 30/4/08
• All meals, tea and coffee are included.
• Children under 6 stay for free.
• Children aged between 6 and 12 are charged 50% of the full rate.

booking & cancellation policy

• A booking is confirmed on payment of a non-refundable 15% deposit. The remaining 85% is payable on arrival at Galapita.
• This 15% deposit is charged as a cancellation fee on any cancellation.
• Cancellations made within 7 days of arrival will incur a total of 85% cancellation fee (15% deposit + a further 70%)

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.