Ranweli Holiday Village - OutboundHolidays

Ranweli Holiday Village, Negombo, Sri Lanka

ECO FRIENDLY RESORT | 84 A/C BUNGALOWS

Ranweli Holiday Village is an eco-friendly resort located on a 22-acre peninsula where mangrove forests and winding rivers converge to meet the sea. Located only 18 km from Colombo’s International Airport, Ranweli is the perfect base to explore the fascinating history, culture and nature of Sri Lanka.

Enjoy a relaxing holiday in the scenic and tranquil surroundings or engage in numerous eco-friendly activities and sports both land and water based. If you wish to explore the flora & fauna in our extensive garden and its environs, Ranweli has many options of guided tours offering valuable insights to the sights and sounds that surround you. Part of Sri Lanka’s bird friendly hotel network, Ranweli has a wealth of bird species for the novice to the keen birder. Also available are a number of cultural trips further a field in which you could also participate.

Ranweli’s architecture blends with the unique and rich natural environment. The serene and idyllic location has been fully utilized in the layout of the land, featuring indigenous flora and fauna, bordering the wide sandy beach on one side, the river on the other.

The land was originally a coconut plantation surrounded by wetlands, mainly mangroves. In conceptualizing Ranweli, the architects used the spacing of the rows of the coconut trees (called the coconut grid by agriculturists) as the discipline for the design. The bungalows, central areas and facilities were built with minimum removal of coconut trees. For each bungalow only one tree was removed and the tree trunks used as pillars in the construction.

The connecting walkways open out into beautifully tended palm gardens leading to the heart of the resort. Architecturally and aesthetically the construction and furnishings of the village blend western standards of comfort and convenience with the traditions of indigenous Sri Lankan culture.

ACCOMMODATION

Ranweli offers bungalow-type accommodation constructed with local building materials, in a unique ethnic style resembling a typical Sri Lankan village.

The 72 individual bungalows (sea view) and 12 river view rooms nestle within a forested environment and provide comfortable accommodation. The bungalows offer privacy and an excellent view of the sea and/or river – an exotic tropical setting for a peaceful holiday.

All rooms are air conditioned, with private bathrooms that are sunlit from an open court and with solar powered hot showers to provide ventilation and natural lighting, substantially conserving energy. Rooms are also equipped with a sitting area, ceiling fans and telephone.

The interior décor includes terracotta pots, brass lamps, artefacts produced by local craftsmen, and hand-woven local cotton fabric.

CUISINE

Ranweli’s restaurant, offers a delicious buffet and a-la -carte Sri Lankan and International cuisine. Vegetarian meals are available on request and during all buffets.

In addition to the main restaurant, an outside Pavilion Bar by the swimming pool, constructed with eco-friendly and biodegradable material, provides snacks and beverages. This is a favourite meeting point of guests to enjoy the ambiance and sunset. Also, a small fruit stall, called Palathuru Masse, located next to the main bar, offering fresh fruit, juices and herbal drinks of medicinal value.

Whenever possible, fresh produce is procured from the local community. We also have our own organic vegetable plots.

Special diets to accompany your ayurveda treatments can also be arranged.

FACILITIES

To sustain the tranquillity and ambiance of the property, Ranweli offers only soft-impact sport and games facilities to our guests. There is a small local charge for some activities.

Indoor: squash, darts, carom, chess, pool billiards and table tennis
Outdoor: tennis, beach volleyball, badminton, basketball, bocce, cycle hire
Water sports: canoeing, paddle boating, river cruises, river fishing

Shops

Eco Shop: Selected quality hand crafted eco friendly products and herbal cosmetics are available, including pottery, terra cotta items, wall hangings, hand bags, purses made of reed ware & rush and many other artefacts made of local material by our craftsmen using skills passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

Hotel Shop: Sundry items for guests, toiletries, books, postcards etc…

Jewellery Shops: A selection of precious and semi-precious stone jewellery.

Evening Entertainment

Every night we offer some live entertainment:

Cultural show / Sri Lankan Dance
Live band
Calypso band
Magic show
Oriental Band

BIRD WATCHING

Sri Lanka is blessed with an abundant avifauna with 229 resident and 197 migrant species making a total of 426. With 24 endemic species, Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest numbers of endemic bird species.

Ranweli itself is located in a coast wetland estuary amidst mangroves, contributing to a large diversity of over one hundred thirty (130) bird species. Bird watching on the river and mangroves by boat is offered as a specialised facility to guests. A three-hour tour, accompanied by an interpreter, has been developed with the assistance of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), an affiliate of Bird Life International (an international bird conservation organization).

CYCLING

Two exotic tours on bicycles through lush countryside are available, providing an opportunity to enjoy the natural environment and historical sites, including many local Catholic churches and Buddhist temples. The tour is accompanied by a member of the staff, so there is also an opportunity to interact with the local community in the villages. A route map with descriptions of the sites to be visited is provided to the participants.

Tour 1: 16 km/2 hours
Tour 2: 26 km/4 hours

RIVER CRUISE

Glide along the waterways by kayak or motor boat in the environs of Ranweli and explore the unique ecosystem of the mangrove community. Discover the numerous indigenous aquatic and terrestrial plants. Enjoy a green wonderland of breathtaking beauty.

Observe water monitors (Varanus salvator) swimming lazily in the waterways or lying on a branch of a tree along the river sunbathing, as well as a variety of bird and insect life, such as butterflies and dragonflies.

This fascinating and tranquil tour will last approximately 2 hours. Alternatively, guests often choose to take a canoe and explore the waterways by themselves.

UNIQUE NATURE TOUR

Anaivilundawa – Wildlife Sanctuary and International RAMSAR Site

Located only one hour from Ranweli, is a man made wetland constructed in the 12th Century AD and is located on the western migratory route of birds. This is a sanctuary of wetlands with prolific bird life in beautiful surroundings. The vegetation of the site is a forest of the low country dry zone, which is very scenic. In addition to birds, other interesting fauna which can be sighted here, such as:

Mammals: mouse deer, hare, mongoose, squirrels, wild cats [such as civets], wild boar and fruit bats.
Reptiles/amphibians: land monitors, water monitors, lizards, geckoes, skinks, and tortoises.

There are over 100 species of birds in this site. However, of special interest are species [Spoonbills, Ibises, Darters, Harriers, species of Bee-eaters, and the Jungle Fowl, which is an endemic species – the national bird of Sri Lanka] that are not found in Ranweli and its environs.

Sinharaja Rainforest Biosphere Reserve

1 or 2 day tours to Sinharaja, Sri Lanka’s last significant undisturbed stretch of rainforest and a UNESCO World Heritage site are arranged on special request.

UNIQUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOURS

Panduwasnuwara & Yapahuwa

This 1-day tour will take you to Panduwasnuwara, one of the ancient Royal Capitals of Sri Lanka, which is only a one-hour drive from Ranweli. This impressive sprawling (50 acre), moated and walled ‘sleeping city’, some of it still unexcavated, was an expertly planned and well laid out metropolis with a stately palace, royal audience hall, store houses, granaries, monastic complexes, shrines, bath houses, toilets and ponds. Beautifully proportioned platforms, terraces, pavements and doorways enhance its architecture, handsome stone sculptures and carvings adorn it and rock inscriptions record its events and happenings.

After your visit to Panduwasnuwara you will be taken to Yapahuwa, a citadel built on a huge rock boulder in the style of the 5th Century Sigiriya rock fortress. Well defended with double ramparts and moats, Yapahuwa holds many delights for sightseeing. These include the remains of the King’s Palace, royal audience hall and other stately structures, shrines and baths.

YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT

Ranweli Village also offers unique yoga and meditation retreats. Please check with us for select packages. These are generally tailored and come in variations of 7, 14 and 21day packages.

Products & Services: Birding, butterfly watching, nature walks, cycling/habitat tours, fishing in the lagoon and river, demonstration of ethnic indigenous crafts and skills, sports – tennis, squash, archery, table tennis, pool billiards, volleyball, wave board, boogie board, paddle boating and canoeing. Vegetarian meals are provided during buffets and on request. Tours to cultural & heritage sites are also available.

Check-in/Check-out Time: Normal Check-in is 12.00 noon and Check-Out is 11.00 a.m. Earlier Check-in or later Check-out can be requested on a case by case basis and the hotel may agree depending on availability.

Address: Waikkal, Negombo, Sri Lanka

Airport: Bandaranaike – Colombo International [12miles]

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Sri Lanka

Ranweli Holiday Village | Nature Reserve | Sri Lanka

Waikkal — When the Ranweli Holiday Village was first designed and launched at Waikkal, just a few kilometres north of Negombo, its creators would never have realized that they were probably among the first to develop a natural-light bathroom – and save on electricity!

The natural-light bathroom where the shower is open to the sky and allows sufficient light minimising the use of electricity during the day, was an innovation at Ranweli way back in 1976. At the time there was no power crisis and no crisis was envisaged — even decades later. “It was just a novel idea,” says Ranweli Holiday Village Ltd Chairman Ranjit Wijewardene, when asked whether this innovative bathroom was created with an eye on the future.

Call it what you like – innovative or groundbreaking — the power situation today where electricity is one of the biggest costs in any venture has made this type of bathroom a visionary initiative.

Apart from this, the 84-room resort nestling on an island ensconced by the sea, the lagoon and the historic Dutch canal, has much to offer to the discerning guest. Set up during the time when resorts in Bentota heralded a new beginning for tourism, Ranweli is a nature lover’s paradise with its abundance of mangroves, fauna and flora. Serene waters, sometimes without even a ripple of a wave, wherever one looks act like a soothing balm on the harried soul.

Kingfisher

An early morn leisurely family cruise down the Dutch canal is enriched by spotting a snake-necked cormorant preening its feathers; a black-capped kingfisher, a winter visitor, flying from one tree to another looking for its breakfast; or a common Red-wattled Lapwing roaming around with a call similar to the question: “Did you do it?”

In the boat, naturalist Senaka Pathmakumara, a Bio-Science graduate, points out a blue-tailed bee-eater perched on a branch while kingfishers are a plenty among the 15-20 varieties of birds that we see. Ranweli and its environs are home to about 140 varieties of birds, both local and migratory, according to Senaka. The boat-ride would help “capture” on camera, of course, at least 35 varieties. Migratory birds are like foreign tourists, fleeing the harsh winters of their countries for warmer climes in Sri Lanka, one in our group remarked.

The birds are many and varied and a thoughtful touch is not only the handy lists of birds but also butterflies along with their pictures that are provided in each room so that sightings could be recorded. In its own simple way it would encourage parents“to make your child a budding naturalist”, in the very words of Ranweli General Manager Wimal Dassanayake.

The waters of the canal are generally calm and no water skiing is allowed to prevent noise pollution, erosion of the canal embankments and destruction of fish. In fact, there is no motorized transport of any form on the island.

Tranquillity and peace are taken seriously by the hotel and when the resort transformed to an eco-tourist lodge, the discotheque was discontinued. The only sounds of music come from lilting Sinhala melodies from speakers in the public area or a hotel band during meal times.

Rock squirrel

Walking along the corridors of the spacious resort, suddenly one feels a pair of eyes watching closely and up on the beam is a rock squirrel looking down inquisitively. Other interesting facets to keep the guest occupied include neat rows of herbal plants with name tags in a corner of the vast gardens, with the main attraction being a “butterfly shrub” which attracts dozens of vividly-coloured butterflies to sample the nectar of the flowers.

An out-of-this-world experience is the trail through the mangroves, with naturalist Anura Jayawardene walking with head bent low to avoid a thick trunk or balancing along a tree stump thrown across a marshy stretch . Rows and rows of stumpy roots stick out of the marshy waters high in salinity, searching for oxygen, giving the impression of a stark forbidding jungle. The slim booklet on mangroves also found in the room helps the curious visitor to gain some knowledge on this intricate eco-system so important for humans. Not only can you see the only palm that grows in the water (Nypa fruticans) during the canal cruise but among the gloomy mangroves Anura details out the A-to-Z of mangroves.

An exotic evening could very well follow with fine dining in a tree hut under a mangrove canopy and, if you are lucky, a Thalagoya (iguana) for company or an enthralling dinner on the ferry under the twinkling stars with the bird-calls as music.

The entry-point to Ranweli itself is like no other. The crossing by a hand-pulled ferry promises the beginning of an adventure that the staff at Ranweli has laid out particularly for the eco-tourist. Unlike other upscale hotels, the charming cabanas have been built with 90 percent local material while much of the food is also locally produced. The music in the lobby and public areas is traditional Sinhala ballads and instrumentals.

Garden-fresh vegetables

The rooms are spacious and cosy with a lot of ethnic décor. There are no TVs – and one gets the feeling that the staff would like guests to spend as much time out bird-watching, canoeing, paddling, going on a walkabout among the mangroves, savouring a fresh salad from the organic vegetable garden at a table surrounded by nature, having a dip in the sea or the pool or just relaxing on the chalet verandah enjoying the glorious sunset. There are many things to do at Ranweli – apart from a great learning experience.

Says Mr. Dassanayake, “We are close to nature as much as possible. We have even done away with plastic water bottles in the rooms.”

Ranweli has been able to build-up a loyal clientele ever since transforming to an eco-tourism resort in 1998, he says, adding that among other regular visitors to the resort are students from international schools who come in groups for a two-to-three-day outing as part of a nature exercise. Between January to April students from British and US colleges also come on study tours to learn about flora and fauna and tropical wetlands. They usually come in groups of 8-16 and are accompanied by a professor.

What is the resort’s main USP (unique selling point)? “Being an island, away from the traffic, crossing a river, having an abundance of unspoilt nature….the list goes on,” believes the genial General Manager. Another USP is that the staff is not like your normal resort manager or executive assistant, walking around stiffly in western suit or shirt and tie.

Ranweli’s key executives are simply but smartly clad to blend with the environment and make guests feel at home. The resort has won many international awards as an eco-friendly location. For more details visit website www.ranweli.com.

Article and pictures by Feizal Samath