Diving in to the history of the hill capital of Sri Lanka and the times when the Kandyan Kingdom was in uproar over the treaty signed with the British in 1815 and the subsequent breach of contract by the colonial masters, one finds the story of a family who had to withdraw to the jungles in the intermediate zone to avoid a complete massacre. With them were several loyalists and their families who created a new settlement and lived in harmony with the nature that surrounded them.
It is in this vicinity that Anuruddha Bandara created Sri Lanka’s first, all-suite, luxury, private bush walks camp, Ahas Pokuna. A lake that is fed entirely by rain waters is credited for the name of the locality, “Ahas” being sky and “Pokuna” being lake in the Sinhalese language. On the shores of this waterway is a wilderness retreat that allows guests to become one with nature and enjoy a tranquil holiday experience like no other.
Situated within a 2,300 hectare nature reserve, Ahas Pokuna is a 30 acre private reserve and houses three luxury suite tents complete with an arrival deck, sleeping tent, luggage and powder lounge, a fully-fledged bathroom tent that has hot and cold water, romantic star bed/day bed for relaxation or sleep during the day or night, and the first-ever bush bath tub in Sri Lanka.
All of this overlooks the grassland in the 1,000 square metres of private space protected by an elephant fence that is yours to enjoy during your stay. Ahas Pokuna also has a private star bed for each accommodation unit, making it one of the most ruggedly romantic locations to stay at.
For meals, guests need to take a short walk to the dining tent for contemporary, improvised Sri Lankan dishes that are prepared in true village style using local produce. The camp also offers outdoor dining, a highlight of wilderness living, to the light of a central campfire, accompanied by the sounds of the night.
Before dinner, guests sit around the campfire with a bottle of wine and talk to the naturalists about the day’s walks or their experiences in the wild.