Dining in the Wilderness

Experience the heartbeat of our community through our unique culinary program.

Every dish is lovingly crafted by seven local families in turns, our expert Village Chefs, using time-honored Sri Lankan recipes and fresh ingredients.

Want to learn their secrets? 

For those looking to dive deeper, we offer interactive culinary experiences. 

You are welcome to join the team in the kitchen to help cook dinner, or book a fun cooking lesson to learn how to make traditional roti and local dhal curry from scratch.

You can cook alongside our local team to prepare the evening meal or take part in a private cooking class to learn the secrets behind the perfect roti and a comforting dhal curry skills and flavors. 

Food is a language of love, and our meals are cooked by the best.

Join us at 17:30 to savor freshly grilled fresh-water prawns as the sun begins to set.

Dinner follows closely from 18:00 to 19:00 at the Hornbill Grill, offering beautiful views of the surrounding wilderness.

To ensure a seamless blend of safety and adventure, we have a unique wildlife protocol. 

If they appear while you are eating, guests will quickly transition their dinner into special wooden trays and move to their private watch hut pond decks to watch the giants safely. 

Elephant movements are frequent and unpredictable after 18:30 particularly during the peak months of December through August making an early dinner the best way to enjoy your evening.

Dining early is highly recommended to stay ahead of our massive visitors!

For those preferring a later meal, dinner is served directly on your watch hut's private dining deck. 

Complete with a beautiful, crackling bonfire, this intimate setting provides a safe, front-row seat to the rhythms of the night.

This private dining style is intentionally designed around the movements of the jungle. 

Because our retreat borders active migration corridors, wild elephants frequently roam the area at night to feed in the neighboring rice fields. 

Since they can approach gracefully from any direction under the cover of darkness, your private deck and bonfire offer the perfect blend of thrilling wildlife viewing and complete peace of mind.

This private dining style is intentionally designed around the movements of the jungle.