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Close to nature away from the hustle
By Lankika de Livera
Ranweli, the nature resort bordering the West coast and the Gin Oya is just over an hour's drive from Colombo. Close to the village of Waikkal, the 22-acre Ranweli Holiday Village awaits the visitor with its many delights of nature - very specially the quietness and serenity, coupled with many nature-related joys such as bird-watching by boat, cycling tours, canoeing, nature walks and even meditation.

On arrival, you leave your vehicles on the mainland and with bag and baggage board the ferry, which takes you across the Gin Oya to the holiday village. The Holiday Village has in its environs 72 varieties of trees and shrubs and is a delight to botanists and lovers of plants and trees. Some of the better known trees are the Indian Willow, Lettuce Tree, Margosa, Fern leaf tree, Tropical Almond, Palmyrah Palm, Banyan, Woodapple, varieties of Bamboo, Nuga, Madu, Borneo mahogany, Gooseberry, Shag Bark Hickory, Java Plum, Ehela, Screw Pine, Oleander and Cluster fig.

To birdwatchers like us, a stay at Ranweli affords the opportunity of seeing 101 species of birds if one is lucky. The two-hour boat excursions were the most exciting part of our stay there. On the day we arrived, we did a tour at dusk, to view the owls that can be sighted in the Ranweli environs and were fortunate enough to see the Scops Owl.

The next morning it was time for another bird watching expedition in a special six-seater motorboat which left at 7.30 a.m. We travelled across the Gin Oya scanning the surroundings, binoculars in hand. Our first significant bird was the Stork-billed Kingfisher, which incidentally is depicted in the resort's logo. The Stork-billed Kingfisher is the largest of the kingfishers in Sri Lanka and is seen near rivers. The loud wailing Kyeeu-kiu, Kyeeu-kiu sound betrays its presence even before it is seen.

The boat ride through the little canals that connect the Gin Oya is extremely pleasant. Dotting the water here and there are lotuses in pale shades of cream, yellow and pink. The cool spray fans your face while you sit trying to catch a glimpse of a rare bird.

The greenery on either side is mainly mangroves, Kirala, Maha Kadol, Mal Kadol, Wetakeiyya, Diyadanga and Kaduru (Poison Nut). The air roots of these trees are quite remarkable as they enable the tree to breathe oxygen, which is not sufficiently found in the murky waters and muddy surroundings. Our glide along the waters of Gin Oya took us through a dense passageway of Gin Pol - the only palm variety that grows in water.

Its branches are similar to the coconut palm, although it is a big bushy plant. The passageway of dense Gin Pol (Nypa Fruticans) was such that we had to duck our heads while the boat passed through this area. The close proximity to the palms gave us the opportunity to view closely, the flowers of these trees - which are the size of a coconut, dark brown in colour and with a multitude of petals in the shape of lotus flowers, but with a much more intricate layers of petals.

Our bird watching expedition by boat yielded 55 species of birds, among them They were the Water cock, Pheasant tailed Jacana, White breasted Water hen, Yellow Wagtail, Little Swift, Common Tern, Barn Swallow, Shikra, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Indian Roller, Plain Prinia, Indian Pond Heron, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Asian Palm-Swift, Black-headed Oriole, Asian Open-Bill, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Black Winged Stilt, Moor Hen, Red-wattled Lapwing, Brahminy Kite, White Throated King Fisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Common kingfisher, Striated Heron, Purple Heron, Pale-billed Flowerpecker, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Greater Coucal, White-browed bulbul, Little Comorant and Black Bittern. The others like the Barbets, Red-vented Bulbuls, Mynahs, Parrots, Bee-eaters and Spotted Dove are the more common ones that we saw.

It is significant to note however, that the stork billed kingfisher which is not a common bird, is considered very common at Ranweli. In fact we saw one just outside the window of our chalet that opened out to the mangroves.

After our long boat journey, we headed to the swimming pool from where one can view the sea and the sea spray that breaks just above the pool. But the Ranweli is now not advertised for sun and sand holidays, but for eco-tourism where one can drink in the splendour of nature.

Ranweli is an idyllic holiday retreat for those who prefer a quiet and getaway. Amidst nature's tranquil setting, it offers a relaxing hideaway, a place that will be enjoyed by those whose hearts are close to nature.

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