KumbukRiver - new meaning to eco-tourism

News of this huge elephant like structure has attracted dozens of villagers.

KumbukRiver is probably the world’s largest elephant-like edifice located on the edge of Yala wildlife sanctuary, bordering the lively Kumbukkan Oya at Okkampitiya in Buttala.

“This is elephant country. Where peacocks herald the day and elephants roam the nights,” the promoters of this new eco tourism habitat say, adding that there’s nothing quite like this in the world of eco-tourism.

Here you find a 40ft tall elephant and those who can afford to stay here will actually get to sleep in its belly. The eco-lodge is full of characteristics and life. The plunge pool just underneath the raised trunk of the elephant itself is unique.

It’s covered with Kumbuk, said to offer therapeutic value from a kind of rare wood that can stay submerged in water for a century remaining strong and healthy. KumbukRiver is an associate company of ad agency The 7th Frontier and the project’s head Dinesh Watawana believes this new eco haven would have a special place on the tourism map. “It is unique in every sense and lives up to the label of ‘eco-tourism’. It’s all about village talent, village resources and the village’s future,” he says.