The world-famous 40ft two story Elephant Villa consists of two very large airy bedrooms and a lounge area with the living spaces promoting togetherness as families and friends have often discovered. Elephant Villa is served by two toilets and a spacious bathroom with hot water shower, giving you a tastefully designed eco experience. The space KumbukRiver has won the travel Oscar as the world’s leading eco-lodge and is among the world’s top 10 most unusual hotels. It is also among the top getaways for adventurous honeymooners. Nestled on the banks of a secluded river on the northern edge of Yala, nature’s pristine glory makes the location picture-perfect and a haven for nature lovers. Guest access Getting to KumbukRiver from Colombo, Galle, Yala, Hill country or Arugambay is simple with a great road network. Final 2kms of access way, however, is an ‘off-road’ experience especially when it rains. In case, if the road is not motorable at the time you arrive, we provide parking facility in the village and offer a free pick-up on a mini tractor or a tuk-tuk, depending on road condition. Many visitors find this an adventurous experience. Other things to note Please check on the availability before you make instant bookings. KumbukRiver is part of a social responsibility initiative and guest rates are currently subsidized, considering the costs involved in maintaining such a unique concept off-the-beaten track. The setting allows you to be at one with nature and our staff epitomizes true Sri Lankan hospitality. Even though KumbukRiver is about 65 km to the Katagamuwa entrance of Yala National Park, it is a distance you may anyway have to traverse through if you are arriving from the hill country on your way to the south or east coast or travelling from south to hill country. Geographically we are located on the Yala Buffer Zone on the banks of a river that is the official border of the park though you have to drive to the Katagamuwa or Palatupana entrances. Visitors going south wake up around 4am to visit Yala on their last day at KumbukRiver while visitors coming from the southern coast will first have their safari and reach us in the afternoon for their 1st day. We are in a village called Okkampitiya in Buttala, just 16 km to Wellawaya, the gateway to the hill country on one side and the southern coast on the other, or Colombo through Uda Walawe National Park. New gate to Yala is a short drive from KumbukRiver:- On the Buttala-Kataragama Road, a breezy drive from KumbukRiver is the latest entrance to Yala National park. The good news is that on this block, there’s much less traffic inside the park unlike through Katagamuwa and Palatupana.