Chaaya Village takes village to town

Walter Liyanarachchi in Habarana

Chaaya Village, Habarana is taking a new curve in the hotel sector by reawakening the fast deteriorating traditional culture and to take the village fragrance to town refreshing the awareness of the urban community.

All is set for the local tourists in the city to taste the genuine village life in the Chaaya village, Habarana.

"We should not concentrate only on business. Today local and foreign tourists are used to enjoy only within a set pattern.

That is why the Hotel Chaaya wanted to have a change diverting the normal presentations to a different angle.

That is to make arrangements to convert the visitors' town life to village life during the period they stay in the Chaaya Village, said Acting Manager Teddy Roland.

Our perfective is to protect the village traditions to a greater extent enjoining the rural folk with the city dwellers. For a short period the tourist from town will get a very rare chance to mingle with the rural folk."

Tourists can join the village fishermen at the bank of a tank by the side of the hotel and do fishing and learn their traditional way of fishing. With the guidance of the experts one can use either "Oruwa" (narrow wooden boat) or wade through the water to cast the nets.

In silence and in complete harmony with the surrounding tranquillity he can experience how to cast fishing nets using traditional way and next day they can see how skilfully remove the nets and retrieve the catch.

Morning bullock cart rides are also arranged to take the tourist through the village of Hiriwadunna, to a banana plantation.

Arrangements are also made to cross a scenic reservoir by "Oruwa" (traditional boat) to visit a chena cultivation where in the shade of a tree house of mud and thatched palm leaves the tourist can survey the Hiriwadunna village which is located in a very remote area.

On a mid morning in a drive to Dambulla one way choose to either trek through the lush forest reserves of "Namal Uyana" viewing a variety of endemic flora to a rare rose quartz deposits.

Hotel management has also made arrangements to take the visitors to watch herds of elephants which gather for a drink during an evening safari to the Minneriya or Kaudulla parks.

Visitors will also be taken to a "Kamatha" to taste a village "ambula" (meal) in a "nelum kole" (lotus leaf). Chaaya Hotels and resorts has proven its excellence by winning two prestigious international PATA Gold Awards in the Environment, Ecotourism and the Marketing Media CD Rom categories.

The Gold Awards 2007 presentation ceremony was held recently at the Grand Hyatt, Bali, Indonesia.