Call it our elephant-shaped eco villa’s posh cousin – Elephant Deluxe is an air-conditioned eco cottage with its own private courtyard, an eco corridor, and a large cozy bathroom with hot water. 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. KumbukRiver’s Elephant Deluxe or what we call the Garden Oasis is surrounded by blossoming flowers and its neighbor is the iconic giant; The KumbukRiver Elephant Villa. The air-conditioned cottage sleeps up to 4; making it a dream choice for honeymooners, as well as, families with the room offering spectacular vistas of nature. KumbukRiver Elephant Deluxe livens up your stay with its inviting washroom with a tree growing through it. Enjoy a warm water bath with its hot water facilities. You can relax in cool comfort or walk around the garden and find an outdoor bench and immerse yourself in nature or write your thoughts in your journal. However, please do note that this is off the beaten track and occasional breakdowns may be possible. 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.