Information
Eco Stars:
5 star
Stars:
unrated
Location:
Asia
Country:
Sri Lanka
Ulpotha
Ulpotha has been a pilgrimage site for thousands of years and remains an oasis of tranquility in the heart of Sri Lanka. It is a beautiful private hide-away open to guests for part of the year; a place of total peace, where you can experience the warm, generous and gentle hospitality which Sri Lankans love to offer.
Ulpotha is a traditional working village cradled on the one side by low mountains and a lotus ringed lake, and on the other by tiny emerald green paddy fields. The focus, at present, is on the restoration of an ageless agricultural way of life including bio-diverse organic farming and reforestation of the land and its immediate surroundings.
Guests are welcome to Ulpotha and those who come will find a natural sanctuary of exceptional beauty where the main activity is simply relaxing in its remarkable atmosphere of peace and calm. Yoga classes are held twice daily and traditional Ayurvedic treatments are available at the treatment centre.
Green Star Rating Results:
For more information on how these work
click here
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Energy Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - We do not use electricity at all. Only coconut oil and a little kerosene for lighting.
Water Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - We have rehabilitated a centuries old tanque (man made lake) that now catches enough water for not only Ulpotha but some 200 farmers further down the watershed. More than 5,000 trees have been planted etc.
Disposal Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - Very little waste as we are mainly self sufficient and all waste is organic. Guests are asked to take the little inorganic waste they bring back with them. Anything left over is burnt.
Eco-Active Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - Ulpotha is not run like an hotel, nor is it for profit. It is a simple, but clean and attractive village. The villagers that run Ulpotha do not need to know the meaning of the word eco as their lives are inherently ecologicaly sound.
Protection Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - The most fundamental of Ulpotha's environmental policies is to limit the number of guests it accepts (no more than 19 paying guests at a time) and to do so for a limited period in any given year (a maximum of 26 weeks). All shopping bought by guests is local produce from the village and surrounding area. Ulpotha runs a free Ayurvedic clinic treating over 100 villagers per week. Guests visit and can participate in the clinic. Ulpotha has helped rebuild and maintain most of the communal institutions in the immediate area including local school, hospital and temple.
Contact Details
Name:
Sylvie Dusserre
Address:
Flat 36,
Galle Face, Court 2
Colombo 03
Sri Lanka.
Telephone:
+44 208 123 3603
Website:
www.ulpotha.com
E-mail:
Click Here
