Yala is yours to discover
Chef in the Wild Masterclass
Ever made an Egg Hopper or Sri Lankan Chicken Curry? Enjoy a hands-on cultural culinary experience, with village-style clay pots to special utensils, as you cook alongside our executive chef. Sample vibrant and bold spices, taste fresh herbs and local condiments, and master the art of cooking like a true Sri Lankan.
“Happy Feet” Scented Foot Bath
The ultimate post-safari relaxation therapy; kick off your safari shoes and sit at your own private space for a soothing and luxurious foot bath with scented warm water. Unwind and enjoy VVIP treatment personalised to your taste.
Nature Walks & Day Walks
The Mahoora Campsite is teeming with 2-acres of active wildlife. Enjoy a stroll with our naturalist and try to spot hiding, twittering or scurrying wildlife right at camp and its borders! If the weather isn’t too hot, we will take you on a little village path to meet the locals as well.
Popular sightings in and around camp:
Endemic Birds – Grey Hornbill, Jungle Fowl, Brown-capped Babbler, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Yellow-fronted Barbet and the Ceylon Barbet.
Over 30 species of butterflies.
Reptiles – Crocodile, Land Monitor, Green Garden Lizard, Painted-lip Lizard, Tree Snake, Rat Snake, Flying Snake, Green Vine Snake, Python, Cobra.
Rodents – Ruddy Mongoose, Hare, Spotted Deer, Giant Squirrel.
A Full Day excursion inside the National Park
Halve travel time and enjoy a full day inside the Yala National Park, complete with breakfast, lunch and tea in the wild!
Itinerary :
Departure from Camp at 5:30am after tea and cookies.
Drive through the Katagamuwa sanctuary
Enter the Park with a full breakfast which is packed.
Breakfast will be served in an appropriate place inside the Park between 8:45am – 9:15am.
After breakfast, the morning safari continues till around 11:00am – 11:15am.
You will be driven to a place where you could relax till lunch time.
Lunch will be brought in another Jeep and served around 12:30 pm.
The afternoon safari starts at 2:30pm and continues till 6:30pm with a tea break in-between.
Drive back through the Katagamuwa sanctuary after leaving the National Park.
Arrival time back at Camp would be around 6:30pm.
Night Walks & Night Drives
Enjoy a moonlight walk or drive with our naturalist through the camp and its borders, as nocturnal animals emerge from their habitats. Follow the unblinking green eyes with your camera or torch and you might just recognise the elusive Civet, Loris, or the Rusty Spotted Cat!
Either that or a family of rats; the wild is unpredictable after all.
Meet the Chena Men
Meet the old locals living on the border of the Park that still engage in Slash and Burn Cultivation. Mahoora now offers you a novel experience of visiting a Chena farming family, spending time with them to understand their way of life, and sharing a traditional “bush meal” with them before returning to Camp.
Kids Treasure Hunt & Board Games
Mahoora welcomes families of all sizes! We offer a range of entertainment and activities for kids at our Recreation Lounge & Common Area, as well as the camp and its borders for Treasure Hunts. All activities are supervised and curated by our naturalists and camp staff.
Painters Paradise
Evocative landscapes, expressive skies, and curious wildlife is a muse like no other. Retreat into your canvas amidst the quiet tranquillity of nature, and we will provide you with the rest – an easel, paint, paper and pencils.
Photography
Wild boars rolling in cold mud, leopards sunbathing on black rocks, the kinetic blur of a scared spotted deer, elephants ambling across from you… it’s a moment destined to be on film, and we make sure you get that perfect shot every time.
The Mahoora Jeep
Exclusive, comfortable and a specially modified jeep that is designed having the photographer in mind.
The jeep has 3 lines of elevated seats fitted into an extended body, making height better for that perfect shot as well as providing comfortable leg space for those long waits.
Yala is yours to discover
The fully opened front (not covered by a glass) is a definite advantage with the steel bar on the hood that can hold your bean bag.
Side bars are placed strategically to not obstruct game view, with the added advantage of fixing your monopod on to it.
The Mahoora Experts
We provide a specialist game driver, with years of safari driving experience, previously booked by numerous world famous photographers.
We also provide a professional naturalist who will add value to your photography exploits and wildlife tours by spotting the “little details” and tailor the safari based on your preferences.
