Aggressor Safari Lodge
The Aggressor Safari Lodge is located in northern Sri Lanka at the edge of Wilpattu National Park, the largest National Park in the country. It is conveniently located just 30 minutes from the Ancient City of Anuradhapura, 45 minutes to Sigiriya Rock Palace National Heritage Site and 90 minutes from Minneriya National Park, which is home to the largest population of elephants on the island.
The Safari Lodge property is 6 acres and located on the Kala Oya River, which is the 3rd longest river in Sri Lanka. It is a 5-star tented safari lodge offering luxury accommodations and service. The lodge has a main reception and dining tent plus 8 spacious air-conditioned private luxury tented chalets. There are 3 Master Chalets, 4 Deluxe Chalets and 1 Family Chalet. It has government supplied water lines with high pressure hot and cold water lines throughout the property.
The Dining Tent is a large, well-appointed and stocked facility serving 3 meals a day plus snacks. In keeping with high standards, meals are prepared by top chef's trained in a variety of cuisines. Many of the meals are prepared using fresh produce from the surrounding villages and farms. Special diet needs can be accommodated with prior notice. The property itself is home to a variety of native wildlife such as Mouse Deer, Star Tortoise, Sri Lankan Giant Squirrels, Red Slender Loris, Peacocks and a host of exotic birds.
Each air-conditioned tented chalet has large screened windows to let in lots of light and can be closed off for privacy with ceiling to floor curtains. They are beautifully furnished with high quality furnishings, luxury bedding and a safe. All furniture & furnishings are locally handmade and can be purchased through our onsite boutique. The ensuite bathroom has a large, inviting bathtub, 2 sinks, large towels, hair dryer, shampoo & conditioner, bubble bath & hand lotions. Linens are changed daily (upon request) and fresh towels are placed in each chalet as needed.
4 and 6 night itineraries may include some of the following parks and sites.
Wilpattu National Park
Wilpattu sanctuary was declared a National Park in 1938, Wilpattu National Park is located on the west coast close to the historical city of Anuradhapura. The dry zone jungle is thickly grown. Wilpattu Natonal Park is home for many villus, or natural lakes which dot the landscape. Except for two, These lakes contain rainwater, thus are important for resident and migratory water-birds.
It is the largest and oldest park in Sri Lanka and world known for its diverse wildlife which includes the Sri Lankan Elephant, Sri Lankan Leopard, Lankan Sloth Bear, Sri, Spotted Deer, Buffalo, Sambar, Mongoose and different varieties of monkeys and hundreds of species of local and migratory birds.
Minneriya National Park
Home to the largest Asian elephant gathering known to exist, over 300 elephants live in this area. You will look out over a vast reservoir of flat drying grasslands and gently rippling water. Shadows begin to emerge from the surrounding jungle one by one as the elephants slowly make their way out of the shady trees to the plains towards the water. It is fascinating to sit and watch these huge animals drink, play and snack on the green, lush grass that have been exposed by the receding water. This is home for the dry season.
The park is an important habitat for the two endemic monkeys of Sri Lanka: purple-faced langur and toque macaque. Large herbivorous mammals such as Sri Lankan sambar deer and Sri Lankan axis deer frequent the park. Rare and endangered species such as Sri Lankan leopard and Sri Lankan sloth bear inhabit in Minneriya.
The Minneriya reservoir is an important habitat for large water birds and reptiles. The number of threatened birds recorded from this national park is 11 and 8 species of endemic reptiles are also found here and are also considered endangered.
World Heritage Site, Sigiriya Rock
Sigiriya is one of the most valuable historical monuments of Sri Lanka and is known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The Sigiriya rock plateau, formed from magma of an extinct volcano is 600 feet higher than the surrounding jungles. Since the 3rd century BC the rocky plateau served as a monastery until the 14th century when it was abandoned. The most striking feature is the Mirror Wall. It is painted with inscriptions and poems and the most ancient inscriptions are dating from the 8th century. The palace and fortress complex takes several hours to climb from the bottom to the top and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982.
Ancient City of Anuradhapura
The Anuradhapura Kingdom was established in 380 BC. It served as the capital city of the country for nearly 1400 years until the beginning of the 11th century AD. During this period, it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia.
The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is surrounded by monasteries covering over 16 square miles. The city also houses the Jetavana, the Abhayagiri Dagaba and Ruwanwelisaya stupa's that house many ancient Buddhist relics and remains of Buddhist monks and nuns. The Jetavana stupa, is the largest stupa in the Buddhist world in both its dimensions and its mass. It is 231 feet high up to its broken pinnacle and it has been calculated that it is made up of 160 million bricks.
Ritigala Mountain, Monastery (Extended 5th & 6th night stay)
Ritigala Mountain is home to the ancient ruins of the Buddhist monastery of the same name. Ritigala is the highest mountain in northern Sri Lanka. It boasts an unusually wide range of plants and herbs because of being higher and wetter than the surrounding plains. Located 43 km (27 mi) away from the ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura, the Ritigala Monastery ruins and rock inscriptions date back to 1st century BCE. Spread over an area of about 49 ha (120 acres), many stone retainer walls, stone bridges, roads and the ruins of a monastery hospital, where the medicinal herbs-leaves and roots-grinding stones and huge stone cut Ayurvedic oil baths can still be seen.
Kandy and Temple of the Tooth (Extended 5th & 6th night stay)
The city of Kandy is the last city of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka. Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and capital of the Central Province. It is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site in 1988.
Smithsonian Primate Research Center
Known formally as the “Smithsonian Primate Research Center" and locally as the Monkey Camp, the Primate Center Lodge is part of the Association for the Conservation of Primate Diversity, under the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution Primate Biology Program, based in Sri Lanka and the USA. Their studies on the monkeys have been highlighted recently in the movie theater film “Monkey Kingdom” (produced with Disney Nature). The monkeys have also been featured in many documentary films for TV on the BBC, Discovery, Animal Planet and others.
During your visit you will experience the thrill of observing three species of monkeys native to Sri Lanka up-close in their natural forest home. These are the toque macaque, the gray langur and the purple-faced langur. Like humans, monkeys live in families, tribes and communities. They have relatives, friends and enemies, and use a rich repertoire of gestures to communicate. You will see them display care, courtship, passion, cooperation and teamwork, as well as greed, jealousy, aggression, and tribal warfare. You will also see the ecological challenges facing primates in a changing modern environment.
The Aggressor Safari Lodges are very focused on sustainability and giving back to the country. The lodges support conservation and community involvement in many ways which directly support the needs of the surrounding communities of the lodges and the love of nature. It is important to Aggressor to develop a significant positive influence on the local people, the environment, animal life and the tourism.
The lodge staff are almost all from surrounding local villages. Hospitality training is offered with higher income salaries than local farming activities.
Local villagers and farmers surrounding the Aggressor Safari Lodge and bordering Wilpattu National Park are being offered financial incentives to bring wild animals they would normally kill, poach or eat that encroach on their land from the park to the ATSL lodge for release back into the Kalaoya River and Wilpattu Park. (Crocodile, Mouse Deer, Tortoise, Fresh water Turtles/Terrapins, Peacocks, Water and Land Monitor Lizards and Hares)
Solar power in use in many areas to reduce our carbon footprint.
