responsible travel Archives

Five things to do at Koggala Lake

Here at Tri, we’re lucky enough to call one of Sri Lanka’s most serene and verdant corners home: Koggala Lake. Whilst offering the perfect space for relaxation and contemplation, we’re also just a hop-skip-and-jump from some of the country’s most renowned cultural sites and unique experiences. To help you experience the best our corner of the world has to offer, we’ve rounded up our top five local activities…

CINNAMON ISLAND

Did you know that 90% of the world’s highest-quality cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka? Our neighbouring Cinnamon Island produces some of the country’s finest export-quality cinnamon. We encourage all guests to hop into our dhoni and glide across Koggala Lake with our charming guide, Douglas. Visit the home of a local planter, and — over a fragrant mug of fresh cinnamon tea — learn the story of cinnamon from soil to stick. Watch as the fine layer of outer bark is gently scraped off, and the inner bark is expertly cut away from the wooden limb, before being rolled into the familiar cinnamon stick we see in spice shops today. And the wooden core? You’ll spot this adorning the outer walls of Tri’s villas and iconic water tower.

GALLE FORT

Often referred to as the cultural capital of the south thanks to its unique combination of beautifully crafted European architecture and South Asian traditions, Galle Fort is one of Sri Lanka’s not-so-hidden gems. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the seafront fort district is home to quaint paved streets, an abundance of gemstone and jewellery shops, and an array of cafes and restaurants serving up delicious local dishes. Be sure to visit Laksana for sparkling Ceylon sapphires and local favourite Poonie’s Kitchen for great salads, cakes and juices.

SEA TURTLE HATCHERY

There’s little more exciting than swimming the Sri Lankan waters and watching as a sea turtle paddles past, gently spraying water into the air as it dives down into the ocean depths. Sadly, these remarkable creatures are facing severe pressure on their population size due to a dangerous combination of light and sea pollution, unsustainable fishing practices and the consumption of turtle eggs. Koggala Sea Turtle Hatchery works towards the preservation of sea turtles, releasing turtles back into the ocean and educating locals around the value of safe fishing practices and the reduction of harmful pollutant use. A visit will offer an insight into the vital work they do, and you might even get the chance to release some turtles into the sea yourself.

HANDUNUGODA TEA ESTATE

Alongside cinnamon, Sri Lanka is also renowned for another export: tea. Most tea plantations are situated in the soaring, mist-draped peaks of the central hill country, but the local low-country is also home to a variety of quality producers. Just a stone’s throw from Tri, Handunugoda Tea Estate specialises in the prized Virgin White Tea. Brewed from only the smallest and newest leaves, this delicate tea is an antioxidant powerhouse beloved in local medicine. The estate offers informative guided tours, explaining the journey of tea from leaf to cup. 25 varieties of tea are available in the on-site shop, meaning you can take a taste of Sri Lanka home with you.

BEACHES

Just a short distance from Tri lies the spectacular south coast, where the jungle meets the sea; scattered with curving, golden sand beaches and crashing Indian Ocean waves. For active types, these beaches offer some the best surfing in the country, and our team are more than happy to arrange private lessons. For those wanting some more relaxing downtime, the tropical beaches also make the perfect spot for soaking up the sunshine and the easy-going atmosphere, toes in the sand and fresh coconut in hand.

Five ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle

As the world grows ever-smaller and more interconnected, we’re all becoming increasingly aware of our impact upon it. The butterfly effect states that every flap of a butterfly’s wings can create a hurricane across the ocean; so every decision we make can ripple out to affect the planet we call home. Here at Tri we’re strong believers in looking after our little patch of blue and green; safeguarding the natural world for future generations. This doesn’t have to mean hardship and deprivation — here are five simple ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

1. EAT LOCALLY
Everyone knows that nothing tastes better than coconut water gulped from a coconut cut directly from the tree; or bananas, ripe and spotted, picked from the palm. Eating locally means enjoying food which is fresh, in season and packed with nutrients, and supporting your local farmers, whilst avoiding food miles and endless packaging. Win-win! The food concept at Tri is entirely designed around eating locally and enjoying the bounteous produce available in our lush corner of the Earth. When you’re back at home, why not try to eat with the seasons? There are few things tastier than a late-summer blackberry straight from the bush…

2. REDUCE SINGLE USE PLASTIC
Taking hundreds — even thousands — of years to break down, single-use plastics are clogging up waterways across the globe, causing environmental degradation, swirling ocean gyres and harm to wildlife the world over. The solution is simple: opt out. Here at Tri, we use our own filtered water in reusable glass bottles, and eschew plastic straws in favour of sustainable home-grown bamboo. Why not take your bamboo straw home with you? Opt out of plastic straws and enjoy a taste of tropical paradise with every sip!

3. CUT DOWN ON YOUR MEAT INTAKE
Eating mindfully does not stop with the vegetable drawer. Tri’s menus focus primarily on locally-sourced plants, fish and seafood, to create delicious dishes with a true Sri Lankan flavour, avoiding more resource-intensive meats such as beef and lamb. It’s easy to maintain this sustainable living focus when you arrive back at home: just switch that steak for a fresh fillet of fish, or try to stick to plant based dishes for a few days each week. Simple!

4. DITCH THE CAR
Turn off that engine: here at Tri we love getting out into nature. Co-founder Rob often starts his day with a cycle into work, or an early-morning hike through the lush greenery surrounding Koggala Lake. Ditching a gas-guzzling car for pedalling or hiking up and down hills will improve your cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your legs and help to save the environment to boot.

5. SWITCH OFF
Reducing our electricity use is one of the simplest steps to living more sustainably. One of the things our guests love most about Tri is the ability to completely disconnect from the outside world. Switching off will not only reduce your electricity use, but give you a mental break from our fast-paced, never-stopping world. Use the time to enjoy a yoga class or get out into nature. Take a break, and just breathe.

Image credits: @xkflyaway, Chris deLorenzo, Coke Bartrina

Welcome to Koggala Lake

Koggala Lake near Koggala in Sri Lanka is a freshwater lagoon which sits 9.8 feet (3 metres) above the sea level near the south coast of Sri Lanka.

Koggala itself is a small coastal town in Galle District in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Dotted with lots of mini islands, including Temple Island or Island Buddha Temple which has a Buddhist temple that is a magnet on poya (full moon) days. You can take a tour of the lake with our private dhoni and visit Cinnamon Island. Bordered by jungle and forest this is a landscape rich in wildlife.

LAND ON THE LAKE

A respected air-taxi service is operated by Cinnamon Air which offers daily scheduled flights to Koggala from Bandaranaike International Airport (Colombo International Airport), and their white dual-engine DeHavilland Twin Otter lands right on the water. This air taxi treats passengers to a bird’s-eye view over Koggala and is an excellent gateway to Mirissa, Habaradu, Waweligama, Thalpe, Tangalle and Rekawa.

AN EXTRAORDINARY AIRPORT
Koggala Airport, the oldest in Sri Lanka, has its own interesting history stories to tell. Since the lake was used as a landing point for seaplanes when World War II was in its throes, a fixed water runway was built here and it became the largest flying-boat base in the eastern world. In June 1944, two Sunderlands (RAF flying boat patrol bombers) from Koggala were celebrated when they rescued wounded British Indian special forces from Burma. Next, Koggala played a part for the QEA/Imperial Airways route from London to Sydney. Because of the Japanese occupation of the Malay Peninsula they lost their crucial fuel stop-off point in Singapore and alternative route for Britain–Australia needed to be created at Koggala. A tarmac runway was developed for Air Ceylon after the war and this continued to be hub until 1978. As tranquil as Koggala is today, the current runway is still capable of servicing Sri Lanka Air Force planes.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic medicine is based on the principle that health and wellbeing depend on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit.

Ayurveda, the name of this ancient health medical system combines the Sanskrit words ayur – meaning ‘life’ – and veda – translating as ‘science’ or ‘knowledge’. Holistic, healing and nourishing, it is one of the world’s oldest systems of wellness, targeting the cause of any ill health rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Ayurvedic practitioners look at interconnectedness of people with their health and the world around them, considering the prakriti – or body’s constitution and your dosha – the life forces. The aim is always to restore the balance of the three doshas – Vata, Pitta, Kapha.

Ayurvedic physicians prescribe bespoke treatments which might involve herbal therapies, exercises or a special diet. Digestion – or agni – is the fire that gives your metabolism its life energy, or ojas. It is believed to be the most important function for health, growth and wellbeing. Since diet – paka – is an important factor in Ayurveda, our menu is local, seasonal and as organic as can be and many of the herbs, fruit and vegetables used in our cuisine are grown on our grounds – nutritious eating is at the heart of Tri’s philosophy.

What are the three doshas?

Vata – a body type that reflects the elements of space and air; meaning ‘wind’, it is the energy that powers all biological activities. Typical signs of a Vata imbalance may include anxiety, dryness of the skin and constipation.

Pitta – a body type that reflects the elements of fire and water; this fiery quality means ‘that which cooks’ and its antidote a soothing alkaline diet and calming, meditative activities. It can mean a great enthusiastic drive for life, but this can also tip into anger.

Kapha – a body type that reflects the elements of eater and earth and translates from Sanskrit as ‘that which sticks’. Clues to this prevalence are overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.

What’s special about an Ayurvedic massage?

A full traditional Ayurvedic body massage uses a therapeutic herbal oil. Shirobhyanga is the classic rejuvenation therapy of dripping warm oil on your third eye with the aim of rebalancing you. Special attention given to acupressure points to help encourage the release of blockages and lymphatic drainage – relaxing, de-stressing and at the same time revitalising.

At Tri, Ayurvedic therapies happen in treatment rooms next to our yogashala which floats in a bamboo grove above the library. In this haven of tranquility, there is also a steam room and a chill-out area.

The Sweet Scent of Cinnamon

Ninety per cent of the world’s highest-quality cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. Juliet Kinsman gets a lesson in how this deliciously fragrant spice is harvested and produced from Tri’s very own neighbours.

A fishing boat tour of Koggala Lake by sarong-wearing Douglas is a charming excursion in itself, but our cinnamon-obsessed outing would prove an even bigger treat for all the senses. Douglas kindly chaperoned us by dhoni across the lake, past fishermen, to another local industry care of a visit to a cinnamon planter at his home.

Sarath, the cinnamon farmer welcoming us off the boat up through some trees, past an impressive monitor lizard, to his small house in what felt like jungle. He gestured us to the family’s table and chairs just beyond where his wife was cradling a very happy-looking newborn baby. Here, with a glass of hot cinnamon tea, we learned how the fragrant sticks we buy in little jars in supermarkets back home are often hand made from the bark of a Sri Lankan tree by an experienced artisan just such as Sarath.

Cinnamon has been on sweet and savoury menus around the world since the Portuguese discovered this aromatic wild tree in Sri Lanka and it’s fascinating to get such a close-up view of how it’s processed by hand. Expertly, Sarath’s experienced hands demonstrated how the bark is carved off branches of the cinnamon tree. The stems are processed straight after harvesting while the inner bark is still wet – after the outer bark is masterfully scraped off, he tapped the wood with a hammer to loosen the inner bark – it would be this which would become the familiar spice. Since the exterior woody bark is a byproduct, this is what was used for the cladding of Tri’s constructions. It’s quite captivating to observe these curved sticks of raw cinnamon being peeled off and proficiently rolled into the more familiar brown quills.

We didn’t feel like tourists in a group expedition as we sat with our new Sinhala friend in his front yard and discovered from him how this time-tested tradition endures. It felt as though Douglas has taken us to meet his extended family who was only too happy to spill the secrets to a technique he had proudly mastered over a lifetime. And we were only too delighted to be able to spice up our lives by buying some aromatic Ceylon cinnamon oils and sticks from source to take home.

The Tri Cinnamon Experience (1.5 hours): a private dhoni boat on the lake takes you to visit a cinnamon island where a family live and produce cinnamon products. They demonstrate peeling and let guests touch and taste. (Cost US$25 per person.)

Sustainable Intelligent Architecture

Shanghai-based A00’s architect Raefer Wallis is a trailblazer in sustainable design, and as his achievements with Tri demonstrate, he has an unrivalled appreciation for contemporary architecture, renewability, and sustainability. Born in Quebec, Canada with New Zealander heritage, Wallis obtained a Masters in Architecture from Montreal’s McGill University – then head to Asia where he was behind China’s first carbon-neutral hotel, URBN Shanghai.

“My mantra is: Big picture first, details after. Landscape first, people after.” —Raefer Willis, architect.

A00 wanted to create architecture that is as striking as it is ‘invisible’ because of the way the buildings fall away from view to allow the beauty of the site, and surrounding landscape, to be the focus. The land’s natural spiral shape conjures the mathematical Fibonacci sequence and this was the inspiration that guided the hotel’s layout. It seemed only fitting that the sacred nuga tree that sits atop the hill would be the focal point of a golden ratio spiral – this helped them position all the independent structures around the hill.

Since Rob Drummond was always a fan of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, he was also interested in having modular buildings and collaborated with A00 to create a unique property for Sri Lanka. Architect John Lautner, too, was also an inspiration – he is the architect behind the ultimate villas fit for a Bond villain, including Sheats Goldstein Residence, the futuristic-looking house that features in The Big Lebowski.

Using the landscape was a critical aspect of the design, this allowed eight suites to be ‘hidden’ along the hillside without any interruption to the views, while also allowing each suite to feel utterly private, with its own look out over Koggalla Lake. Green roofs and solar panelling are just some of the features that betray Tri’s sustainability and with the contemporary glass and pale-wood constructions, the characterful cladding is cinnamon wood – a byproduct of the local spice trade which exports the bark. The green sloped roof hides the solar water heaters while the interiors include white polished terrazzo, local granite, and earth rendered walls.

The water tower, which houses has two guest bedrooms, is covered with a cinnamon-stick-screen skin, and sits within a reflection pond that also mirrors the golden ratio silhouette. Creeping vines that were planted along the base of the walls are already flourishing. Hidden next to this tower is the open-air, yoga shala, which hides its three stories housing the library and spa, from a sudden drop in terrain.

The main pavillion structure serves as the main social hub – its 10m cantilevered roof represents some of the most striking architecture of Tri. It acts as the dining space, poolside lounge and the reception area, while allowing guests to a swim in an infinity pool with the best possible Koggalla Lake views.

BIRD Travel PR | Press Release 2015

Opening late 2015, Tri is a whorl of geometric ingenuity and awe-inspiring beauty – Sri Lanka’s first truly contemporary, sustainable luxury design hotel. Mirroring nature’s ubiquitous Golden Ratio, Tri spirals 10 unique suites around an island hill flanking Sri Lanka’s serene Lake Koggala. Living walls, green roofs, solar arrays, recycled wood and entirely local materials will unify accommodations and landscape. Sequential spaces emanate from a central water tower that captures spectacular 360-degree views. Creative experiences will stimulate body, mind and soul, proudly showcasing Sri Lanka’s finest ingredients, materials, services and facilities. Guided by nature, evolved by aesthete individuals and fortified by an all-encompassing sustainable philosophy, Tri will be a masterpiece of forward-thinking flair, where mathematical marries artistic and intelligence embraces emotion.

Tri: At a Glance

10-suite sustainable luxury design hotel opening in the Summer of 2015
A hillside haven on Sri Lanka’s Lake Koggala 25-mins from Galle Fort
Evolved by photographer, entrepreneur and aesthete, Rob Drummond, and award-winning architect, Raefer Wallis of A00 Architects
Ingenious design inspired by the spirals of the ‘Fibonacci sequence’
Eight suites, three with private pools, nestled in the landscape and a further two elevated on the top deck of the central water tower
Spectacular 21m cantilevered pool with multiple decks and terraces
Combine peaceful lakeside living with day trips to the beach nearby
Treetop yoga shala; treatment rooms and steam cavern
Library, study and entertainment room
Dining room with private and communal seating
Dramatic 360-degree summit viewing deck
A contemporary, organic approach to Sri Lanka’s finest elements: food, materials, services, facilities and experiences
Cultural, active and intellectual immersions, from lake kayaking, beach trips and natural exercise stations to talks, temple visits and whale watching
Creative and cutting-edge; serene and energising; intellectually stimulating; ethically, culturally and authentically minded; stylish and responsible; fun!

Tri: The Experience

Arrive by boat across Sri Lanka’s largest lake. Unwind as you ascend the spiral hillside setting with accommodation suites, sequential spaces and central water tower. Discover a living, energising design hotel, evolved by aesthete individuals and peppered with creative, contemporary experiences for body, mind and soul. Experience the transformation of time – the magic of the here and now – immersed in nature’s infinite perfection.”

Getting There:

Via Land: 1.5 hours from Colombo International Airport. 25 minutes from Galle
Via Air: sea-plane service lands directly on Lake Koggala
Via Lake: 10-minute boat transfer from the coastal highway

Tri: Sustainable living, ingeniously crafted

Opening 2015

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Tag: responsible travel