The Holiday Bungalow that You Never Should Miss if You Visit Ohiya
We visited Ohiya Hill Safari Eco Lodge on the 15th of November 2015 and this is the full review of the Hill Safari Eco Lodge if you have any plans to visit this place. It is an excellent location if you are a nature lover and want to enjoy the surroundings of the misty mountains.
Ok, Let start the journey 🙂
We trekked the Kalupahana to Ohiya via Devil’s staircase on the 14th of November 2015 and was planning to have a cup of tea from Ohiya Hill Safari Eco Lodge before completing the Kalupahana to Ohiya jeep track hike.
We were highly dependent on the Google Map, It indicated that Hill Safari Eco Lodge is situated along the Kalupahana- Ohiya jeep track so we were planning to have a cup of tea on our way but we never found Hill Safari Eco Lodge on that way.
We decided to visit Hill Safari Eco Lodge as one of our friends, Trevor Soros(Database Engineer at ShipXpress) recommended us to visit the place. He has been to this place with his wife after his wedding. May be for his second honeymoon 🙂
The previous day we stayed in Ohiya Centre which is maintained by Uva Management Development Institute. A very good place to stay if you have a plan to visit Ohiya.
You can see the condition of the Ohiya Centre on Google Street Maps 🙂
The condition of the road was bad and our van driver was so cooperative.
We met a group of foreigners who also started Kalupahana to Ohiya jeep track hike.
They had a real trekking gear to complete hiking and we greeted them warmly!
Just look at the boots of those hikers, they even geared with leeches socks
This is some part of the road, it is not too bad. You can drive a normal car and if you have a jeep or SUV, there is no issue in coming on this road.
Closer shot of these hikers.
If you go straight, then you end up in Udavaria Tea Estate or you reach the Ohio- jeep track.
If you want to reach Hill Safari Eco Lodge. you have to take the right turn.
We stop our vehicle at the top of the road and walked towards Hill Safari Eco Lodge.
Do not worry, you can take the vehicle even though we did not go by the vehicle.
There are a couple of signposts therefore you will not miss this unless you travel in the night.
Once you turn into this road, the condition of the road is not too good. if you drive a less road clearance vehicle full of passengers, then you have to be very careful.
Look the road, there are many stones but if you drive carefully, you can reach your destination without any issue.
NOT too bad right. you can drive a vehicle if you have a few good tires.
Be careful, this a hairpin turn. you can take it if you go slowly.
Kusal and Tharindu were walking towards Hill Safari Eco Lodge
Wow, this is the entrance of the Hill Safari Eco Lodge. you can see the owner’s vehicle in front of the Hill Safari Eco Lodge.
They told us that if we book Hill Safari Eco Lodge and they can pick us from Ohiya Station when we reach the Station. They know the train schedule.
They do this transport service. It is better to agree and confirm these things when you book the place.
The main hall of the Hill Safari Eco Lodge is very nice and clean. It has nice furniture and very spacious.
We were a bit tired when we reached Hill Safari Eco Lodge so we ordered black coffee and Tea.
Our Project Manager, Kusal(ShipXpress) in shorts 🙂 and others who sit on the chair is the owner of this place. His name is Eomal Perera and the other person is the Manager of this place. His name is Gamini Senarathna.
They were very friendly people and treated us very nicely.
I told them that I am Blogger and I am planning to write a review of this Hill Safari Eco Lodge, they allowed me to take picture of the entire place.
I drank a couple of coffee and they charged us Rs 350/=.
Hill Safari Eco Lodge has two stories.
Upstairs, there are two rooms for different prices, and the ground floor you find dormitory and some rooms.
In my opinion, if you are a couple and boring be in the Hill Safari Eco Lodge all the time, it is better to book the upstairs rooms so that you can enjoy the beauty of some tea estates.
This is the balcony of the upstairs and it is shared with both rooms.
You can see the entire tea estate from this balcony. I determined to go to this place again. I am not sure whether I will go with my wife and kids as it is located in a bit of a remote area. but I will definitely visit the place as it is such a beautiful place to be.
Both rooms have private bathrooms and it looks fancy. they charge Rs 5000/= and Rs 7000/=. This is the price they told us on the 15th of November 2016 but it might have changed by now. (as of 2015)
If you book via booking.com, then it will be expensive.
The best way to book the place is to call them.
Nice bathroom. It has good space. This room is a bit luxurious than other rooms.
When I reached Hill Safari Eco Lodge, this room was not prepared properly but I took some photos of this room too.
Please do not judge the room based on these photos as it is much better when it is nicely done.
This is the outside view of the Hill Safari Eco Lodge and it is a nice place to be.
These are downstairs rooms and it has 3 rooms. This is the family room and it has private showers and toilets.
If I go again, I will book this room. They have 3 rooms like this.
In these rooms, 5 people can stay as there is a bunker bed too.
There are a couple of maps of the Horton plains and these are quite accurate too. If you want to get more details about the Horton Plain and Ohiya, Owner, Eomal Perera can be very helpful.
No wifi, NO Internet, and NOT much of signals from most Telco operators but it’s not Hill Safari Eco Lodge fault since no service reaches in this region.
Honestly, due to these limitations, it would be a nice break from the world, enjoying the great scenery.
It can get quite cold during the night so don’t forget to check the drawers: there are plenty of extra blankets 🙂
Hill Safari is a perfect getaway if you really want to have a break from your busy life.
If you are looking for a perfect relaxation, a noise-free, untouched, chilling place with no network coverage, Hill Safari Eco Lodge is the place you need to be.
