Ayu in the Wild's Positive Impact Travel Footprint
Responsible Tourism: In 2022, Ayu in the Wild celebrated 10 years by becoming Sri Lanka’s only Travel Partner endorsed by The Long Run - a community that ensures travel experiences have a positive impact, and that conservation is socially and financially sustainable. Our private trips restore. Each customized slow travel itinerary is driven by a purpose to help you explore the unusual, support several responsible tourism initiatives, strongly support local communities and conservation efforts. Above all, we encourage a healthy respect for authentic local interactions.
A Positive Impact Travel Footprint in Sri LankA
Our tagline, ‘Sustainable Slow Luxury’, is not just a tagline
Our Sustainability Policy pivots around using our tourism revenue to support positive impact causes. We fund community-based initiatives we have set up ourselves; support our private network of local experience hosts; advocate against animal abuse; and collaborate with travel industry partners who do good things. We ensured our staff continued on full pay throughout the Pandemic. Our journeys are often called trips of a lifetime because our guests continue to enjoy the best experiences in Sri Lanka while we action out our ethos of sustainable slow luxury travel.
Classrooms in the Wild, since 2014
Each week, around 20-25 rural children gather in a not so fancy classroom about 7 kms away from the heart of the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle to learn spoken English in this disconnected farming community where wild elephants roam. Ayu in the Wild’s flagship initiative enables inclusive and equitable learning for boys and girls. Classes continued on Zoom during the pandemic. In some years, we hosted the kids to career guidance field visits. Recently, we enlisted the services of a mentor who has developed his own extraordinarily successful teaching methodology. Each month, we take a break from travel designing for lesson planning. Read more about Classrooms in the Wild and opportunities to volunteer.
Cultural Conservation and Community Economics, since inception
We love luxury travel with authentic local experiences. So, whether you stay at an Aman or Ceylon Tea Trails, our network of local contacts will enrich your journey by hosting meaningful private experiences exclusively curated for Ayu in the Wild. Your visit will sustain pottery artisans in the south to female artisans in the island’s North and help you understand, local customs, geo-politics and nuances of life in a multi-cultural society. Our local guides and Naturalists make historical cities and safaris come alive through inspiring story telling. The choices we make on your behalf ensures that every trip creates little pockets of circular economies across the island, as you travel.
Inclusive Dance Therapy, since 2020
In 2020, just before the world went into a spin, we met Radika, a dance teacher and asked her to use her art form and main livelihood to create a safe space funded by Ayu in the Wild for differently abled children to express their creativity without barriers, through dance. While this initiative was on pause during the pandemic, three weekly classes are now held in a community hall close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Galle Fort.
Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust, in 2021, 2022
Despite the challenges in tourism, we are proud that our partnership with the conservation scientists of WWCT supported new remote camera traps at Back of Beyond Sri Lanka - a fabulous member of Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka. Back of Beyond lodges promote conservation, agriculture and eco tourism. WWCT’s vital 5-year Patch Forest Project documents species diversity and their long-term use of mixed forest biodiversity corridors integral for leopards, elephants and other diverse species with the ultimate goal of collecting vital and substantial data to support the protection and gazetting of these forest patches by the Forest Department of Sri Lanka, in an area earmarked for development by tourism stakeholders with short term vision and unsustainable goals. In September 2022, Ayu in the Wild Naturalist-Guides participated in the awareness sessions organized by WWCT to the school kids of St Josephs School and the Tea Leaf Trust school, Maskeliya, as part of WWCT’s Awareness Programmes to share information with communities to help them understand the short and long term cascading cause and effects of practices such as poaching, land clearing and infringement of wilderness areas.
The Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka Initiative, since 2020
A concept driven by Ayu in the Wild Holidays to encourage action towards low footfall tourism that benefits Sri Lanka and sustainability-led conversation in tourism. This self-funded initiative also includes a Collective of Hotels that we collaborate with because they champion tourism that benefits Sri Lanka. Membership in the Collective is by invitation only.
Conservation based Research on Elephants, in 2022
We supported the Federation of Environmental Organisations in their research work to conserve the Gathering in Minneriya and Kaudulla National Park of Sri Lanka. The spectacle of over 400 elephants congregating to feed on the lakebed of the Minneriya Reservoir - is now threatened by waters from the Moragahakanda reservoir flooding the lakebed, scattering elephants into farmlands. In 2021 - 142 people and 375 elephants died due to Sri Lanka's Human Elephant Crisis and this vital research initiated with leading conservationists is pivotal in protecting wildlife, tourism and livelihoods.
Low footfall and light foot print, since inception
Our Inspiring Walks of Sri Lanka portfolio of private guides walks in Sri Lanka and our private safaris are led by brilliant Ayu in the Wild Naturalists who have studied under local experts and help guests undertsand about biodiversity, ecology and animal behaviour. We have a no plastic water bottles policy for all trips and have made swaps to biodegradable materials in our individualized travel packs. Guests must bring their own re-fillable water bottle. We advocate against elephant back safaris in Sri Lanka and against irresposible turtle hatcheries.
Accessible Trips in Sri Lanka, ongoing since 2022
In 2022, we established a goal. We want to curate a trip that integrates Ayu in the Wild’s slow luxury holidays with more access and dignity for mobility impaired travellers. The entire team at Ayu in the Wild brainstormed ideas; read about other access champions; assessed wheelchair accessibility at hotels with video calls to understand the room layout at some hotels and lodges; mulled over transport options; and made multiple calls to Railway Station Masters across the island to find railway ramp access. Its been a challenge and we are working towards our goal. Watch this space as we launch our accessible trip soon.
Sustaining Our Team
Tourism in Sri Lanka has been challenged to its limits, since the Easter attacks in 2019, the pandemic for the next two years, the economic and constitutional crisis led by poor governance in 2022 - the list is endless. Throughout this period, our staff continued to be paid their full remuneration. Flexibility to work from home as needed (due to family commitments or the pandemic) is offered to all staff, with technology driven systems in place to create a seamless service. Ayu in the Wild is made up of a small team of conscious travel designers and naturalists, sharing the Founders’ ethos of travel that gives back to the island, the people and the wild of Sri Lanka.
First Sri Lankan Travel Brand accepted into The Long Run
We’re proud to be Sri Lanka’s first Travel Partner of The Long Run. Our focus , as we emerge from several difficult years is to fund our positive impact initiatives and sustain our small team. We’ve decided to hold out on spending our limited time and resources in applying for any other sustainability certifications. When you book a trip with us, you will understand what the trip funds and its impact. The best way to experience this, is to see it for yourself. Our previous guests are our best ambassadors of what positive impact travel with Ayu in the Wild means. Read their reviews here.
Being Climate Conscious at Ayu in the Wild - At a Glance
For bespoke Sri Lanka holiday itineraries, send us an enquiry. Ayu in the Wild is a 100% Sri Lankan owner-run boutique travel agency based in Sri Lanka, curating tailor made private trips that restore and regenerate, since 2012. Founders of @sustainabletravelsrilanka