Banyan Camp

Built from scavenged doors, driftwood, and a converted truck or two, Banyan Camp reads like an inventory of found things put to good use. The camp sits on the edge of its own lake in rural Sri Lanka, where the line between indoors and out barely registers. Walls stop short, roofs run open at the eaves, and the water is always in view. Four lodge types cover the range: Banyan Lodge, the original, sleeps up to six across two rooms; Champagne Lodge and Wine Lodge each sleep four over two floors with en suite bathrooms; Mercedes Lodge, built into an old vehicle, sleeps two. Days start on the water. Guests can paddle board or canoe across the lake at dawn, when elephants sometimes swim past, or float breakfast out on a raft. It is a quiet, low-tech way to take a meal. Further out, an open-air safari vehicle runs to a nearby river, and day trips reach waterfalls, Buduruvagala's 10th-century rock carvings, and the Yuddhagana temple. Udawalawe and Yala national parks are both within reach for elephant and leopard sightings. The surrounding country is dry and sparsely settled, birds and buffalo more common than people. Cookery classes run on request. It is not a polished stay, and does not try to be.