Wildlife
While it's highly unlikely you'll catch a glimpse of an elusive Sri Lankan leopard during your stay at Gaia Soul (you'll have to go to the dense jungles of Yala National Park or Udawalawe National Park for that), spotting a playful troupe of toque macaques or skittering chipmunks chattering in the coconut trees happens pretty much on the reg. In fact, please don't leave any fruit on the kitchen counter so as to avoid tempting fate ;-)
"In the evenings you hear nothing but the waves, the wind, and a few animals in the distance. During the day there are many birds to watch and sometimes even a few monkeys passing by." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Alina, DE
Slow down, look closer - there’s life moving all around you.
Medium sized monitor lizards (I've never see one bigger than a meter long), sometimes pop in to see what's up but usually scamper away as soon as they catch a whiff of you with their forked tongues. If you're lucky, you might see a mama monitor burying its' eggs on the beach (or digging for a turtle's eggs for that matter).
Other sightings at the property include a family of mongoose, a civet and a peacock on the bar as seen though CCTV.
Take a walk on the wild side at Gaia Soul.
Further afield there are whale watching excursions in Mirissa, a popular coastal town nearby where blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are known to hang out during the high season (Dec. - March). Unfortunately, you'll occasionally run into elephants that are chained up but wild ones can still be spotted strolling across open plains or cooling off in the shimmering lakes of Udawalawe and Bundala National Parks where they run free.
From ocean to jungle, the wild is closer than you think.