Dr. Mike’s Ranch promotes ‘nature tourism’
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The Horse riding, bullock cart tours, boat rides, and a tropical environment with flowing river at ‘Dr. Mike’s Ranch’ and retreat in a traditional Sri Lankan Village of Palagama promotes nature tourism in a big way. An agricultural farm started two years ago at Palagama, a small village in Polgasovita , by a Sri Lankan doctor domiciled in the United States is not only confined for growing green leaves (keera) but also for promoting nature tourism.
Today this 15 acre ‘keera koratuva (green leaves plot)’ popularly known as ‘Dr. Mike’s Ranch’ has been transformed to an ambitious venture promoting “agritourism,”(farm tourism) to provide opportunities for tourists to reside and sometimes participate in the working activities of the ranch experiencing the beauty and soothing effect of green environment .
Rural farms are becoming attractive tourist destinations because many tourists aspire to escape the busy city life and get accustomed with natural and cultural heritage and enjoy a richer and authentic leisure experience. Modern-day tourists want to learn the life style of villagers and meet genuine people engaged in a rural/agricultural lifestyle.
Dr. Maithree Weerasinghe owning seven medical centres in Los Angeles has launched this venture in his native village Palagama with the aim of uplifting the living standard of villagers going beyond the traditional route of planting crops and raising livestock.
He built Dona Luvisa’s Cottage at the ranch in memory of his grandmother offering visitors the opportunity to experience the fusion of an American ranch with a traditional Sri Lankan Village in a tropical environment with flowing River, Boat Rides, Horse Back Riding, ancient Bridge and unique architecture displaying marvelous granite walls and clay bricks.
This cottage further captures the spirit of the old village Palagama which is one of the very few villages that has not been subjected to the vast social, technological and environmental changes in close proximity to Colombo.
In an interview with TV Times, Dr. Maithree said that Dona Luvisa was married to Hendric Alwis Nanayakkara Weerasinghe ,who was the highest ranking government officer in Palagama at the time.
‘She was also an amazing lady famous among the villagers for her generosity and kind heartedness, constantly gave to those who were less fortunate’ he added.
He noted that farm tourism in America is a recent phenomenon when compared to farm stay programs and working farms that have existed for decades in Europe. He noted that his intention is to promote this concept in Sri Lanka to attract Sri Lankan youth to agriculture in a big way as Sri Lanka is a agricultural country with ancient heritage and it was known as the granary of the East.
He revealed that around 30 rural youth most of them were from Palagama, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa areas are cultivating quality green leaves such as Mukunuwenna, Kankun, Thampala and Sarana applying mainly organic fertiliser for the local and export market especially to the Middle East.