Ruuk Village Kalpitiya review.
Ruuk village is a developing tourist
destination in Kalpitiya. Kalpitiya is a larger fishing village consisting of
14 islands in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. Despite its potential as
a tourist destination, Ruuk village under-delivers and, in one way or the
other, fails to satisfy its guests in an often disappointing demeanor. Endless
reviews of worse-than-ever expedition encounters by disillusioned tourists
flock the media day by day. The complaints accrue from a whole range of issues
of concern. Overcharging, unhygienic conditions, inadequate safety, privacy,
comfort and transport facilities are among the reasons for the outcry by
tourists visiting the Ruuk village. These factors contributing to the negative
publicity of the Ruuk village are exhaustively outlined as follows.
Poor
reception
From the onset things just seem to take
an ominous turn. An instance is when a tourist reportedly got lost after using
inaccurate directions given by an inn manager and had to retrace his proper way
to the inn with some help from the locals. With extra kilometers of worn tracks
to cover, the experience becomes annoying already. The same tourist had no one
to attend to him for booking in as there was no receptionist at the desk. Talk
of uncalled for delays eating into your vacation when you haven’t even started
it yet.
Transport
problem
Poor transport amenities further ruin
your stay in Ruuk village. In order to get to the camp, you either have to walk
in the deep mud or take an uncomfortable and risky boat ride.
Overcharging
Guests are always in for unexpectedly huge
spending on low quality services. Outdoor activities such as snorkeling,
dolphin-watching and a tour around Wilpattu National Park are charged
prohibitively expensively. They are rendered to incur off the hook costs for
goods and services unworthy of such hefty sums. If the quality of the services
was upheld, then the costs would have been reasonable. Establishments in Ruuk
village charge twice more than other hotels for a tour around Wilpattu National
Park.
Under
the bar quality
A tourist reportedly complained of a
horrendous stay at a camp where the beach was dirty, the grass was
unkempt and that the place smelt terrible of dampness. The tourist had to
relocate to another hotel. To add insult to injury, deposit wasn’t refunded
even under the directions of Sri Lankan police. Unsuspecting tourists book into
nice cabanas that are falsely advertised with appealing photos. Truth is,
when they get there, what they find is in contrary to what is placed in the
adverts.
Risky
boat rides
Boats at the coast of Ruuk village are
uncomfortable and unsafe. There are no chairs in the boats. Neither are there
any pillows for a cushioned ride in the water. Such a form of discomfiture and
lack of safety during a boat ride makes up for a dissatisfying visit of the
Ruuk village. Tourists are advised to be on the look so that they don’t put
their lives on the line in a boat ride in this village.
Dead
corals and absence of sea life
There is an apparent loss of
bio-diversity in the waters around Ruuk village. A tourist surely gets
disappointed after traveling afar from home only to visit dead corals and
little sea life. To make matters worse, at times there are hardly any dolphins
in sight making dolphin watching rare and very expensive activity in the waters
of Ruuk village.
Problem
during signing out
The Ruuk village camps’ business is
reclining by the day. They usher in fewer customers and are unwilling to let go
of the available customers without having made them spend more money there even
when the customers wish to cancel their bookings.
Few
dining options
The dining options in the Ruuk village
are limited to rice curry. Varied dishes are rare to find anywhere within the
village and menus reflect the same meal throughout. This is a great
disappointment to tourists with an adventurous flair for food.
Terrible
state of rooms
Available rooms are poorly furnished
with little on furniture, absence of fans and air-conditioners and worst of
all, woe unto you if you book into an unhygienic room. The room’s safety can be
easily compromised as the camp is open without a perimeter fence. Anyone cansneak in and steal your valuables. Privacy is not assured. There is poor or no
Wi-Fi internet connectivity. The rooms are definitely not worth the money.
Insecurity
There aren’t any lockers or facilities
to lock in your precious belongings. As such, your valuables are prone to theft
when you are outdoors or asleep. A tourist once complained of a lost wallet
while he was on the dolphin watching tour. It was later secretly returned to the
room by the thief less a considerable amount of cash. The thief masqueraded as
room service, was spotted bringing into the room a handful of fresh towels
although the room had quite a number of fresh towels. That occurrence could be
blamed on mismanagement by the staff in charge for failing to catch the
culprit, leaving the question as to whether or the staff and the culprit were
working unison.
Open
camp
The open camp setting also serves to
deteriorate security. The room’s safety can be easily compromised as the camp
is open without a perimeter fence.
Extra
charges on electricity
Tourists are rendered to incur extra
charges on the use of electricity in the Ruuk village camp in addition to the
booking fee already paid.
Dirty
camp
The camp is untidy and full of litter.
Plastic bags, broken glass, rusty nails lie in the sand making the camp
inhabitable and adding to the discomfiture of the stay in the Ruuk camp.
In conclusion, a tour to the Ruuk
village is probably the worst camp in the whole of Kalpitiya area. There are
better options in the neighboring islands. From all the inconveniences
presented by the Ruuk village as a tourist destination, all there is to do, if
you are not a kite surfer is to lie in a
hammock and supposedly arrange for other reservations elsewhere. This is my honest review of Ruuk Village Kalpitiya.
