The story of Flamboyant Estate is a story of environmental rehabilitation and ultimately the birth of a unique hotel, Flamboyant Villas, that contributes to long term conservation.

The land was acquired by the present owners in 2007 and is situated in a narrow valley between hills running north/south at the junction of the Intermediate Zone and the Dry Zone. It has had had a chequered history; the most accessible areas, around 6 acres, had been almost completely denuded of trees and been degraded by ‘chenna’ (slash and burn) cultivation and had a number of apparently random pits dug. This area was covered in thorny scrub and invasive manna grass. This vegetation rendered most of the flatter areas almost impenetrable unless a path was hacked through it. Such vegetation inhibits the natural plant life that cannot be re-established without assistance. The coarse manna grass reached over 2m in height in places, also inhibited the re-establishment of the natural dry zone forest, choking any seedlings. Fires, started in the neighbouring plots during the dry season, often spread into this area and further damaged the ecosystem.

The remaining approximately half of the land comprised a thickly wooded area from which many of the more valuable and mature dry zone hardwood trees had been cut down. Nevertheless the slope of this area had been a disincentive to total forest destruction and secondary growth was well established.

Two seasonal streams border or run through the estate; one forming the eastern boundary, the other stream, originating in a nearby spring, bisects the land and runs approximately from south to north.