Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Rise early to the sounds of nature and make your way to the pristine gardens to embark on a farm tour. Learn about the different varieties of spices that grow, the process of growing pepper (and buy some to take home with you!), harvesting of coconuts, mangoes, bananas, papaya and vegetables and even try your hand at activities as diverse as milking a cow and Sari dressing!

Elsewhere immerse yourself in the local culture on a village walk to an unspoilt hamlet and gain an authentic insight into local life, visit the local Buddhist Temple and maybe even meet the local monk or head out on cycle rides in the surrounding area and explore rice paddies and bird life with insights into rural village life.

After working up an appetite in the morning, why not enjoy a Sri Lankan cooking lesson? Join the Chef as you learn how to prepare Sri Lankan rice and curry dishes from seasonal fruits, spices and vegetables. Help to grate the coconut and spices and sit down together to enjoy the fruits of your labor, eating in the traditional Sri Lankan style!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Today you will be taken to the Hill capital of Kandy; a countryside hamlet with cool breezes, leafy green landscapes and misty mountains gathered around a mesmerizing lake.

Break your journey at Popham’s Arboretum in Dambulla – the island’s only dry zone Arboretum where an amazing variety of Trees, Birds, Butterflies, Dragonflies and Mammals can be observed in their natural setting. Walk along twisting footpaths, over wooden bridges and endless soothing greenery to be accompanied by birds and the smell of the good earth all around! Immersed in the beauty of nature, try to spot the Deer, Wild Boar, Porcupine, Mouse Deer, Hare, Rock Squirrels or the endemic Slender Loris!

Before dusk sets in, reach the rolling hills of the Buddhist capital and explore the charming streets of Kandy to try your hand at different local delicacies. Start the trip with some exotic fruits in the market and learn about the various regional vegetables and their uses. Head to the women’s co-operative for some authentic snacks that you’d only get to try if you knew someone’s grandmother! Finally end the walk with some curd and treacle to cool you down.

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Imagine waking up to the sounds of birds chirping outside your lodge, you then open your front door to one of the most spectacular views – majestic mountains, lush green valleys, tea plantations, clear streams and the occasional deer or giant squirrel. Take a deep breath of the fresh air and pinch yourself – no, you’re not dreaming…

In the next two days, put on your trekking boots and be on your way through scenic mountain trails, jungle footpaths and lush green tea plantations to the sweeping vistas of the Knuckles Range. Trek through quaint trails winding across crystal clear streams, dazzling waterfalls and even terraced paddy fields, while you enjoy the coolness and fresh air of the countryside.

We also invite you to take part in the Community Tourism Program conducted by the hotel that aims to promote and share cultural resources with the local community. Join the estate community ladies and their families for an amicable chat over a warm cup of tea and a simple snack followed by an experience in tea plucking!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

As you get acquainted with the deep greens of the surrounding tea plantations, you will also discover the Lodge’s special organic gardens harvested with vegetables, green veggies and fruits as; avocados, guava, wild-strawberries, black-berries, mangos and citrus-fruits; which are used to prepare your heavenly meals and is sure to make your stomach rumble!

In the latter part of your two-night stay, relish a well worth visit to the Tamarind Gardens in Digana; a community family farm project founded around sustainability. Immerse yourself in the life of a Sri Lankan village and accompany the owners in their daily tasks as taking care of cattle to cooking meals made of farm-produced fruit and vegetables!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Your journey will continue further south into the verdant green hills of Sri Lanka’s most scenic region – the hill country – to the Colonial city of Nuwara Eliya. You will take winding roads through gorgeously lush plantations, past tea bushes trimmed by regular picking and if you’re lucky you’ll see the tea pluckers’ harvesting tea leaves in the fields. Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows, Tudor-style hotels, well-tended hedgerows and pretty gardens.

Nuwara Eliya needs a day of pottering to appreciate, thanks to its position in the heart of colonial Tea Country. Soak up the beauty of this magical place by visiting the spectacular Hakgala Botanical Gardens, watch out for a ride out at the old nineteenth-century racecourse with its own stabling and horses; swing by the historic golf club for a round, admire the town’s red post office or stop by the nearby single estate producer Lover’s Leap for a tea tour and a sample some of Ceylon’s finest.

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Enjoy a breakfast on dhal and hoppers before heading to Nanu Oya station (8km away) and taking the train on the old British-built railway through the mountains, plantation and lush forests of the Tea Country. While on board you will encounter food vendors with their offerings of “short eats” and local musicians who will serenade you for a few rupees. Don’t forget to try some street food in the train which is mostly freshly cut pineapple slices or deep fried vades!

 Arriving at Ella three hours later, you can’t fail to be amazed at the glamorous views including the iconic Nine Arch Bridge and the cascading Ravana Ella waterfalls. Then it’s a quick ride down the mountain to the dry plains of Wellawaya to arrive at your rustic eco-resort for the next two days; Jetwing Kaduruketha. An escapist’s dream located at the foot of a mountain range, your rustic lodge is set in 60-acres of emerald paddy fields and forest. With shutters open, watch farmers tending rice and the team harvesting the organic kitchen garden as a wealth of wildlife – flying foxes, hanging parrots and hornbills – goes about its business.

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Wake up refreshed to the cool breeze sweeping over the paddy fields and the cries of the resident peacocks outside your lodge…

After an authentic Sri Lankan breakfast of pol roti, milk rice and lunu miris, start your morning with a walk through the verdant paddy fields. Learn over an amicable chat with the local farmers about the nitty-gritties of paddy cultivation and the many varieties of traditional rice, including how they are grown and their many health benefits. Rewarded with tales of local farming, saunter to the nearby village for a scrumptious lunch with the local farmers and their families in their homes. Savor the local red and white rice with a chicken curry, a ‘murunga’ or drumstick curry, a ‘polos’ curry, jackfruit curry, a pumpkin curry, ‘ela batu’ – Thai aubergine curry & ‘Japan batu’, followed by hot tea and some local sweat meats to cool that spicy zing!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

After a couple of civilized days in the hills, you may be ready to explore the wildlife in the lush green jungles of Yala. As you descend down the winding hill country roads to Haputale, meet the distinctive Amba Tea Estate; a small organic farm that specializes in a scale production of hand-rolled tea! Commence a tour of the tea estate by 11.00 am; visit the tea factory and learn of artisanal tea making, experience tea tasting (from green teas to lemon grass and black teas) and take a peek at the range of artisan teas, coffee, cinnamon and lemongrass growing side by side. Be sure to purchase some tea from the estate itself!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Rise early and get accustomed to a tremendously amusing experience by learning the basics of baking BREAD the traditional way! Relish in the freshly baked aroma as you step into the village bakery early in the morning. You will have the privilege of assisting the baker in the process of making your special bread or bun. Dust off while enjoying your very own freshly baked bread or bun you helped make. Alternatively, you could experience the first hand creation of Toddy Tapping and Palm Treacle that define the livelihoods of countless rural villages in the island. Witness the mysteries of toddy tapping, step inside a clay hut to assist a local villager in refining the sap for the palm treacle and conclude your experience by relishing a pot of curd with the treacle you helped make!

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Drive three and a half hours South and you reach Sri Lanka’s pristine coastline – to the historical city of Galle. One of Sri Lanka’s charms is that how in a short time you will pass from the hills to the meandering rivers, past the farms and then onto the idyllic Southern coast until you meet the historical city of Galle – a perfect combination of Blue Ocean, history and culture. Interestingly, Galle is a living world heritage site that you can explore by a leisurely walk in the afternoon. Explore on foot, an endlessly exotic old trading port blessed with imposing Dutch-colonial buildings, ancient mosques and churches, grand mansions and museums, stylish cafes, quirky boutiques, impeccably restored hotels and cafes serving yummy food and cold beer.

Meal Basis – Half Board Basis

Revitalize, relax and reconnect the day with the daily Vinyasa inspired Yoga flows in the resort’s unique open rooftop and enjoy the sun, beach and delicious healthy meals before taking a long dip in the salt water swimming pool!

For those adventurous junkies, enjoy a zero carbon canoeing/kayaking retreat in the island’s mangroves or take an unforgettable bicycle trip through the rice fields, beside ancient Buddhist temples and along picturesque routes to the beach with peacocks and parrots awaiting to amuse you on the way! Appease your thirst to a freshly squeezed juice, smoothie or coconut water to ensure you stay hydrated!

Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast

Wind down the latter two days of your stay in the island’s urban center of Colombo. Sri Lanka’s modern commercial capital, Colombo combines colonial and contemporary architecture along its bustling streets, from the English-style cricket green, to the grand Independence Hall, to sunset views from the Galle Face Hotel terrace. No longer just the sprawling city you have to endure on your way to the beaches, it has become a worthy destination in its own right and makes an excellent start – or finish – to your Sri Lankan adventures.

Before reaching the capital, make a quick de-tour to a cinnamon plantation located on a tiny, enchanting island in Beruwala and learn the processing of cinnamon and its uses. Alternatively to appease the eye, you could also visit the works of the Bawa Brothers, Lunuganga; the splendid country house of Geoffrey Bawa or the Brief Garden, owned by the architect’s brother!

Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast

Experience the last taste of your simple tech-free morning with two hard-working female siblings on our curated Village Farmer’s farm-to-table experience. Learn the basis of their daily work routine, the unique relationship they share, the slow-paced life in the village farm and its’ freshly prepared local fare grown in its immediate vicinity. Your host – an advocate of sustainable practices and green activities – will provide much insight into the value of farming and consuming in this manner.

Your afternoon entails having our chauffeur guide introduce you to some of Colombo’s curious sites such as the old city of Fort, the Hindu Temple at Sea Street, Dutch Church at Wolfendal and a peek at the island’s premier cultural institution; the Colombo National Museum. For any last-minute souvenirs we suggest you make a quick stop at Selyn or Barefoot; a pretty shop gathering the products of many local artisans.

After a busy day taking in Colombo’s colonial charm and rural suburbs, retire to your accommodation and reflect your past days on the gratifying eco experiences by watching the sunset over the palm lined tropical landscape with a cup of tea in hand!

With a notebook and a camera memory card full to the brim of your rewarding eco revels, your chauffeur guide will return you by way of a scenic drive to the international airport for your departing flight and a safe journey home.