Day 1: Arrival Day
Arrival day. Guests will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Depending on the flight timings, option to explore Negombo and go on a sunset river cruise is possible.
Meals: Dinner included.
Day 2: Sigiriya
Transfer inland to Sigiriya. Have lunch on the way at a local restaurant. Check in to the hotel and refresh. 3PM climb Sigiriya rock.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Local restaurant lunch. Dinner at hotel.
Day 3: Village Cycling | Safari
Short transfer to Habarana which is the start point of the village cycling experience. The experience ends with lunch and will go from 9AM to 2PM. Guests who are not comfortable on cycles can Then return to the hotel for a short break. At 4PM go on a safari at the national park.
Habrana Village Cycling Experience: Cycle through the small villages with a chance to see small home industries. Try some fresh fish at the local fisherman’s house. Learn some traditional dance moves at village dance school. Visit a family who makes brooms from coconut trees. Back braking brick making. Village elder who makes Ayurvedic oil. End the bike ride with a short cooking lesson and delicious lunch at your guide’s house. Pictures
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch during village cycling experience. Dinner at hotel.
Day 4: Hike To Gammaduwa
Short transfer to Andawala (30mins) which is the trail head. From here hike to Gammaduwa (8kms).
Afternoon at leisure. Guests can explore the tea fields.
Gammaduwa Hike: After an early breakfast we transfer (30mins) to the small village of Andawala which is the trail head. Before setting of we will say a prayer and receive the blessing of the monks at the Andawala Buddhist Temple. Our hike starts of through tiny village paths and then leading across
small paddy farms. We will walk along tiny irrigation streams for the first 2kms before turning off into the forest. We continue our journey through patches of forest interspaced with pepper farms till we reach the village of Hanguranketa. Here we take a short break and refill our bottles before the
next stretch. The remaining hike is on tiny jeep paths till we reach the forest bungalow whose surrounding lawns will be our campsite for the night. Around the campfire we can listen to local folk songs with a hot cup of tea in our hands.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch during village cycling experience. Dinner at hotel.
Day 5: Hike to Riverstone | Mahiyangana
Today hike to Riverstone. The hike is 15kms long. Then take a 2hr transfer to Mahiyangana.
Hike to Riverstone: Today we head to Riverston, known for its beautiful vistas of Sri Lankan Hill Country. Our hike starts from the remote Gammaduwa village. We start climbing uphill through pine forests and get onto the only trail to the extremely remote Kargastene village. This remote village is completely isolated and supports only a small farming family. From here the scenery completely changes and we hike across a large grass land for a few kilometres before heading back into the jungle. Our route crosses small reservoirs and streams before we reach the village of Puwakpitiya
where we stop for lunch. A nearby waterfall is a great place to go for a small swim before the next stretch of our arduous journey. From the village we need to climb through the forests to reach Riverston. Our path takes us through dense jungles that sometimes host elephants. We come out of
the jungle in front of the famous Mini World’s End. The last stretch is on jeep trails up until the main road.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Packed lunch en route. Dinner at hotel.
Day 6: Hike to Rathna Ella
Today hike to the beautiful waterfall called Rathna Ella. It’s an 8km hike. The hike is to the top of the waterfalls where the guests can go for a swim. On the return journey stop at the village of Hasalaka, where they have a traditional lunch with all the ingredients sourced from the surrounding farms.
Hike to Rathna Ella: Today is a beautiful day of hiking up to the Rathna Ella waterfalls. The route starts through an ancient site. Legend has it that this was one of the locations princess Seetha was hidden by Ravana (from the epic Ramayana), there is also evidence of an ancient monastery. From
here we continue climbing through the forests crossing some streams. We then come out into the grasslands before the final stretch up to the beautiful Rathna Ella waterfall. It’s the perfect place for a swim. We then return to the village where we have a delicious lunch made from ingredients all sourced from the surrounding vegetable farms.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Village lunch. Dinner at hotel.
Day 7: Wellawaya
Transfer to Wellwaya via Ella. Walk down to the 9 Arch bridge. Have lunch at Ella town at guests own expense. Then transfer remaining to Wellawaya.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Dinner at hotel. Lunch in Ella at guest expense
Day 8: Wellawaya
Today guests can enjoy the experiences offered at Jetwing Kaduruketha. Go on a guided paddy farming walk, see the organic gardens. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 9: Departure
Departure airport transfer (4.5hrs)
March, April & August - fr. £2060/pp (Inc. taxes)