Sri Lanka

3* The Mudhouse, Sri Lanka

Full Board

Upon arrival at the airport you will enjoy the VIP arrival service at the Colombo International Airport. You will be privately escorted off the air plane to the silk route lounge where you can relax, enjoy the refreshments while your luggage will be cleared through customs on your behalf. Free wifi will be available and you will meet your chauffeur / national guide at the lounge. VIP exit to your vehicle through a separate door.

Then make your way to The Mudhouse. Spread throughout a large expanse of forest on the outskirts of a small village in Sri Lanka lies The Mudhouse – a private and seductive retreat, far away from the beaten track. Flanked by lakes and blessed with abundant birdlife, wildlife and natural beauty, The Mudhouse offers a range of rustic accommodation in private and individually designed huts. Run with environmental sustainability as its core focus, The Mudhouse aims to be a positive force for the people and nature with whom we co-exist.

The Mudhouse Experience

Upon arrival you will be welcomed by the locals into their village and will be shown into your Mudhouse. Privacy is highly valued at The Mudhouse with vast spaces dedicated just for your house. The main feature of the property is the 1920s lifestyle living in mud huts with no electricity, but only with oil lamps. Listen to the sounds of nature in the evening as it calms your body and mind.  

The following day you can either engage in some yoga or go for a kayak on the lake. After a wholesome breakfast, go to the organic farm and see how the locals make this mudhouse a living village. You can help them out or get involved with a conversation as to how this property is sustaining the lives of many families in the village.

Afterwards, proceed to the kitchen and learn some secret recipes of the island. Witness how they still use clay pots and firewood hearths for cooking. Since there’s no electricity in the kitchen, there are no fridges as well – which means all the dishes are prepared fresh and not kept or preserved.

In the evening enjoy cycling around the around the property looking at several bird species as well. The cycle track then leads out of the property for another 2km to the Paramakanda temple, which is filled with myths and beliefs. This was built more than 2000 years ago by an ancient king called Walagamba. The temple has a number of fascinating shrine rooms under the overhanging rock. It is possible to see beautiful frescoes and paintings from different periods depicting the Buddhist teachings.

4* Dehigaha Ela, Sri Lanka

Half Board

After breakfast check out of The Mudhouse and visit the lost rock fortress of Sri Lanka. The Yapahuwa Rock Fortress stands tall in the cultural triangle, providing us with an amazing substitute to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. After Polonnaruwa, Yapahuwa became the capital of Sri Lanka. The sacred tooth of Lord Buddha was housed here as well. Amazing palace ruins and sculptures that stand to this date makes it a breathtaking site. However, this is still a hidden tourist site and therefore you will have unobstructed access to the location.

Enjoy lunch at the Yapahuwa Paradise Hotel.

In the afternoon, visit a magical place where a famous duel between a teacher and his student happened. The duel was not with swords, but with a chisel and a hammer. One of the famous sculptors in Sri Lanka who lived in the 5th century had a very good student who thought he was better and challenged his teacher. Then began the duel and both of them started to spend their entire life carving 40 feet Lord Buddha statues to prove to the King who was the better sculptor. Almost at the end, the teacher finished his statue first and the student visited one day to look at it and seeing its beauty, he accepted his defeat and left the kingdom without putting the finishing touches to his own statue. Witness both the statues – Avukana and Sasseruwa during your visit.  

The Treehouse Experience

Ever wanted to spend your nights on top of a tree house? An utterly peaceful, tranquil and remote heaven in the middle of the cultural triangle. A network of red earth roads takes you deep into isolation as chena cultivation blends with high grass and thick forests. It is here that you will discover that an abandoned paddy field that had become a delicate green of illuk grass; a circular clearing at the base of a hill, ringed by thick forest on the sweeping curve of two streams. A small secret place for all forms of wildlife - elephants, sambhur, birds and butterflies - to visit. It’s a nature lovers dream, and you can enjoy a completely natural fish spa down in the rock pool of DehigahaEla stream.

On the next morning visit Pidurangala rock and the Sigiriya rock fortress. Pidurangala used to be the temple of Sigiriya fortress when it was the Kingdom of Sri Lanka in the 14th century. The King wanted Sigiriya rock to be converted into a fortress but there were Buddhist monks who were staying there meditating. Therefore the King turned Pidurangala into a monestary, built Lord Buddha statues and relocated the monks and built the Sigiriya rock fortress. The world famous frescoes of Sigiriya rock fortress bear a secret that very few have come to realise. The female frescoes with flowers in their hands are facing towards Pidurangala and portray a picture of them going to the temple to offer the flowers.

Lunch will be in Sigiriya Village Hotel.  

In the evening drive to Anuradhapura and enjoy an off the beaten track cycling experience in the UNESCO World Heritage site. You will be cycling in the back roads, forests and through the villages, witnessing the beauty of this kingdom which stood strong for more than a 1000 years as the capital of the island. Witness Jetavana, Mirisaveti and Ruwanweli temples which align perfectly with the star constellation Orion’s Belt. The only other places that this happen in the world are with the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Mayan’s Pyramids and in Angkor Wat. A branch from the sacred fig tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment was planted in Anuradhapura in 3rd Century BC and this tree is still alive - making it the oldest tree on the face of the Earth with a known planting date. 

1* Borderlands, Sri Lanka

Full Board

After breakfast check out of the hotel and drive to Pinnawala. Walking with an elephant is an amazing experience you can enjoy with your whole family. Oone of the volunteer managers and the mahout will escort you and explain about how the elephants live in Sri Lanka and what the foundation is doing to help them. This is once in a lifetime opportunity where you will be able to go down to the river to bathe the elephant while it lies down on the water and afterwards the elephant will sit on the riverbed and the children will be able to get on top of the elephant's back, where it will spray water on them with its trunk. Lunch will be at the foundation as well. Drive to Kitulgala where you will check into your river camp cabanas.

4* Ahaspokuna, Sri Lanka

All Inclusive

After breakfast enjoy some white water rafting. After coming off the slopes of Adam’s Peak, the clear waters of the Kelani River wind their way through the Hill Country of inland Sri Lanka before emptying into the Indian Ocean. The put in for rafting is just upstream from Kithulgala, a small town in the tea country. After a safety briefing and a few pointers on rafting technique, jump right into the action. Seven high quality, class II and III rapids and temperate waters make the Kelani a premier introduction to the sport of whitewater or an exciting choice for experienced rafters. The river hosts rapids between grades 2 and 3, with the rafting stretch approximately 6.5 kilometres in length, and taking between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to complete, depending on water levels.

Lunch will be at the river camp as well.  

Check out of the river base camp and drive to Ahaspokuna, a luxurious bush-walk campsite. You will be entering a 2260-acre area of pristine wilderness that was created by merging a historical hideout (used in the revolution of 1817) and a 200 sq. km. protected forest. This is the island's first, all suite, luxury, private bush walks campsite. The camp provides experiences that are all about bush walks in an environment that provides new experiences around every corner. Enjoy Sri Lanka's famous warmth and hospitality at its finest and make your walking safari dreams come true. At Ahaspokuna, you will be guided by professional naturalists and expert bushmen who have lived in this forested area for several generations. Ahaspokuna is a mosaic of habitats. Wide grasslands, cave systems used by elephants that go there for salt, an eclectic variety of plants and herbs, some of which have medicinal value, streams, hidden waterfalls, and a plethora of mammals and birds, make Ahaspokuna what it is – a magical experience.

Enjoy an evening walk on the day of arrival, then another two walks on the following day. You also get fascinating night walks and access to the “hides” to see animals coming to the waterhole. Elephants regularly patronise the waterhole and leopard have been heard very close to the tents. On walks, the guides will focus more on the birds, amazing scenery, history etc. and are happy to customise these walks to suit to your interests.

4* Rainforest Eco Lodge, Sri Lanka

Half Board

After breakfast check out of the campsite and drive to Deniyaya. Venture deep into one of the last remaining virgin rainforests in Asia – the Sinharaja rainforest which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You will be searching for yet to be named breathtaking waterfalls that hardly see any visitors. Along the way you will witness an amazing collection of endemic and migratory birds along with some small animals. Take a dip in this refreshing waters and afterwards enjoy a rainforest high tea next to the waterfall. 

Stay in a nature-cooled container which is also a semi-luxurious room at the edge of a breathtaking virgin rainforest on top of a mountain.

4* House no.11, Sri Lanka

Bed & Breakfast

After breakfast, check out and transfer to Colombo via Galle Fort. Meet up with an expert resident in the UNESCO Galle Fort who will take you around this magical enclosed living heritage city showing you the hidden gems and explaining about the lifestyles of the people. This will be a real hands-on experience where you will get a real idea about how the Portuguese, Dutch and the British have left their mark on Sri Lanka and how their descendants are living inside the Dutch Fort.

Lunch will be at Fort Printers Hotel. 

Take the expressway and drive to Colombo and check into the living museum of one of the best architects in Asia – late Geoffrey Bawa’s old Colombo residence – No. 11. The entire ground floor is still maintained as to how Geoffrey used to live and its one of the most unique places to stay. You will have full access to the first floor which consists of a large living area with two double bedrooms and a shared bathroom. Also, you will have access to the rooftop which again is an amazing place to relax. In the morning you can join with the visitor groups to tour the ground floor.

Dinner will be at Gallery Café

* ,

After breakfast, enjoy a private tour of the Sapumal Foundation which is one of the best private art collections in the country.