3 NIGHTS SAMPLE ITINERARY A recommended itinerary for a 3 night stay Incl. three 2-hours jungle walks, morning and afternoon avoiding the hot midday sun and heat. Planned so that the second full day is free time to relax, just enjoying nature. On all treks visitors are accompanied by min. a 4-man team from Tree Tops incl. local trackers. Day 1: Arrive at the lodge early afternoon for tea or lunch and acclimatise to your surroundings. In the afternoon join a walk in the vicinity of the lodge where you will be introduced to the main elephant tracks and get to understand the wild nature of the place. Bath in the waters of the well. Get ready for the evening. Sundowner served about 6.30 and dinner is ready between 8-9 pm. Day 2: Wake up to the sound of nature, early morning tea, coffee or herbal juice and breakfast at your leisure. Mid morning set off for a 2 hours trek through virgin tall dryzone forest up into to the Arahat Kanda. The hike through virgin jungle is strenuous but you are rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding countryside, jungle, irrigation tanks and paddy fields. Return to the lodge for tea and lunch. Later in the afternoon set off on a trek (2-2.5 hours) through scrub jungle to the vast, ancient irrigation tank, the Weliara lake. At the lake rest and enjoy the wonders of nature here at the back of beyond. The lake is home to the Marsh crocodile and wild elephants frequently come to drink from this waterhole. To see wild elephants you’ll need to wait patiently and very silent; if they come out from the jungle lying flat down on the ground. Arrive back at the lodge by about 6 pm. Day 3: Do nothing - but follow the natural rhytms of the jungle. Listen to the sounds. Relax in hammocks and cool down at the well. Feel home, just ask anytime for tea/coffe etc. Use the library. Day 4: Early bed tea, a well bath at dawn is recommended - spectacular sounds and golden colors reflected from the rocks just after sunrise. Breakfast at your convenience. Departure to your next destination, palmfringed beach or tea grown highland. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Things to do… Relax – in a hammock with a cup of Ceylon tea, while enjoying the cacaphonian sounds of the jungle. One don’t need to walk about – nature comes to us... Focus - on sounds, try to figure out what makes what. Watch – birds, the open landscape makes birding excellent from the lodge. Study - small library with books on the Sri Lankan elephant, nature, and Theravada Buddhist philosophy and history. Enjoy - cool down with a native style bath at the freshwater well. Stay a while in the sun, be one with nature and enjoy the spectacular view of birds and rocky mountains covered by virgin forest. Go - on jungle treks to the Weliara Lake at the border of the national park. Especially during dry periods herds of elephants are attracted to this waterhole. Climb - up to the peak of the Hill of Enlightenment and wonder at the construction of an ancient irrigation system built 2000 years ago. Try - an alternative trip with bullock cart trips through the wilderness to ancient temples. Camp - in no mans land. Dinner and night in tents at the Weliara lake. Join - an excursion to a dry zone rainforest in a mountainous area 20 from the lodge. Be inspired - from the native art of cooking rice & curry; why not learn to cook healthy and tasty vegetarian food at home. Experience - an ancient and living Buddhist practice. The Budugalena ’vanavasi’ (forest monk) retreat with a beautiful rock cave is a hermitage where meditating buddhist monks concentrate on the Nirvana way of Theravada Buddhism. Admire - Buddhist rock monuments nearby. Two excellent examples dating back to the 10th (Maligawila) and 6th century AD (Buduruvagala) are remote and off the beaten track without the swarms of tourists found at Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa or Dambulla in the north of Sri Lanka. The 11m high Maligawila Buddha is regarded to be the largest freestanding Buddha rock statue in the world. Visit God - Kataragama, Sri Lanka's most popular religious shrine. See - the 2000 years Yudagannawa Dagoba 5 km from Buttala was the largest dagoba in Sri Lanka. It’s still ’authentic’/not restored.

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