Enlightening and exhilarating, this village safari gives you a glimpse of a uniquely interlinked Sri Lankan village life where the villagers go about their daily lives with the greatest respect to nature. Spend a morning in the remote village of Hiruwadunna – an area the locals call ‘God’s village’ and said to be a refuge of King Wasaba (66-110 AD).
Swooping eagles and exotic butterflies are some of the visual highlights of the journey before the ultimate view of the majestic Sigiriya Rock Fortress and surrounding mountain ranges in the distance. Where the boat ride ends, a bumpy one on tractor begins. Take in wide open paddy fields and miniature forests that have a lot to offer by way of birds, lizards and butterflies. The tractor stops at another hamlet for a tour of vegetable and fruit plantations and a first-hand account of how traditional and superstitious farming are kept alive. Stops along the journey at cool mud structures with palm-thatched roofs for refreshing fruit slices and native aromatic herbal brews served in coconut shells, make this experience neither too hectic nor laid back. It does however work up a big appetite, so the mini-adventure is tied up a feast of fresh vegetables harvested from the fields just explored. Prepared in Sri Lanka’s version of slow cooking; olden day prep methods in cutting veggies, pounding raw rice, weaving palm baskets, and clay pot cooking over a wooden hearth are demonstrated before the final reward of a large, delicious, warm meal served on lotus leaf, in keeping with good ol’ fashioned rural hospitality.
