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Things to do / Excursions –
The visitors can plan on following excursions, using the Villa as the base station;
This is a mountain located in Rathnapura District, which is 2,243 Meters high, and is carrying the sacred footprint of Lord Buddha. Also the Christians and Muslims believe that it is the footprint of Adam, and therefore is also called the Adam’s Peak.
The surrounding region to Sri Pada is largely forested hills, with no mountain of comparable size nearby. The region along the mountain is a wildlife reserve housing many species varying from elephants to leopards, and including many endemic species.
Sri Pada is climbed by pilgrims during the period from Full Moon day of December to the Full Moon day of the month of May, which is considered the reason for the pilgrimage. However, some visitors seeking adventure do climb this mountain during the off season.
Access to Sri Pada is possible by 3 trails. Kuruwita-Erathna road is the second most popular trail, which is through the jungles / Tea estates. The trail through Erathna is quite close to the Villa, and therefore provides a very good starting and ending point to the pilgrims.
This is a cave temple, identified to be the place where Lord Buddha had rested during his visit to Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) with 500 followers / priests, as per Mahavamsa (written history of Sri Lanka). Adam’s Peak was one of the nine places Lord Buddha visited during his third visit to Sri Lanka. Having a spectacular view of Sri Pada from this point, and the size of the cave being able to shelter over 500 people at once, lead to widely accept this location as Diva Guhawa.
Diva Guhawa is located about 5 km from Kuruwita town on Erathna road, one of the ancient trails to Sri Pada. The distance to Diva Guhawa from the Villa is around 2 to 3 Km.
Bopath Ella is located at Kuruwita. The name “Bo-path Ella” has been given to the waterfall because of its shape. The water flows through a narrow gap in the rocks and then widens, forming the shape of a leaf of a “Bo” tree which is the Sinhalese name for sacred fig (Ficus religiosa). “Path” means leaves of a tree and “Ella” means waterfall. Virgin forests with a rich biodiversity surround the waterfall.
Bopath Ella is 30 metres (98 ft) high. It is formed from the Kuru Ganga, which is a tributary of the Kalu Ganga. Water from the falls is used for paddy cultivation. Bopath Ella is also the most comprehensively studied waterfall in the country.
Bopath Ella is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka, since it is not far from the capital, Colombo, and is easily accessible. Bo-Path Ella is located about 2 Km from the Villa.
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