3-Day Yoga, Cooking & Tea Estate Walking Retreat in Sri Lanka's Hill Country

The Kandy Samadhi Centre is set on what was once a working tea plantation, and that history is still visible in the terraced hillsides that drop away toward the Knuckles range. The retreat centre itself is a collection of buildings that blend into the jungle — open-air spaces, antique Sri Lankan furniture, and artwork scattered through the gardens. It's deliberately quiet here, with no traffic noise, just birdsong and the river below.

Each morning begins with a yoga session in the four-sided open shala, where the jungle air does half the work of waking you up. The styles vary between Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, and Yin, with meditation folded in, depending on the day. The resident teacher, Maheshe Kodikara, has been teaching for over 40 years and also leads Tai Chi and Qigong, so there's genuine depth behind the classes.

This particular package adds two things to the mix: a walk through the tea estate and a traditional cooking class. The tea plantation walk gets you out into the hills, past the bushes that still carpet the slopes, with a guide who can point out what's growing. The cooking class is hands-on — you'll head out to select ingredients, then prepare several Sri Lankan dishes together before eating them in the open-air restaurant.

The food at Samadhi is a highlight in itself. The kitchen cooks over traditional fires and serves up organic Kandyan cuisine, including 13 varieties of ancient heirloom rice grown in the centre's own paddy fields. Meals happen in a 360-degree open-air restaurant beside the river — breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included, with tea, coffee, and water available all day.

If you want to add Ayurveda treatments, the on-site doctor and therapists offer Shirodhara and synchronized massages using herbs grown on the grounds — these are outside the standard package but easy to arrange once you're there. You can also opt for excursions to the Knuckles Range or the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, or simply stay put and float in the river pools below the centre.

What's included

- 2 nights accommodation in a private room - 3 daily delicious and nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Snacks - Daily yoga classes - Water, tea, and coffee served throughout the day - Welcome drink - Traditional cooking class - Tea estate walking tour - Wifi connection - Free parking - Nature hikes with a trusted guide

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Optional Ayurveda treatments (e.g. Shirodhara, synchronized massage) - Personal expenses - Travel insurance