Sri Lanka with Relais & Châteaux Hotels

Location: Local tea factory
Duration: 90 minutes
Host: Factory manager
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Trainers or other comfortable shoes (preferably closed toe).
Other: No photographs are allowed inside the factories

Nine Skies is surrounded by acres of verdant neatly plucked tea bushes that have been flourishing here for close to a century. This region of Sri Lanka is home to some of the island’s finest upcountry teas.

During this experience, you’ll learn all about the tea production process by visiting one of our local tea factories. The factories themselves are icons of the Hill Country; vast, atmospheric and filled with heavy machinery, some dating back over a century, these multi-windowed warehouses are where the magic process of tea production happens. The leaves are brought in from the tea gardens, dried, withered and rolled, before being fired to remove as much moisture as possible. Finally, they’re sorted into fragrant particle sizes ranging from the finest dust to the most prized variety, orange pekoe.

One of the factory managers will host you on this experience and take you on a guided tour, showing you the processes, introducing you to the machines and demonstrating how each of them works. At the end, you’ll have the opportunity to taste a few varieties of tea in an insightful tea tasting session. The factories have a few varieties of tea for sale so if you wish you can purchase some to take back home.

Location: Nine Skies’ garden
Duration: 1 hour and half (plus lunch)
Host: The Chef
Group size: 2 guests
What to wear: Comfortable clothing
Other: Your camera if you want to take pictures

Meet with Chef Danushka or one of the other chefs at 11 am for an in-depth demonstration of how to make some of the stunning rice and curry dishes served in our restaurant. You’ll learn about the spices used to flavour the dishes and the different methods of preparing each of the delicious curries. The chef will select some fresh vegetables from the local markets prior to the demonstration to use in the cook; you are very welcome to join him on his visit to the fresh produce market if you like so please let our staff know at the time of booking if you’d like to visit the market too.

In the demonstration the chef will use clay pots to cook each curry; these clay chatties impart an authentic and distinctive flavour to Sri Lankan cuisine and have been used across the island for centuries. Villagers in rural areas still use them for cooking on an open hearth. You can choose from one fish, chicken or seafood curry, along with a dhal (red lentil) curry and a selection of vegetable curries depending upon what is fresh and in season. The chef will also share with you his secrets for making the perfect rice accompaniment. You may get involved as much or as little as you wish and you’ll have many opportunities to taste the curries during the cooking process. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like – our chefs will be happy to indulge you!

After the demonstration, enjoy a lunchtime feast of the delicious curries you’ve seen prepared followed by a traditional Sri Lankan dessert.

Location: Ella
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Host: Self-guided or with a butler/Nine Skies tuk tuk
Group size: 1+

What to wear: Comfortable and light clothing, comfortable footwear and sunscreen. During the monsoon season, a rain jacket/umbrella is recommended.

Other: Your camera if you want to take pictures. The earlier you leave, the cooler and less crowded it will be. Ask the butlers for the train scheduled to pass over the bridge. It is a lot busier at this time, but you can get some great pictures of the famous Yakada Yaka or ‘Iron Devil’.

Optional: Walking on this railway track is a timeless experience and it will take you about 30 minutes to walk to the Nine Arch Bridge from Ella town and 1 hour and half from the Bungalow. The distance is approximately 4.5km from the bungalow. We recommend to wear leech socks, particularly during the monsoon period. Please discuss with your butler to arrange a takeaway meal if needed. A printed map can be provided. The Nine Arch Bridge, also known as The Bridge in the Sky, is a man-made masterpiece ideally located a few kilometers from the bungalow, and to a certain extent is the reason why Ella has become a tourist hotspot in the past couple of years.

Built 1,100m above sea level, among the peaks of the Central Highlands, the Nine Arch viaduct forms a crossing between the Demodara and Ella Railway stations. The bridge, which is almost 100 years old and spans 91 meters, was built by the British era with blocks of stone and cement without using any strengthening iron or concrete. The giant arches, 24 meters in height, take the bridge on a curved path to link between two mountains. According to history, the bridge was built by the locals using such materials; when the construction came to a standstill from the lack of steel caused by World War I. But, in addition to this history; lore abounds the creation of the bridge.

The train tracks on this bridge are the same tracks that lead up to the ‘Demodera Loop’ which you can see from the comfort of the pool deck at Nine Skies. The bungalow’s name is a nod to the nine-arch viaduct, through which it is possible to see ‘nine skies’ when looking up through the arches.

Location: Ella
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Host: Alone or with a trekking porter
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Comfortable and light clothing, comfortable footwear, a rain jacket/umbrella (during the monsoon season) and sunscreen. Please check with your butler for walking sticks, hats and leech socks in case in you need.
Other: Your camera if you want to take pictures. Leave early to hike Little Adams Peak. The earlier you leave, the cooler and less crowded it will be. The tuktuk driver will be your porter for this journey. The porter has limited English but he carries a phone in case you need to get in touch with the Bungalow.

Optional: If you prefer a longer trek, you can start right off the Bungalow and from the Demodara station head on the railway track towards Ella station and after passing the Nine Arch Bridge, take a left turn up and from there head towards 98 Acres resort, where the Little Adams Peak trail starts. Ella is a hiking hotspot in Sri Lanka offering some of the most magnificent views in the world. The region is well known for its tea plantations, waterfalls and spectacular mountain ranges, so if you want to enjoy some phenomenal views without hiking for hours, Little Adams Peak is the perfect trek for you. Little Adams Peak is named after its big brother, the holy mountain ‘Adams Peak’, near Hatton, because of their similarities in shape.

Hop in a tuktuk and head to 98 acres resort. From here, just follow the signs. The hike is fairly easy and the trail to the top takes approximately 30-50 minutes, depending on how fast you walk and how many pictures you stop to take. The trail begins with a moderate incline as it winds through beautiful lush green tea plantations. There are some great photo opportunities early in the hike so keep your eyes peeled. The path will lead you up to 1,141 metres above sea level (don’t worry, you already begin at a high elevation so you will only hike up a few hundred metres!). The trail is marked the whole way and the path is well-maintained, so you could choose to do this trek on your own. However, if you prefer the expertise of a local, we will help arrange a guide for you.

Location: Ella
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Host: Self-guided or with a trekking porter
Group size: 1+

What to wear: Comfortable and light clothing, hiking footwear, a rain jacket/umbrella (during the monsoon season) and sunscreen. Please check with your butler for walking sticks, hats and leech socks in case in you need.

Other: Your camera if you want to take pictures. Leave early to hike Ella rock. The earlier you leave, the cooler and less crowded it will be. The tuktuk driver will be your porter for this journey. The porter has limited English but he carries a phone in case you need to get in touch with the Bungalow.

Optional: If you prefer a longer trek, from the Bungalow, walk down to Demodara station and head on the railway track past Ella station, towards Kithal Ella station. From there, up to Ella Rock and back through the same route, will take you approximately 4 to 5 hours. The approximate distance from the bungalow to bottom of Ella Rock is 10 km.

The views from Ella Rock are absolutely breath-taking. If you love mountainous terrain, hiking Ella Rock should be on the top of your bucket list when visiting Ella. Although this is a more challenging hike when compared to the ‘Little Adams Peak’ hike, the views from the top are spectacular and getting there is half the fun.

The tuktuk will park the Kithal Ella and after a little walk on the railway track, the trail starts. From here, this hike will take you approximately 2 hours to reach the top and get back down, depending on how fast and fit you are, and can be quite strenuous at times. The trail starts our relatively flat passing local homes and tea plantations along the way. As you start to climb, the vegetation changes to forest and the trail begins to steepen.

The trail can be confusing and is not well marked, so we advise you to take a guide along.

Duration: 3 hours (Approx.)
Host: You can explore by yourself or we can provide you with a butler
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Comfortable clothes, hats, sun cream and camera

Adisham monastery is an attraction not to be missed. A short drive from Nine Skies will lead you to this absolutely gorgeous place.

Adisham Bungalow is a country house near Haputale, Sri Lanka. Later converted to a Adisham monastery of Saint Benedict. It has a relic (a chip of a bone) of St. Sylvester at the chapel.

The house was built in 1931 by an English aristocrat and planter Sir Thomas Villiers, He came to Sri Lanka as a young man via a ship which was used for tea transportation. Sir Thomas was a grandson of Lord John Russell and descendant of the Dukes of Bedford. Named after Adisham, it was designed by R. Booth and F. Webster in Tudor and Jacobean style, on 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land. Adisham Hall played host to many prominent personalities of the colony until the retirement of Sir Thomas, after which it was sold to Sedawatte Mills in 1949. In 1961 it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Church and was subsequently converted to a monastery. The house is well preserved along with its period fittings and furniture and is open to visitors.

Duration: 3 hours (Approx.)
Host: You can explore by yourself or we can provide you with a butler
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Comfortable clothes (which cover your elbows and knees), hats (remove foot-ware & caps when entering the temple), sun cream and camera

The Bogoda Wooden Bridge was built in the 16th century during the Dambadeniya era. It is considered by many experts to be the oldest still standing wooden bridge in Sri Lanka and it is constructed entirely of wood using wooden nails and fixing material. The bridge is situated about 25 kilometres from Nine Skies.

It was built to assist Buddhist pilgrims crossing the rock-strewn Gallanda river on their way to Kandy to worship at the Temple of the Tooth. The Gallanda river is a fast-flowing small river which eventually empties into the Mahaweli Ganga, the longest and largest river in Sri Lanka.

King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe, of the Kandyan period, ordered the bridge to be built since crossing this river in the rainy season was both difficult and dangerous. He later ordered a roof to be built over the bridge so that pilgrims, after weeks of hard walking, would have a place to rest and sleep during inclement weather as well as protection from the wilderness.

Location: Bandarawela
Duration: 2 hours (Approx.)
Host: You can explore by yourself or we can provide you with a butler
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Comfortable clothes and camera.

Geoffrey Bawa was Sri Lanka's most prolific and influential architect. His work has had tremendous impact upon architecture throughout Asia and is unanimously acclaimed by connoisseurs of architecture worldwide. Highly personal in his approach, evoking the pleasures of the senses that go hand in hand with the climate, landscape, and culture of ancient Ceylon, Bawa brought together an appreciation of the Western humanist tradition in architecture with needs and lifestyles of his own country.
The chapel is one of the most impressive spaces for Christian worship to be found in Sri Lanka. The overall effect is one of focused calm and sanctity achieved through careful manipulation of space, juxtaposition of simple materials, and the careful control of light and shade. While it makes oblique references to the Romanesque ¬ Gothic traditions of Western church building, the chapel has no direct precedents. It was built almost entirely from materials found nearby or manufactured in the vicinity, and seems to grow out of the ground, a building that has been “unearthed” rather than designed.

Buduruvagala is recommend if you are driving down to the south coast from Nine Skies or you can do a day trip.

What to wear: Comfortable clothes (which cover your elbows and knees), hats (remove foot-ware & caps when entering the temple), sun cream and camera

The beautiful, 1000-year-old, rock-cut Buddha figures of Buduruwagala are the region's biggest attraction. The complex consists of seven statues and belongs to the Mahayana school of thought dating back to the 10th century.

The gigantic standing Buddha (at 15m, it is the tallest on the island) here still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe, and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted. It's surrounded by smaller carved figures. This site is located 55km from Nine Skies, accessed by a scenic side road.

Location: Demodara Tea Estate
Duration: 1 to 3 hours
Host: Self-guided or with a butler
Group size: Any
Price: Complimentary

What to wear: A good pair of walking shoes or trainers and a raincoat if it looks showery

Other: After rainy weather you are highly likely to encounter leeches, especially when walking ‘off road’. Leeches aren’t harmful, and are more of an annoyance than anything else. If one attaches to you, try to resist the urge to pull it off. The best thing to do is to apply salt, which will encourage the leech to fall off by itself.

A combination of jaw-dropping views, spectacular landscapes and a temperate climate makes Nine Skies a superb place to get active. We have researched a number of trails from our bungalow that take you through some of the region’s most inspiring hill country scenery. Whether you’re looking for a short one-hour amble or a longer hike, we have a few trails of varying difficulties designed to suit all.

In the immediate vicinity of the bungalow are acres of tea bushes, and most of our trails navigate tea estate paths, roads and tracks that look down upon the picturesque mountains. The views from the spring valley are stunning. There’s also a little lake along the way. We can arrange surprise picnics and refreshments along some of these routes, in secluded spots chosen for their views.

What will you see? You might see groups of ladies methodically plucking tea leaves and pause to watch them at work. The trails also pass tea weighing stations where the ladies congregate to get their sacks of leaves weighed a few times a day. In the villages, you may suddenly find yourself surrounded by a gaggle of children, eager to practise their English skills with you and say hello. Many species of birds reside in the forests fringing the tea fields, as do wild cats, wild boar and leopards.

Location: Ella - Uva Greenlands Estate
Duration: 2 to 3 hours (Approx.)
Host: Adventure Park Guides (Nine Skies Tuk Tuk)
Group size: 1+
What to wear: Comfortable and light clothing, hiking footwear and sunscreen.

Flying Ravana Adventure park is one of a kind experience available in Sri Lanka, located amidst the luscious green estates of Ella. Completed with its pride, the Sri Lanka’s first ever Mega zip-line. The two-wire zip-line stretches for more than half a kilometer, slides at 80kmph and offers a bird’s-eye view of the beautiful hills of the island.

The adventure park is exclusively designed for adventure enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies who prefer a not so ordinary hillside experience, offering ATV/quad bike rides, Abseiling, Archery and Air rifling for a gripping outdoor experience.

Location: Demodara Tea Estate
Duration: 1 to 3 hours
Host: Butler
Group size: 1+

What to wear: Your best smile.

Other: Your camera if you want to take pictures.

There are some wonderful walking trails around the bungalow, many of which present stunning views of the surrounding landscape. If you would like to enjoy a delicious meal or sip sundowners whilst taking in these magnificent panoramic vistas, please speak with a butler who will assist in organising it for you.

The trip to the viewpoint will entail a short 15-minute walk along the tea-lined estate where you will pass through beautifully manicured gardens, lush flora and perhaps witness some exquisite birdlife.

At the viewpoint, a butler will be ready to spoil you with delectable food and/or cocktails, whilst you stare in awe at the beauty and tranquility of the mountainous terrain in front of you.

Guests can embark on a voyage into the southern waters off Sri Lanka, one of the best places in the world to witness blue whales, sperm whales and dolphins in their natural habitat.

Guests can escape to the stunning cliff top resort and improve their fitness level in the balanced 3, 5 and 7-day fitness camps under the expert guidance of a personal trainer. The 3-day programme will get guests back in the fitness mode and enables them to continue their fitness programme at their own level once back home. The 5-day programme is focused on rebooting. This programme is recommended for guests who want a combination of balancing rejuvenation and high-intensity training. The 5-day programme will give guests the opportunity to strike a balance between relaxation and fitness-oriented activities. The 7-day program is the most suitable for those who are looking for body fat reduction and increased fitness levels. If guests are looking to lose weight and get some serious results then this is the programme best suited to them, as they can opt for the more physically demanding training and activities to get some achievable results.

The Cape Ayurveda Experience is an authentic Ayurveda programme designed to introduce Cape Weligama guests to the world’s oldest holistic healing system. While the programmes of treatment will take into account any medical concerns guests may have, the short duration means that it is only an introduction to Ayurveda. The programmes including Ayurveda based lunch will be around 5 hours. Guests can select a programme for 3 days, 5 days or 7 days, and are advised to follow the physician’s instructions on diet during the period of treatment.