The Southern Coast is increasingly gaining world renown for its arresting blend of people and places. Here are a couple of top notch ones for you to dive into. The first is set in the lesser-known Kanneliya Forest Reserve, hosted by a local wildlife tracker.
Kanneliya Rainforest – Ours is an island that’s strange…unique. A bonafide rainforest is never too far away. In just 90 minutes, you can get to Kanneliya from Galle town center. Scan the forest, unrushed, as your host takes you through its densest parts. Overhead, the green canopies formed by trees in close proximity, provide refuge to monkeys, snakes, chameleons and everything in between. Birds native to the island and those migrating here, move from branch to branch as we walk beneath. There’s an overgrowth of plant life underfoot. Your guide will make a pit-stop at a waterfall for a sip of water! The Kanneliya forest is said to be at the edge of around 80 thriving villages. The surrounding border habitat is, therefore, important and is home to many people. The host of this experience and his wife are some of them. His wife prepares a local lunch, which you can relish while seated on a rock formation amid a gushing stream. A fine way to eat and end your forest trek, by anyone’s standards!
Get back to your hotel in Galle, rest your feet a tad, get some shut-eye maybe, and experience a traditional Roti Dinner in the evening.
Later that evening, a Roti Diner at a lamp-lit mud hut by North West of Galle.
Roti Dinner – This one is at a lamp-lit mud hut located northwest of Galle. You step in and straight away there’s a drink and a cold towel awaiting you. Now that’s a welcome! Bowls, pots and trays full of colourful ingredients are in sight. And the hosts start cooking right away. The spread includes local delicacies such as the humble roti, an unleavened flat bread that is eaten islandwide; hoppers, a bowl-shaped pancake made using fermented rice flour and coconut milk; and a selection of flavourful curries using the likes of prawn, pork and cuttlefish. Oh, and questions are encouraged while your dinner is being prepared. Or you could roll up your sleeves and help the hosts cook a few of the items. Now, settle into your seat in this most unique of settings and experience, first hand, the food of this island’s people.
You’ll return in the night, full, satiated and with a flavour experience worth reliving.
Includes : Fees, lunch, tracker, dinner & guide.
Times : Starts at 0800 hours & ends at 2100 hours.
Children : Suitable for children
Wear/bring : Light clothing, closed shoes & flip flops.
