Ohiya Village

A one-of-a-kind rural affair, the Ohiya Village experience is packed with adventure and authentic local encounters from start to finish. You’ll get started with a high-energy trek along aptly-named Devil’s Staircase, a popular trail that winds past long-abandoned estates, rolling hills covered in swathes of luscious green tea, fresh water streams, and the Bambarakanda Falls — the tallest in all the isle.

The experience also features a special hike along a railway stretch in Pattipola. Leading towards the border of Horton Plains, you’ll make your way past railroads for a fair distance before moving through a patch of jungle. The Horton Plains National Park is famed for its mammals including sambar, chevrotain, wild boar, fishing cats, and purple-faced langurs, among others. A portion of the park that boasts numerous springs will also be passed. From here, many of the country’s largest rivers begin.

This nature-based experience winds its way thereafter to Kirigalpoththa, the second tallest mountain in the country. Permitted for climbing by the public, the full trek up to the summit amounts to 7km and takes between five to six hours to hike. Difficult to scale at times, the challenging terrain and the unpredictable weather can hamper efforts to reach the top. A unique climbing opportunity such as this, however, is to be found nowhere else on earth.

The village of Ohiya is perhaps the highlight of this adventure. Rural, serene and simple are some of the terms best used to describe this magical place. Far from being urbanized, remnants remain in these villages of some of the island’s oldest cultural traditions. Closely observe the preparation of an authentic meal of rice and curry and heartily savour this flavoursome, nutritious local staple. Absorb the intricacies of village life here and share in their stories of life in this most remote tea-estate village.