Sri Lanka detox & wellness vacation

Planet

The Villa sits within a 30 acre property surrounded by rubber, mahogany, cinnamon, coconut and black pepper trees. The area is rich with plant and animal life and home to a number of indigenous and endangered species. We are proud to be able to conserve such a beautiful piece of Sri Lankan wilderness, and work hard to preserve the area for this and future generations to come.

We are already aware of the significant decline in wide open and green spaces owing to industry and deforestation. With the help of the leading botanist in Sri Lanka, advisor to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy, we have started a number of nature conservation projects. We have started buying plants of a number of Sri Lankan flora that is on the brink of extinction and classified as ‘Endangered’ or ‘Critically Endangered’ from the Forest Preservation Department and grow them in our land. We have a minimum of 44 endangered plants growing in our grounds today. See our Adopt a Tree page for more details on how to join in. (click to find out more)

We also work with a number of local charities on larger nature and wildlife conservation activities. These include funding relief projects for wildlife conservation, assisting the Udawalawe Elephant Transit home, and lobbying the government on programs to stop deforestation and improve wildlife conservation.

People

Post war Sri Lanka saw many changes to the economy and progression of the country and its people. A 33 year repressive period was followed by sudden and fast paced development which confused many of the otherwise simple people. Along with this cost of living in Sri Lanka has sky rocketed making simple necessities such as milk, meat, fish vegetables and fruits, unaffordable to many villagers. The traditionally healthy diet of rice with vegetables and fish has now changed to rice and coconut or plain bread in most rural villages leading to malnutrition and frustration amongst people.

This has resulted in many turning to scurrilous and opportunistic tendencies in an attempt to make money, becoming power hungry and losing focus on the traditional Sri Lankan buddhist values.

The village surrounding the villa is a village which still, largely upholds the true rural Sri Lankan ethics of simplicity, kindness and hospitality. The local villagers are shy of attention and compliments, as they lead very simple uncomplicated lives. Most of them survive by rubber tapping or working or finding work on plantations where the work is long and arduous and pay is traditionally, quite low.

Having a rich community centric history, the house itself is 150 years old and belonged to the then chief of the village, who served as an advisor, decision maker and community figure head for the local area and its people. With the movement of the wealthier families in to the Capital City, Colombo and overseas, villagers are left to depending solely on government funding and development activities. With all of Sri Lanka under development, small villages such as these are often overlooked in favour of larger towns and cities across the country.

The villa was created to offer employment and development for the village community in harmony with its cultural values and environmental protection. The Villa still upholds is role as the center of the village providing employment, guidance and the villages have the sense of belonging to the Plantation. The Villa profits are channelled in to our own charity, The Metta Trust which organises all of the community development and nature preservation activities.

A summary of our community projects are listed below. You are invited to join us in these activities as we introduce Metta (Loving Kindness) and Altruism as important elements of improving our wellbeing: