Translate

Friday, January 18, 2013

Paradise Farm in Kitulgala

A small, sleepy village with lovely environment.......

 

Paradise Farm is a working organic agricultural farm with spectacular views, nestling in a sleepy hamlet close to the white-water rafting and canoeing village of Kitulgala. The main house has three spacious double bedrooms and a frontal verandah overlooking a large infinity pool, with fresh spring water, and panoramic views of the surrounding hills. Guests can enjoy Ayurveda massage and steam baths, or just simple cooking with fresh produce in an atmopshere of peace and well-being.



Paradise Farm is inspiring, fascinating and a real breath of fresh air. Hidden deep within the rolling hills, tea and rubber plantations of fertile Kitulgala, the only sounds you’ll hear are birdsong, animal calls and the rustle of leaves, with the occasional ding on an old hub cap to signal a break for the workers on the encircling organic farm.



















Set up in 1998 by Worldview International Foundation, the farm is designed to train villagers in effective, sustainable agricultural practices and so improve their standard of living, while also inspiring a deeper respect, and love for, organic nature. To help finance the project, it has recently opened its doors to paying guests.Stay in the stunning open-fronted villa, 450 yards up the track from the farmhouse, which looks out across a wide infinity pool to the lush plantations and blue mountains beyond. 

However, be prepared to share your abode with lots of insects, bats and frogs - part of the charm of the place but not for everyone!AccommodationThree double bedrooms, all with four-poster beds with mosquito nets, attached bathrooms with showers. The third room is newly built and is separate from the main house with its own verandah for alfresco dining, infinity pool and wondrous views across the mountains - a romantic escape. High roofs, terracotta floor tiles, and ceiling fans help to keep the rooms cool and comfortable.RestaurantThere is no menu as such, just a choice of local, organically-grown Sri Lankan dishes, though they do say the cook can rustle up whatever you had specifically like. You can eat either in in the mahogany-filled, pink-walled dining room of the old farmhouse with Jagath and his family, or in the privacy of the villa, though the drive up the track with panniers is likely to make things a little cold by the time they get to you. There are, however, imminent plans to build a kitchen right behind it.Brinjal (egg plant/aubergine), coco yam, cassava, sweet potatoes, jack curry, white and red rice, breaded tuna fish, roast chicken, wild brinjal (which look like peas), beans, jackfruit in coconut milk and an interesting herbal salad/relish. Fresh fruit juices and smoothies of passion fruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, rambutan etc are delicious. The natural spring water is boiled and bottled. It is safe to drink but has a rather ugly after taste.Paradise Farm does not have a liquor licence but they invite guests to bring their own. Beer and local Arrack can be bought in Kithulgala but other wines and spirits should be purchased in advance of reaching the hill country.














                                  



 Related Links


Best Tour Plan in 2013


 Best in Travel 2013 - Top 10 countries



Battered tragically by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and wracked by civil war from 1983 to 2009, many areas of the country have remained off limits to even the most intrepid traveller. Now the bitter conflict is over, investment is fuelling the tourism industry, and visitor numbers are steadily increasing. Prices are affordable, and with low-cost flights from the convenient travel hub of Bangkok, Sri Lanka is emerging as one of the planet’s best-value destinations.




Related Links

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-countries/




Related Videos



Kelani Valley Forest Reserve

          All the nature lovers invited.......


Location: West, 110 kilometres from Colombo


Area: 2.65 square kilometres
Avg. Temperature: 27 °C
Avg. Annual Rainfall: 3500mm – 5250 mm




Kitulgala – Kelani Valley Forest Reserve is a small alluring town in the west of Sri Lanka that gets affected by two monsoons each year. It is one of the wettest places in the country and is the only base for white water rafting in the country! Kitulgala was established to protect the watershed of the Kelani River which flows alongside it and is widely known as the location for the filming of the Academy Award winning “The Bridge on the River Kwai”.

Kitulgala gets its name from the Sago Palm (Kitul) which is grown abundantly in this town. The sap is concentrated into delicious syrup and crystallized as jaggery. It can also be fermented to make toddy. The pith is used to make sago and the fibres to make rope.


Second to Sinharaja, the Kitulgala forest reserve would be the ideal rainforest habitat to spot most of the lowland endemic species of  fauna and flora.  Some of the bird species that are found here are the Spot-winged Thrush, Green-billed Coucal, Red-faced Malkoha, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ceylon Rufous Babbler, Ceylon Scimitar Babbler and the Ceylon Frogmouth. The town is also home to many rare species of butterflies. Most of the endemic species can be seen here including the Tawny Raja, Red Helen, Blue Mormon, Tree Nymph, Common Blue Bottles and Blue Oak Leaf.



Mammal species found here include the Grizzled Indian Squirrel, Layard’s Striped Squirrel and the Purple-faced Leaf Monkey. The streams hold endemic fish and many species of amphibians. The Earless Lizard, Kangaroo Lizard and the Hump-nosed Lizard are among the reptile species and are frequently seen in the foliage along the Kelani River.



































Makulu ella waterfall inside Kitulgala forest


 Kithulgala Makandawa Rain Forest – Forest Department Ticketing Center






Related Links