Polwaththa Ecolodge

Polwaththa Eco Lodges was founded in 2010 in the owner's ancestral village, 19km from Kandy, after a search for a location close enough to the tourist trail yet remote enough to offer a genuine village experience. The lodge runs entirely off-grid, generating all power from solar panels and using low-energy LED lighting throughout. Simple wooden cottages sit inside a Kandyan jungle setting, each with mosquito nets, a private bathroom and a balcony, deliberately built without air conditioning or televisions. Around a quarter of the fruit and vegetables served are grown on-site, cooked over a traditional hearth in clay pots and served alongside a working spice garden and factory that guests can tour. Days include yoga on a forest platform overlooking a lake, guided hikes to nearby waterfalls, and cooking classes using local ingredients, with staff drawn from the surrounding village leading most activities.