About this experience
This is a private guided hike from Rangala into Heeloya, a farming village in the foothills of the Knuckles range in the hills beyond Kandy. The walk follows forest trails and field paths through the green, often misty country of the Central Highlands, and ends at the village itself, where the day turns from trekking to village life.
Heeloya is a working agricultural community. Its food comes largely from its own paddy fields, home gardens, livestock and the river nearby, and villagers also grow spices and keep crafts such as toddy tapping and bee-keeping. The Knuckles Conservation Forest, in the same range, is one of the component parts of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2010.
In the village you meet an elder who talks about local customs, and a farmer walks you through the terraced paddy fields to explain how step cultivation makes use of the slopes and shares the rainfall across every level. You visit the fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, help gather produce for the meal, and join your host in the kitchen before sitting down to a village lunch. The route also passes waterfalls along the way.
An English-speaking adventure guide leads the hike, with support staff, refreshments with energy slabs, the village lunch, and all prevailing taxes and service charges included. Transport to the start of the trail is not included, nor are extra food or drinks, personal expenses and tips. The minimum age is 13.
Wear comfortable walking shoes and carry clothing for warm, windy or wet weather, since the hike runs subject to favourable conditions. Leech socks are a good idea on the forest sections. The hike is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers, and is not recommended for pregnant travellers or for anyone with back problems or heart conditions.
