About this experience
This two-day tour leaves from the Bentota bridge and heads inland to the villages around Galathara and Uthumgama, trading the coast for river, hill and paddy country for one overnight. The route combines a boat ride along the Bentota tributary with a hike up Pahurukanda mountain, a night in a tree house, and a second day spent around a working paddy field and a traditional forge before returning to Bentota.
The pace is hands-on rather than sightseeing from a vehicle: a two-hour climb to Pahurukanda Temple and the viewpoint locals call Mini World's End, a village lunch on the mountaintop, a tuk-tuk ride on to Uthumgama, a dip in a natural pool with toddy available on request, and a barbecue dinner at the tree house. The following morning puts you into a paddy field to try the work yourself and into a blacksmith's forge to see traditional techniques explained by the smith, before the drive back to Bentota, where the tour ends.
It suits travellers who want a short, active break from the coast and a closer look at rural livelihoods rather than a conventional sightseeing circuit.
