Wellawaya is on almost no-one’s Sri Lankan itinerary. Apart from a few old ruins and the local farming way of life it’s an area with little to attract the sightseer. But that is precisely what makes the area interesting, because that’s just what reveals the real Sri Lanka. So don’t listen to the locals, who’ll tell you there’s not really anything to see in Wellawaya, because they’re thinking that what Westerners want is organized tours to go and see ancient monuments, and “things to do”. And of course they’re mistaken.

Our stay in Wellaway was in the local Jetwing Hotel. One of the core values of the Jetwing Group is Ecotourism, and the recent addition to the Jetwing family, the Kadurutha Project, is a great example of it. Because it’s been established right in the middle of the rice paddy the hotel provides work and stimulates the local economy. They take up roughly half the harvest and give a fair price for it too, and they offer education programmes for local youngsters. The hotel also makes as much use as possible of recycling, as well as organic and locally produced materials. The Jetwing Kaduruketha has deliberately chosen to build its chalets in the style of the local architecture –without using air-conditioning. The idea is to encourage visitors to go out and discover their surroundings. Bicycles are available to all guests for tours, so that they can explore together with a young person from the village as their guide. 

As we arrived in Wellawaya we were struck forcibly by the heat. There’s an enormous contrast with the mountainous inland areas where we’d just spent a week; but fortunately the hotel’s location made up for that. Our chalet lay right in the middle of a rice field, and this being the dry season the almost poisonous green of the surrounding had changed to an ochre yellow palette. In other words, it was time to get the rice in, so that the farmers were hard at work in the paddy. The first things we saw in the morning were dozens of peacocks, accompanying the farmers as they harvest the rice at the crack of dawn.

We decided just to relax first of all, so we enjoyed a dip in the infinity pool to cool off, topped off with a delicious glass of fresh lime juice. Delicious!

That afternoon Eranda, our personal guide, took us into his village. We went by bike to get to know the area, ending up in Eranda’s parent’s garden with its coconuts. Eranda’s father went to fetch a King Coconut for us out of one of the trees, which we drank up there and then. Couldn’t be more fresh…!

In the evening we had a lovely curry in the hotel garden. It’s fair to say the service was rather uncertain and a bit slow, but young waiters are still in training. I’m sure that’ll soon improve when the hotel has been open for a bit longer and the team gains experience. Given the idyllic surroundings, though, we felt indulgent, and thoroughly enjoyed our evening meal and everything else about our stay.

To put it succinctly, at the Jetwings Kaduruketha in Wellawaya you discover the real Sri Lanka in comfort, even luxury, and all with an ecological and commercial footprint as small as it can be.

Practical information

Jetwing Kaduruketha, Aluth Para Rd, Wellawaya, Sri Lanka | +94 55 4 710710 | reservations@jetwinghotels.com | Facebook