DAY ONE

Upon your daytime arrival in Colombo, you will be met in the Arrivals Hall by a representative who will drive you approximately three-and-a-half hours to your accommodation, where you will spend the next four nights. Surrounded by lotus ponds with views of the Knuckles Mountains in the distance, your accommodation is located 50 minutes northeast of Kandy, where the landscape becomes lush vegetation. A truly serene and tranquil environment (no cell service!) amidst a natural forest of mango, mahogany, and guava trees, the center is an ideal location for yoga and meditation practice.

The capital city of the venerated 16th century Kandyan kings who succeeded in defending their kingdom against Portuguese and Dutch invaders for 300 years, Kandy lies amidst the hills of the Kandy Plateau, crossed by a number of tropical plantations. The city eventually fell to the British in 1815, but has remained an epicenter of Sinhalese culture, and one of Buddhism’s holiest sites. Today, the historic legends, traditions, and folklore of Kandy are kept alive by the region’s friendly people.

We suggest you enjoy dinner tonight at your accommodation, a locally sourced vegetarian cuisine featuring everything from homegrown rice to vegetables grown onsite; even your water comes from a nearby mountain spring.

DAY TWO

While you may wish to sleep in and recuperate from jetlag this morning, there is an early yoga session available to you. Enjoy a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of egg curry, steamed cassava with grated coconut, milk-rice, and homegrown pineapple, papaya, and guava.

A silk tapestry in the entrance hall of the accommodation depicts seven Buddhist monks, each a different shade of brown and holding a lotus blossom in his hand. The cultural diversity of the island is reflected in the villagers who form the core of what makes Samadhi run smoothly; they are unspoiled and courteous—helping you pick fresh produce for your lunch and stopping to wish you “Ayubowan!,” the traditional Sinhala welcome which means “Let there be long life!”

Choose from an array of yoga and meditation practices or optional spa treatments today, and head into Kandy this afternoon to visit the Temple of the Tooth, one of the most sacred sites in Sri Lanka, and one of the holiest places of worship in Buddhism. Tradition relates that a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in the fourth century AD, and was enshrined within the Temple of the Tooth. The temple is a magnificent shrine with decorative walls, a gold roof, and fine woodwork. Religious services featuring traditional music and drumming are held daily at dawn, midday, and in the evening ,and can be viewed by visitors.

Following your visit to the temple, you will dine at a nearby boutique hotel in Kandy, which offers an array of oriental and western dishes infused with Sri Lankan flavors.

DAY THREE

Begin the day once again with an early morning yoga session, followed by a fresh breakfast.

The morning will be spent at your leisure, meditating, practicing yoga, enjoying a spa treatment, or wandering around the grounds and luxuriating in the surrounding vegetation and wildlife.

After lunch this afternoon, head back into Kandy to visit the Royal Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, first established as a pleasure ground for a Sinhalese king during the 14th century, and later expanded by the British. Wander through the tranquil, immaculately-designed lawns, pavilions, and plant houses, enjoying the tropical vegetation of the island’s largest botanical garden.

Return to the yoga center this evening in time for meditation by a nearby river, followed by dinner.

DAY FOUR

Following breakfast and your morning yoga session, you’ll visit an elephant orphanage. During the 1815 arrival of the British, an estimated 30,000 elephants lived on the island, but by the 1960s the population was close to extinction. Today, following an initiative by the Sri Lankan government, there are approximately 3,000 elephants on the island. The elephant orphanage you’ll visit is home to about 60 elephants, who were found abandoned or orphaned in the wild. The elephants are fed and trained by the wildlife authorities, who hope to eventually release them back into the wild. You’ll have lunch at the orphanage this afternoon, and you may even be able to accompany the elephants to a nearby river for their daily bath.

Return to the center via a nearby temple to enjoy meditation under the Bodhi tree, after which enjoy your final dinner.

DAY FIVE

You will be transferred this morning to the airport in time to meet your departure flight, or to continue on to the next leg of your Willing Foot journey.