Experience Overview

This experience is as non-linear as you can possibly get. It forms a fine line between a touristic show and an authentic experience, but don’t write it off because of this! This paradox mirrors the situation of the vedda people who sit somewhere in between traditional tribal customs and modern development and the experience will give you a real feel for those two opposing influences. In order to ensure conservation of the culture of the local vedda people you will meet only with the chief and his second in command, who are keen to teach others about their ancient community. Although some parts of the walk have been constructed in a manner to make vedda culture more understandable and accessible to tourists, for the most part this is an authentic meeting with two people who are very much unique from anyone else you are likely to meet during your time in Sri Lanka, and they 100% call the shots. This means that the experience really depends on their mood, as well as your mood and openness, to some extent. There are few veddas who still wear the traditional dress of the vedda people – a simple loin cloth tied at the waist – and the veddas you will meet for this walk are no exception. They wear local sarongs, the favoured dress of the village people in the area. However, they still carry their traditional axes over their shoulders, passed down through several generations from father to son. You will meet the vedda chief and his second in command at the Lodge itself and then will take a small drive towards the forest. From here, you’ll continue on foot, walking through the jungle to learn more about medicinal plants, traditional methods of storing food (preserved in honey and buried in an underground cave), and you may even get an invite to the home of the chief vedda if you play your cards right. You will quickly find that the vedda people are a friendly and open people with great knowledge of the nature that surrounds them. They worship dead ancestors and sing songs to the spirits in the forests to ensure safe passage as they travel. If you visit during the honey season, you may even have the opportunity to watch the veddas harvesting honey from the giant combs that sit high in the trees.