Back of Beyond- Dehigaha Ela

Most of us who love the outdoors have a common passion – to soak in cool clear natural water-ways, to totally immerse ourselves in the sights and sounds of nature. When we found the bubbling Dehigaha Ela tumbling its cold clear water into the warm slow moving Kiri Oya in what looked like a corridor of rain forest in the middle of the dry zone, we knew we had found a Back of Beyond retreat.

A network of red earth roads takes you deep into isolation as chena cultivation blends with high grass and thick forests. It is here that we discovered an abandoned paddy field that had become a delicate green of illuk grass; a circular clearing at the base of a hill, ringed by the thick forest on the sweeping curve of the two streams. A small secret place for all forms of wildlife – elephants, sambhur, birds, butterflies - to visit.

We have barely touched the 7 acre land, as we decided to build even more minimally than at our two previous retreats. For a few years we did no construction at all. We took our time getting to know the land, getting to know the ways of the wildlife that frequented it during different seasons, the natural corridors and pathways they used to access the illuk clearing, the streams, and our new cultivation! We watched the flow of rain water off the hill side down to the streams… and where the birds nested.

What we offer here is for those who dream of sleeping under the stars, of exploring the jungle and streams on foot with all its joys and little discomforts. We have of course, added the comforts and care that has become the Back of Beyond tradition.

Distance From Airport : 148 km