Three routes we mapped ourselves, and the big days out

The classic first walk, straight from the gate. You drop down Bodiya Road to the little Bodhi temple, wander between forest gardens and a patch of rice fields, pass the village water pump and come back up past the Wepathana monastery.

You'll meet people. Children on their way to school, someone tending a garden, a neighbour who wants to know where you're from. Near the end the path passes our neighbours' homestay, where you can stop for tea or lunch if you've arranged it.

A short one, good before breakfast or when the afternoon cools off. The path climbs gently through forest garden and secondary jungle to Bulu-land, the plot next to the Eco-lodges that was bare ground in 2016 and is woodland again now.

It's the quietest walk we know: closed canopy, bird calls, and the occasional crash of a monkey somewhere above you. Good shoes help after rain, and so does a leech sock or two.

A loop through the land the Forest Healing Fund protects and replants, a project we run together with the neighbouring Polwaththa Eco-lodges. Planting started in 2016 and 2017, and the young forest is already tall enough to walk in the shade.

The trail runs between 540 and 640 m, so there are views out over the valley between the trees. Guided, this walk is free. A contribution to the replanting is always welcome.