Things to do at Hanthana House
Hanthana House is a homestay project run by Mr. Pathirana (Pathi) and his family in the foothills of the scenic Hanthana Mountain Range near Kandy and it welcomes guests from all over the world. Hanthana House is not just a homestay; it is an unforgettable experience close to nature in attractive surroundings with the added benefit of tasty and authentic Sri Lankan home cooking!
- Traditional Sri Lankan cookery class (Dinner included) – 2 hours
Pathi and his wife, Suba, conduct a special traditional Sri Lankan cookery class, which highlights with a family dinner, including sampling a local drink, and gives you a hands-on experience that you will never forget!
Interested guests who participate in the class will learn all about spice combinations and everyday ingredients of Sri Lankan cuisine, as well as traditional cooking methods, implements and appliances. The class is a simple step-by-step approach to understanding authentic Sri Lankan recipes, and will give you practical experience of how to prepare, cook and serve genuine Sri Lankan food, climaxing in the evening with a traditional Sri Lankan dinner eaten by hand.
- Hanthana guided walking tour – 3 hours
This guided walk will take you through a local Hanthana tea-picking community with the chance of meeting its people. Continuing through the surrounding tea plantation, which was one of the first to be planted in Sri Lanka, the walk offers glorious views and many bird watching opportunities, including spotting the Sri Lankan Junglefowl, the island’s national bird.
- Hanthana Mountain Range hike with guide – 4-5 hours
For the more adventurous, a guided hike into the seldom visited Hanthana Mountain Range, which was declared an environmental protection area in 2010, will be a fascinating and unique experience. The trail leads through verdant tea plantations and mixed-species forests to a mountain top viewpoint, which offers spectacular panoramas of the surrounding countryside. During the trek you will have the opportunity to see many birds and other animals such as civet cats, wild boar, deer and even a leopard – Hanthana is home to a resident population of leopards and Suba and her son, Mahesh, spotted a leopard close to Hanthana House in 2013!
- Ceylon Tea Museum – 1 hour
The Ceylon Tea Museum is situated on the main Kandy to Hanthana road. It is a monument to the courage and fortitude of the early planters who first established tea estates in the 1870s following the devastating failure of coffee. The museum exhibits original machinery used on the tea estates, many still in working order, as well as documents, books, pictures, and other memorabilia and artefacts of historical value to the tea industry.
- Sightseen in Kandy
- Temple of the tooth
- Botanical Garden
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