The casa
A quiet house in a sacred town,
built around a pool and a kitchen.
Where the Buddha first set foot on the island. Where a king dammed a river through rock. Where the forest people still live.
Why here
Everyone drives through Mahiyanganaya. Almost nobody stops. We did.
Two storeys around a pool. A pavilion open to the garden. Stone lions, lanterns at dusk, a cold towel when you arrive.
The fishermen on Sorabora wave at our boat. That is the part we are proudest of.
How we run the place
Small on purpose
A handful of rooms around one pool means the kitchen knows your name by the second breakfast and the guide knows which waterfall you will like.
Guides, not drivers
The people who take you to the lake, the falls and Dambana grew up here. They know the fishermen, the potter, the chief's family. That is the difference.
Cooked, not catered
The chef bakes the bread, makes the butter and the chutneys, and buys the fish at the morning market you can visit with him.
Respect for the land
Dambana is a visit, not a show. The parks are entered by the rules. The lake is shared with the people who have fished it for two thousand years.
The town
Mahiyanganaya,
in four facts.
- The first stupa
- The Raja Maha Viharaya, a short walk from the casa, marks the Buddha's first visit to the island nine months after enlightenment. It holds a hair relic and his left collarbone, and is floodlit at night.
- The king's lake
- Sorabora Wewa was built in the second century BC. Its sluice is cut through living rock rather than built, the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka, and it still irrigates the paddy.
- The forest people
- About a thousand Wanniyala-Aetto, the island's indigenous people, live around Dambana under their chief. Their Esala procession, with bows and arrows, is the last perahera of the island's festival season each August.
- The hinge
- Kandy is under two hours one way, Ella under two hours the other, Arugam Bay under three. Four national parks surround the town. Nobody is in a hurry here, and you will not be either.
Guests
Real names.
Real mornings.
Sunrise on the lake
“The chef and sous-chef were waiting to welcome us with a freshly cooked breakfast on a rocky setting overlooking the water we had just crossed. I did not think the sunrise experience could be surpassed, but the hotel then surprised me with a dinner in the garden beneath the moon and stars.”
The pool at night
“The swimming pool was especially magical at night. The tiny lights at the bottom looked like little stars shining underwater. And the food: from the butter and chutneys to the sauces, everything was freshly homemade.”
A boutique hotel par excellence
“The boat trip on the lake at sunrise, in the middle of thousands of birds, followed by a sumptuous breakfast set up on the heights of a huge rock. An incredible experience that will remain one of our best travel memories.”
Between Sigiriya and Ella
“We were completely overwhelmed by both the service and the accommodation. The best we got in Sri Lanka by far. Western standard with Sri Lankan hospitality.”
Everything in one place
“We did both the Dambana Vedda village tour and the Rathna Ella falls and it was amazing. The team really go above and beyond. They even packed us a takeaway breakfast as we checked out early.”
Wild elephants from the boat
“The boat ride is very peaceful and we were able to see wild elephants. Very nice breakfast on a rock overlooking the lake.”
Read every review on Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Google. We quote them as written.
Getting here
The hinge of the island.
Nobody else stops here.
Mahiyanganaya sits exactly between the places everyone goes: Kandy and the Cultural Triangle on one side, Ella and the surf of Arugam Bay on the other. Two nights with us turns a long transfer day into the best part of the trip.
The road in from Kandy drops through the eighteen hairpin bends of the Daha Ata Wanguwa, two centuries old, with the dry zone opening below. Tell your driver to stop at the top.
- Kandyvia the 18 hairpin bends1 h 45
- Sigiriyavia Polonnaruwa road2 h 15
- Polonnaruwathrough Maduru Oya country2 h
- Elladown from the hills1 h 45
- Nuwara Eliyavia Badulla2 h
- Arugam Bayalong the east2 h 45
- Colombo airportprivate car, we arrange it4 h 15
Plan it with us
Build your days.
We'll reply as people.
One WhatsApp message to the casa. A person replies.
- Best rate direct
- Village breakfast included
- Pay at the casa
