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9 days / 8 nights · Private tour
Ayurveda & Wellness Retreat — 9 Days
A genuine Panchakarma-informed programme with a resident doctor, daily treatments and a prescribed diet — plus enough of the island to feel like a holiday.
Trip highlights
- An hour-long consultation with a qualified Ayurvedic physician on day one
- Two treatments daily: abhyanga, shirodhara, herbal steam and kizhi as prescribed
- Sunrise yoga and evening meditation on the beach
- A prescribed sattvic diet cooked to your dosha, not a buffet
- A herb garden walk explaining what is actually in the oils
- Three nights of light sightseeing so the trip is not only treatment
Sri Lanka has practised Ayurveda for over two thousand years, and the west coast has a handful of centres where it is still done properly — with a resident physician, a kitchen that follows the prescription, and treatments that are chosen rather than ordered.
What a day looks like
Yoga at first light. Breakfast that is probably rice and lentils. A treatment mid-morning — warm oil, four hands, an hour that goes somewhere else entirely. Lunch, rest, a second treatment, meditation as the sun goes down, and bed absurdly early. By day four most people stop reaching for their phone.
Being honest about detox
You will read a lot of claims about Ayurvedic detox. What we can say with confidence: five days of no alcohol, no caffeine, early nights, daily massage and a light vegetarian diet makes almost everybody feel better. Whether that constitutes a cleanse is a question for the doctor, and ours will give you a straight answer.
Day by day
Your itinerary
This is a starting point. Every day can be swapped, slowed down or extended — just tell us what you would rather do.
1 Arrival and settling in
A short transfer to the west coast. Evening consultation with the resident doctor: pulse, constitution, history, and a programme written for you.
Overnight: Bentota
2 Days 2–5: the programme
A daily rhythm — yoga at 6.30, treatment mid-morning, prescribed lunch, rest, second treatment, meditation at sunset. Beach and reading in the gaps. Most people find days two and three hard and day four transformative.
Overnight: Bentota
3 Closing consultation and transfer
A final review with the doctor and a take-home regimen, then north to Kandy through the rubber country.
Overnight: Kandy
4 Kandy, gently
The botanical gardens in the morning and the Temple of the Tooth in the evening. Nothing strenuous.
Overnight: Kandy
5 The Cultural Triangle
North to Sigiriya. Dambulla cave temple in the afternoon; the rock climb is optional.
Overnight: Sigiriya
6 Departure
A slow morning and the drive back to the airport.
Overnight: Departure
The small print, plainly
What's included
Included in your price
- 8 nights, including 5 at the wellness centre
- Full board during the retreat, breakfast elsewhere
- Doctor consultations at the start and end
- Two Ayurvedic treatments per day during the retreat
- Daily yoga and meditation sessions
- Private vehicle and guide for the touring days
- Airport transfers
- 24/7 WhatsApp support
Not included
- Flights, insurance and visa
- Additional treatments and herbal medicines beyond the programme
- Entrance fees on touring days
- Tips
Questions
About this tour
Is this real Ayurveda or a spa?
Real, in the sense that there is a qualified physician, a diagnosis, a prescribed diet and treatments chosen for you rather than from a menu. A proper Panchakarma detox needs 14 to 21 days; five nights is a genuine introduction, not a full cleanse, and we would rather say so.
Do I have to give up coffee and alcohol?
During the retreat, yes — that is part of it. The doctor will explain why. Nobody will police you, but the programme works considerably better if you go along with it.
Can I do this if I have a medical condition?
Tell us in advance and we will pass it to the doctor before you arrive. Ayurveda complements conventional medicine; it does not replace it, and any good centre will say the same.
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Want this trip, but your way?
Tell us your dates and what you love. We will send a personal day-by-day itinerary and a clear price — usually within 12 hours, with no obligation.