The Ulpotha Experience

First and foremost, what you get in Ulpotha is heartfelt and gracious hospitality from the Ulpotha community. As such, tipping is not accepted - though smiles are appreciated. One of the refreshing things about Ulpotha is that you can put away your wallet and not have to reach for it again until you leave Ulpotha's bubble and enter the world outside.

The all-inclusive price you pay includes accommodation, all meals, snacks, drinks, two yoga classes a day, a massage per week’s stay, guided forest walks, the organisation and transport for an excursion per week’s stay, all taxes as well as the use of bicycles, hot water bathing area and our laundry service. Ayurveda treatments are optional and not included in the retreat price.

Located at the foot of the Galgiriyawa mountain, on the edge of a lotus ringed lake on one side and surrounded by emerald green paddy fields on the other, you encounter indescribable natural beauty and serenity. By design there is no electricity in Ulpotha and life is lived by the rhythm of the day. Paths and accommodation are lit by lamps and lanterns, with the twinkling glow of firelight creating a captivating and romantic sense of times gone by.

Flowing directly from the absence of electricity are the deep bonds frequently formed between guests, often like-minded and interesting individuals. This is perhaps because of a subconscious re-connection to humanity’s deeply rooted oral traditions - when people gathered around a fire to exchange stories, histories and friendship.

That Ulpotha has the atmosphere and feel of a welcoming home - rather than a hotel - with a slow-paced house party on the go, further enhances this very special experience. Since the beautiful natural environment is present and immediate everywhere in Ulpotha, and in a form that is reassuringly safe and unthreatening, it allows guests the infinite pleasures and deep health benefits of reconnecting with nature.

Ulpotha’s roots stretch far back in time and history and boast a rich tapestry of facts and myths, legend and lore. It has been variously the site of an eloping crown prince and an outcaste maiden, a pilgrimage site for travelling mendicants and buried treasures, lending it a special magical energy which you are invited to come and enjoy.

A yoga retreat at Ulpotha is a naturally life changing experience.

Ulpotha is a privately run, integrated community with deep ties to the neighbouring villages. The clearest sign of that bond is simple: for over 25 years, we have lived without walls, gates, locks or security guards, held safe by the goodwill of everyone within and around us. It is a community in its truest sense.

Community-led governance
Ulpotha is run day to day by a village committee of six. Two members are permanent, one female and one male. The remaining four rotate each year, with at least one woman always represented. The founders offer guidance on long-term building and investment only when the committee asks for it.

Meaningful local support
Our free Ayurveda clinic for neighbouring villages is one way we give back. We also help maintain local temples and shrines, and provide quiet, practical support to schools, hospitals, village charities and water management projects.

Retreat at Ulpotha

Our food is almost entirely vegan, naturally gluten-free, with an abundance of fresh vegetables, organic red rice and tropical fruit. Based on traditional rice and curries from the area, no specific ‘Master Chef’ has had a hand in the food. Instead, the dishes served at Ulpotha have evolved over its 25-plus-year existence by a simple process of elimination. As we have no electricity, all food is freshly picked, un-refrigerated, and cooked in terracotta pots on open fires.

Eating at Ulpotha is a gentle, fuss-free reset. Our food is celebrated in Carina Cooper’s book Ulpotha: A Kitchen in Paradise. While we can’t cater for special diets, every meal is a generous spread, so you can simply choose what suits your taste from the many dishes served at each meal.

Ulpotha was not planned as a yoga centre, yet through a run of happy chance it soon became the heart of life here. It is now hard to imagine a place better suited to steady, honest practice.

Most sessions are held in the open-sided shala, featuring a teak floor. Breezes move through, birdsong carries across the fields and you feel close to the land. At times a teacher may guide practice by the lake or under the trees for a deeper sense of connection.

Styles of yoga at Ulpotha vary with each visiting teacher and season, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar and Prana Flow. Whatever the form, the focus is clear guidance, thoughtful sequencing and time to breathe. Yoga at Ulpotha is about presence rather than performance. Tune in, switch off, and let the practice meet you where you are.

Each of our highly experienced and world-renowned instructors are proficient in providing just the right mix of encouragement and challenge to every individual, no matter what their level of yoga practice.

You will leave Ulpotha with added yoga knowledge and a renewed motivation to continue your practice at home, both on and off the mat.

Beyond yoga, Ulpotha offers Ayurvedic treatments as part of its wellness offerings. You can consult our resident Ayurveda physician, Dr. Srilal, and enjoy therapies that complement your yoga practice, thus promoting your holistic well-being.

Yoga retreats at Ulpotha

Every Ayurveda plan begins with a personal consultation, but all include two phases: preparation and elimination.

Preparatory therapies
These are the nurturing treatments many people know. They include massage with warm herbal oils, oil applications, steam baths, saunas and herbal baths. Their role is to loosen impurities, calm the nervous system and ready the body.

Elimination therapies
These help the body clear what has been loosened. In classical Ayurveda this group is known as Panchakarma and includes five methods: inhalation, purgation, emesis, enemas and blood-letting.

At Ulpotha we do not prescribe or perform emesis, enemas or blood-letting. Your programme may include gentle methods such as inhalation and, where appropriate, carefully guided purgation. All treatments are overseen by our Ayurveda physician and adjusted to how you feel each day.

Shorter stays, such as the Sanasuma programme of seven days or less, focus on preparatory treatments. These may be paired with gentle inhalation as the only elimination method.

If you stay longer, your Ayurveda plan may include purgation where appropriate. The initial consultation with the doctor is essential and will determine which, if any, elimination therapies are right for you.

For Ayurveda programmes of ten days or fewer, you will receive treatments every day, usually totalling one to two hours. Longer programmes include planned rest days to let the body absorb the work.

Ayurveda is an integral part of your yoga retreat at Ulpotha.

One free 1-hour massage is included for you for each 7-night stay at Ulpotha. If you wish to book more, these can be arranged with the individual therapists at the rate of $80 per hour, subject to availability.

A wide variety of therapies are available at Ulpotha throughout the seasons, though the two on offer at any particular time depend on the therapists visiting Ulpotha at that given time. There are always two visiting therapists present.

Ulpotha is situated in the oldest inhabited region of Sri Lanka, an area rich in archaeological attractions and natural beauty.

You can visit sites that are so off-the-beaten track that you may feel like you are discovering them for the first time yourself.

We offer optional half-day excursions on all Thursdays. There many intriguing and interesting sites within a 30 to 45 minute radius of Ulpotha.

If you wish to go on a full day excursion, we can arrange the necessary transport for you.

Ulpotha teems with vibrant wildlife. Monkeys swing through treetops, colorful birds fill the air with song, monitor lizards bask in the sun, peacocks wander through its rice fields and, if you're lucky, you may even see elephants. Its untouched natural surroundings offer a peaceful haven for bird watchers and nature lovers.

You don't have to go far to appreciate the treasure trove of nature that surrounds you in Ulpotha. You can laze on a day bed strung up between trees or float on a raft on the lake and simply soak up the beauty and the serenity that you can't help but feel a part of.

The primary reason that Ulpotha is open for only part of the year is to protect its natural environment from excessive strain. For the same reason, guest numbers are restricted to 20 and our prices reflect the revenue needed to sustain this enchanting microcosm from year to year with the least possible environmental strain. Ulpotha uses age-old organic and bio-dynamic farming methods to protect its flora and fauna and its spring-fed wells.

No mechanised farming equipment is used. Everything is done by hand or with the help of buffaloes.

Almost all construction makes use of biodegradable materials. We are proud to say that, with the exception of stone works and the Walauwwa (the main house), the rest of Ulpotha will be seamlessly reclaimed by nature in a matter of months when Ulpotha comes to its inevitable end some day.