Kandy Cabana Eco Resort

Sri Lanka

Eco Stays

What to expect

Friendly and kind staff (like all the people we met in Sri Lanka!)

Beautiful scenery

Delicious food

Amazing location

Comfortable chalets

Getting There

You’ll most likely be visiting the city of Kandy if you’re staying at Kandy Cabana. From Kandy centre, you can jump in a tuk tuk or taxi and it’s around 35 min drive down a straight road past Paradeniya town. There is a signpost to the left of the road so be sure to keep an eye out for it especially if you’re arriving in the evening as it’s not lit up. The road to turn into is Udowita Road. Many tourists in Sri Lanka also hire a driver so Kandy Cabana also offer free accommodation for them too which is handy!

Food + Drink

We had one of the best breakfasts here! There is a choice of American or Sri Lankan breakfast. We arrived late so we missed out on the pre-order of the Sri Lanka breakfast, although it was good to know that we had to pre-order it so we knew the produce was fresh. We had the American breakfast the first day (which was lovely by the way!), and the Sri Lankan the rest of the days. This consisted of:

String hoppers

Chicken or fish curry

Coconut roti

Rice

Chick peas or green gram

Potato curry

Dahl

Pol Sambol and lunu miris

A sweet desert

Tea or coffee

What to do?

If you need some downtime, you’ve come to the right place! It’s perfect to relax and sits right by the Mahaweli Ganga, the longest river in Sri Lanka. Each cabana is cleverly positioned with the balcony facing the river with no obstructing views. The resort also offer tours such as hiking, cycling, walking tours, cooking classes, and a variety of educational excursions to cultural sites around the area.

Our friendly neighbours every morning!

alt=“Kandy cabana with wooden hut with trees in the background”

Loved watching the sunrise from this beautiful balcony

Learn more in related article: Could Sri Lanka Be The Most Versatile Country?

TOP 5 SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES WE LOVED

Locally sourced building materials To build their cabanas, timber had been purchased from forest department stores which had confiscated wood from smugglers during illegal deforestation. The funds from here go directly to maintain and renovate the forest, helping to reduce an overall carbon footprint.

Implementing the farm to table concept Food served here is sourced from local farmers, fishermen and ranchers, which in turn helps out the local community.

Retaining the livelihood of the village Staff are recruited from the Udovita village, which is where the resort is located. Again, keeping everything local.

Educational They offer a variety of cultural trips to give visitors an insight into local history and culture.

Educational The original landscape had been well preserved during construction. As it's by the Mahaweli river, the Mahaweli authority in Sri Lanka had issued Kandy Cabana a special environmentally friendly construction approval certificate. This minimises the environmental effects and preserves the native land that was once a paddy field.

alt=“Kandy cabana bed with messed up bedsheets and boy sitting outside on decking”

Comfortable enough to look out into the river even from your bed!

alt=“Kandy cabana view of the toilet with concrete effect walls and timber ceiling”

A lovely spacious bathroom completely secluded from other guests

Female and Solo Safety Rating – 5/5

Safe!

Most eco lodges are in remote locations, so they’re usually off the beaten track and seem to be the middle of nowhere. This is the beauty of staying at Eco Lodges! Whether you’re checking in late or you’re coming back from dinner, you may need to walk down a long path in the dark and we understand this could feel unsafe at times. Our safety rankings are based on finding the right balance of having a property in a remote location and feeling safe.

The actual resort is well lit at night, however if you don’t have someone driving you to the entrance then the path you turn into is dark and is about a 13 minute walk. Here you will pass local houses and still have the Sri Lankan jungle feel around you.

They offer driver services and car hire so if you do need someone to drive you, let the staff know in advance and they will be happy to assist you.

alt=“Kandy cabana Sri Lankan breakfast with curry, naan, fruit, string hoppers, and chickpeas”

The star of the show! The delicious Sri Lankan breakfast with local produce

alt=“Kandy cabana wall decoration of a face mask and studded door”

Interesting custom made details are tastefully placed around the cabanas

Paper Pelicans