Sri Lanka Wellness Retreat

Sri Lanka Wellness Retreat is a week-long yoga and wellness retreat in the Knuckles Mountain Range, led by Katie Hodge, founder of Zenaa Retreats. It is for travellers who are curious about Asia but want expert planning and support, whether they come alone or with a friend. Yoga is the daily grounding ritual, set within a wider immersion in Sri Lankan culture, food and landscape.

What to Expect

The retreat runs for seven nights at Welikande Estate, and the days follow a steady rhythm. Mornings begin with a yoga workshop at 08:00, followed by breakfast at 09:30. Evenings bring gentle, restorative yoga at 17:30 and dinner at 19:00. In between, the programme shifts from day to day.

Some days include a mindfulness practice, with free time or massage in the afternoon. Others are given to culture and the outdoors: a village tour, walks through tea plantations, and a choice between a cooking class, a guided hike and an art class. Creative workshops and time to watch wildlife or sit by the pool leave room to shape your own pace. The final morning opens with dynamic yoga before breakfast and the transfer to Colombo Airport.

About Katie Hodge

Katie Hodge is the founder of Zenaa Retreats and hosts the retreat herself. She describes the Knuckles Forest Reserve as a place where you are immersed in nature from the moment you arrive, and she shapes the week as a balance between exploring and unwinding. Guests of her other Zenaa retreats often mention her warmth and her attention to the varied experience within a group.

The Setting

The retreat is held at Welikande Estate, an eco-conscious yoga venue in the heart of the Knuckles Mountain Range, among mist-draped hills, tea country and birdsong. The estate has three yoga shalas, a wellness centre and a pool.

Rooms are in two parts of the property. The main building has double and single rooms with ensuites, Ayurvedic toiletries, paintings by local artists, and views of the mountains or Victoria Lake. The Victoria Folly building offers modern deluxe double and single rooms with floor-to-ceiling glass, a balcony or terrace above Victoria Lake, and access to a plunge pool and lounge deck. Victoria Folly sits down a steep hill from the main retreat centre, so it may not suit anyone who finds inclines difficult. Rooms vary in shape and size.

All meals are freshly prepared on site by the Welikande team, giving an authentic taste of Sri Lanka.

Before You Go

Included are seven nights at Welikande, the daily yoga and mindfulness sessions, all meals, the village tour, cooking class, art class and hikes with expert local guides, and creative workshops. Airport transfers from Colombo are included for guests on the suggested group flights, which leave from London Gatwick with British Airways or London Heathrow with SriLankan Airlines. Guests arriving or leaving at other times arrange their own transfers. A WhatsApp group is set up before departure, and travel insurance recommendations are shared in advance.

International flights, travel insurance and the optional post-retreat tour are not included. Massage during free time is also extra unless confirmed at booking. A free retreat guide offers the schedule, a curated packing list and flight suggestions.

For those who want to see more of the island, an optional five-night tour continues through the hill country around Ella and Haputale to the national parks and beaches of the south coast. It is arranged and run separately by Sri Journeys, a Sri Lankan travel agency, not by Zenaa.