In Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands, where tea gardens and spice groves meet the clouds, a new kind of sanctuary is unfolding: not a resort, but a reimagining of retreat. Set within a private ten-acre estate overlooking the UNESCO-listed Knuckles Mountain Range, this season Aarunya Nature Resort quietly enters the global wellness and architecture development conversation with the unveiling of Sol Sanctuary: a star-oriented, temple-inspired villa designed for restoration, ritual, and refined immersion in nature.
More than a retreat, Sol Sanctuary is an architectural meditation. It is a 165-square-metre villa meticulously handcrafted by village artisans under the creative direction of architect Nath Rankothge and his father Lal Rankothge, an environmentalist. Sanskrit for “first rays of the sun,” Aarunya was conceived by the Rankothges in partnership with Nath’s uncle K R G Wijesundara, a highly respected Sri Lankan businessman and philanthropist not as a resort, but as a spiritual homecoming and homage to land, legacy, and light.
A Villa Aligned to Sky and Soul Set apart from the resort’s nine other villas, Sol Sanctuary is a masterclass in elemental design. Drawing from ancient Sri Lankan traditions of celestial orientation and sacred geometry, the two-bedroom villa opens to the path of the rising sun. Its domed stone architecture features star-gazing oculi and a crescent moon-shaped plunge pool that mirrors the sky and reflects the shimmering sunlight onto the vaulted ceilings. Interiors showcase raw elegance: hand-hewn basins, natural wood textures, open-air rain showers, and expansive verandas that dissolve into the surrounding forest.
The two-bedroom layout includes a king suite and a convertible twin or king second room, making it ideal for retreaters, couples, and families for wellness-driven stays. Guests are enveloped in privacy, with personalized butler service and uninterrupted views across spice groves and mist-wrapped hills.
Interiors of Sol Sanctuary
Aarunya’s remaining villas, including the Sky Pavillion, Sky Tented Villas and Sky Habitat Villas, maintain the resort’s founding principles: minimal intervention, maximal connection. Built by local craftsmen using traditional techniques, each villa offers a unique atmosphere and features a private plunge pool and decks with far-reaching valley and mountain views. The original Sky Pavilion Villas were inspired by Sri Lankan ambalamas (resting pavillions for travelers), while the Sky Tented Villas deliver a romantic glamping experience above the forest canopy. sited to honour their natural surroundings, ensuring no trees were felled during construction.
Each villa enhancing guests’ connection to the land with personalized experiences like hand-crafted chocolates sourced with cocoa from the property and local region, naturalist-led journeys around the property to explore its many natural treasures and Nature Conservation, Habitat Enrichment & Sustainable Agriculture initiatives funded by the Aarunya Nature Foundation, as well as Sundown Tea Sessions by the main pool in the new kopi kade (coffee house) inspired by the age-old tea and coffee traditions of Sri Lankan villages.
Wellness, Reimagined At the heart of Aarunya lies the Aarogya Wellness Centre and Spa, where ancient Ayurveda philosophies are reinterpreted through a contemporary international wellness lens. Guests can embark on personalised wellness journeys of minimum fur nights duration incorporating daily treatments, consultations with Ayurveda doctors, dosha-tailored meals, and forest-framed practices including yoga, pilates, and aqua movement. A newly opened stone bathhouse—complete with soaking tubs under a Nutmeg tree—draws on village bathing rituals, inviting deep restoration through scrubs and oils made from estate-grown avocados, coconuts, and herbs.
A Culinary Expression of Place Dining is a cornerstone of the Aaryunya experience, with menus guided by season, soul, and soul. Guests can choose between: • Aahaara Speciality Sri Lankan Dining Restaurant, the resort’s signature traditional mudhouse restaurant serves hyperlocal dishes with a contemporary twist using organic estate-grown produce. (See photo) • The Verandah, perched at the highest point of the estate, blends global culinary techniques with local Sri Lankan flavours, overlooking the main pool and surrounding hills with tea estates and spice gardens. • The Aahaasa Tea Pavilion located in the middle of Aarunya’s tea estate hosts private tea tastings and private dining – a curated introduction to the island’s terroir and high tea traditions. • Floating breakfasts and candlelit in-villa ensure guests can tailor every culinary moment to their own rhythm.
Each meal is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and savour. Whether enjoyed under the stars, beside water, or at the edge of a misty morning.
Authentic Experiences, Beyond the Villa Sol Sanctuary is a gateway to one of Sri Lanka’s most biodiverse regions. Aarunya offers curated nature walks, birdwatching trails, sunrise yoga, and naturalist-led journeys through highland tea and spice landscapes. Beyond the estate, guests can explore the island’s Cultural Triangle from the sacred temples of Kandy to hidden village waterfalls and the ancient rock citadel of Sigiriya. I Immersive local off-the-beaten-track excursions include discovering the Bambarakiri Ella Waterfall and visiting the historic Aluvihare Rock Temple.
Aarunya's location offers unique cultural and nature experiences.
A Place That Gives Back Sustainability at Aarunya is not a feature — it’s the framework. The estate is solar-powered, plastic-free, and water-self-sufficient. The Aarunya Nature Foundation oversees conversation efforts such as biodiversity enhancement, biodynamic farming, community development and environmental education for local schoolchildren, ensuring that the land’s benefits ripple outward. In Fall 2025, Aarunya will unveil its brand-new, bamboo- and timber-built Nature Pavilion, which will serve as a hub for ecological research supporting PhD students, specialist consultants, and naturalists in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya.
It will elevate the guest experience through immersive activities tied to habitat and ecosystem research, estate-based production, and community-led conservation initiatives—including environmental education programs for local schoolchildren—underscoring our deep commitment to sustainability, education, and authentic connection with nature.
With this, Aarunya seeks to become Sri Lanka’s first fully biodynamic hospitality property — a model for nature-integrated, impact-led luxury.
Rates at Aarunya Nature Resort start from USD 500+ for the Sky Habitat, and the Sol Sanctuary is USD 1,250+ (Inclusive of taxes and Service Charges).
For more information about Aarunya Nature Resort, please visit aarunyaresort.com.
