Kulu Safaris Yala Camp

Wild Coast Tented Lodge is located adjacent to the world famous Yala National Park, renowned for its dense leopard population. The luxury tented camp sits where the jungle meets a rugged, empty beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean. The use of arched fabric structures allows each of the 28 tents to take on the shape and colour of the rocks and boulders that lay scattered nearby, whilst a clever layout in the shape of a leopard’s paw print alludes to the area’s most famous resident.

The main buildings are made of bamboo and blend in with the distinctive rock formations of Yala. The uniquely shaped tents, called cocoons and urchins offer state-of-the art amenities including air-conditioning. The open-air bamboo-clad Ten Tuskers bar and dining pavilion wrap around the resort’s enormous free-form swimming pool. Guests can enjoy creative daily-changing menus of authentic Sri Lankan cuisine in the restaurant, as well as sundowner cocktails and picnics al fresco on the sand dunes, watching dusk settle over the Indian Ocean.

Located just a stone’s throw from the entrace to Yala National Park is Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safari Camp. Sitting within dry zone forest the camp and its tents are shaded and cool and there are plenty of spots to relax in the hammocks and jungle chairs that are strung between the trees.

The luxury lodge tents feature beautiful four-posted beds and en-suite bathrooms with hot running water. There is also a private access path and timber decking area where you can enjoy a private candlelit dinner. There is air conditioning in the luxury tents. There is also a choice of double, twin, triple and family mobile tents that feature a living area, private toilet and hot water outdoor shower.

Communal areas within the camp include a lounge tent with comfy beanbag chairs, and a jungle bar. The majority of the camp is powered by solar energy and various tree planting schemes and community projects are supported.

Locally grown fruits and vegetables, some from the camp’s own kitchen garden, are used to create tasty Sri Lankan dishes that are enjoyed communally. All your meals and drinks are included in you stay. There is even the option to enjoy a cooking class for those that want to learn how to recreate the flvours of the Sri Lanka back home.

As well as game drives in Yala National Park, there are guided nature walks, birwatching amateur photography classes available.

To the southern edge of Yala National Park, the luxurious Chena Huts sit overlooking a beach where turtles lay eggs at night and elephants venture down from the jungle to play in the surf. It is bordered by forest and a saline lake home to ibises, painted storks and even flamingos.

There are just 14 thatched ‘huts’ set around the property, though calling these sweeping thatched pavilions – each with a living area, bedroom, freestanding bathtub and shaded outdoor deck with built-in 5m plunge pool – is an understatement.

The Basses restaurant takes its name from the nearby reefs and lighthouse and is suitably nautical in its theme. Private dining experiences can be organised, whether on the beach under the stars or by a camp fire surrounded by nature. There’s also a swimming pool with poolside bar concealed behind a waterfall and an Ayurveda spa in which to unwind.

As well as safaris into the Ruhuna block of Yala National Park, other nearby attractions include fabulous birding in Bundala National Park, and the Great and Little Basses reefs, off which blue and humpback whales congregate and dolphins frolic. Kataragama, an ancient forest shrine on the edge of Yala that attracts tens of thousands of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims in July and August, is close by too.