Hotels near Lunugamvehera National Park, Kataragama

Peaceful surroundings in the countryside.

The room was comfy, scenery amazing and the staff were so helpful.

The Warden’s House is worth a rare “10 out of 10” from me. The building is beautiful and tasteful - decorated authentically with Sri Lankan antiques and the most comfortable furniture on the terrace. All four rooms look out onto the pool and gardens, which back onto a beautiful river. It’s an incredibly peaceful and luxurious place to spend time before or after safaris and other excursions, especially as there are so few guests there. You often feel like you have the entire house to yourself. We chose the Warden’s House because we wanted to do safari in a quieter area of Yala (Block 5). We heard the main area (Block 1) is extremely busy and that it’s much harder to see animals like leopards. Even if they’re there, the number of vehicles can make it impossible to see them up close. We are so pleased with our decision! We did two safaris and saw three leopards, up close and personal! We saw many other beautiful animals and birds, but were ecstatic about the leopards. We also chose The Warden’s House because it’s a sister hotel of Galle Fort Hotel and Thotalagala, so we trusted the service would be exceptional. It didn’t disappoint - the food was some of the best we have had at any hotel and the service was incredible. We had breakfast and dinner in our own part of the garden every day, with candlelight and a fire in the evening. All our meals were included plus sundowners and food on the safaris. To give a glimpse of the service level - you are welcomed back from safaris with cold flannels and the entire garden is lit by candlelight from about 6pm for sundowners. The value for money is exceptional. If you are visiting Sri Lanka or Yala for a safari, we can’t recommend the Warden’s House highly enough, especially if you’re a fan of small luxury and authentic boutique hotels like we are.

Staying here is a highlight of my month trip in Sri Lanka. I wanted to go to a better Yala National Park entrance than the crowded one handling people coming from Kataragama and Tissamaharama. With less crowding and a good guide, this helps minimize impact to animals on safaris. The villa is new and only had a couple reviews, but I decided to take a chance because they are the only reasonably priced stay I saw in the area and because they are near my prefered Yala entrance gate. I wasn't disappointed when I arrived since the place was comfortable with a good mattress, working A/C, it's a stand-alone unit, and had a relaxing vine-canopy shaded porch. The room itself is basic but has everything you need. Prasad and his family were amazing. They helped me get a new Sim card when mine broke and provided me with the best breakfasts, fresh juices, snacks, and conversations. I thoroughly enjoyed my three nights here!!

The stuff were really friendly and accommodation looks amazing, its so clean, spacious and modern looking 😊

So far the best stay in Sri Lanka. It is a basic accommodation in the middle of the nature. The host and her husband spent more than 1 our with us searching for sleeping birds. I got some great shots. They searched with us in a book for the names of all the birds. Sunrise is stunning to watch right out of the balcony. You can walk around the lake and see so many birds, crocodiles etc. Just the people on the street who wants to offer you a guided tour where a bit annoying, but this has nothing to do with the accommodation. The food was excellent and the prices reasonable.