Overview

As Yala National Park is one of the best and most-frequented parks in the country, it is natural that a nearby seaside hotel with all the environmental benefits of the area has a distinct advantage. And so it is with Yala Safari Game Lodge, a journey along the dusty road from Tissamaharama, 28 km away.
 
The Lodge is a perfectly natural, low-key three-star game lodge that greets you with its rustic charm and simplicity. A fresh fruit juice and a smiling face welcome you. The place quickly puts you in the mood for adventure. Yala Safari Game Lodge has unique facilities for birding enthusiasts and has introduced bird benches and hides, and a program of nature walks and activities with very talented and knowledgeable naturalists who you can meet every evening. You can organize safaris with them to any southern national park, bird sanctuary or archaeological site.
 
You will feel sad to leave it as it is such a relaxed place, perfect for what it is – a comfortable safari lodge base for people visiting Yala and wanting an experience close to nature.
 
Dining
At nighttime, lights are seductively lit as you make your way along the paths to have your dinner in the airy restaurant, or to have a drink in the safari-style bar. The complex is very open as if you are under canvas and you are aware of the waves in the distance and the flitting of bats in the starry sky overhead. A dinner consists of a five-course meal that comes in quick succession, but will be tasty and imaginative nonetheless. You can eat from a fairly extensive a la carte menu and accompany your food with good wine from their makeshift ‘wine cellar.’ If you are a group of four or more people you can order in advance a multi-course evening barbeque around the pool. This sounded delicious, and includes a glass of wine!
 
Rooms
Along a concrete path over the sand is every bit what you can expect from a game lodge: spacious with big wooden furniture that gives it a definite safari feel. Brightly coloured bedspreads, a cool tiled floor, subtle lighting and some wildlife pictures made you feel like an intrepid explorer in a place of luxury. It will have a telephone, air-conditioning and safe was an added, although not essential bonus.
 
Stepping out onto your veranda, through the curtains that drapes to the floor, the panoramic scene unfolding in front of you will look suitably natural and wild. The Lodge has 63 identical rooms either sea- or lagoon-facing in blocks carefully merged with the landscape. From a sea-view room, over the expanse of sand you could see the shimmer of the ocean and hear the crashing of waves, while immediately in front of you a cluster of trees provides privacy and shade with a hammock strung up in-between.
 
(Content Source : Travel Sri Lanka Magazine)