Wilpattu Safari Camp

The best experience! Birding is amazing! We saw leopard and bear in just 2 safari rides into the park. Incredible food from locally sourced produce. The camp managers are very accommodating of any requests and go out of their way to make the experience memorable. I wish I had more time and guaranteed I will be back. This has become a favourite place in very little time ❤

Memorable Holiday!

Nine of us travelling with Cinnamon Trails to Wilpattu National Park spent two nights at Wilpattu Safari Camp on 26th and 27th July 2022. We were picked up at the Park Entrance and driven to the camp in their safari jeeps. As we came to the camp, we witnessed a cobra that was being treated for its injuries.

After a welcome drink, we were shown to our respective tents along with our baggage. Each tent was in the middle of the forest in scenic surroundings. The tents were completely sealed to prevent entry of creeping animals. The sound of chirping birds was a welcome difference from the city life that we are accustomed to.

The interior of the tent was well furnished and clean. The king size bed was comfortable. There was a separate closet area to keep our clothes and other items. The toilet and bathrooms were clean and neat, stocked with essentials and clean towels.
Though there was no air-conditioning, it was quite comfortable with the two fans.

Derrick Bartholomeusz, the manager took care of our group and attended to all our needs, from the moment of our arrival until the very end when we boarded the tour bus for our return journey. His staff too were attentive, cordial, and helpful. The highlight of our stay was the arrival of an elephant on both evenings to savour the palm fruits that fall on the ground.

We were provided tasty meals served to our table. The food was tasty and to high standards.

Thank you, Derrick and the staff, who made our stay memorable.

A very beautiful place. Well maintained and excellent service. Walking distance to the Wilpattu park.

Had an amazing holiday immersed in nature with great service and food in spite of the heavy downpour, as the rainy season has extended - December 2023.

We stayed two days at the camp while going on safaris. Superb atmosphere and gives the feeling that you are in a jungle. Hospitality at it maximum as they look into our needs so closely and help us in everyway they can. Tent is spacious, bathroom is clean. Can enjoy the evening with a camp fire and good tasty food. Very close to the Park and in the morning the walk towards the lake is an extra experience.

We had an awesome stay at Wilpattu Safari Camp. It was our first time at Wilpattu and it was an enjoyable experience.

Namal & his team made us feel warm & welcome. The food was delicious & our bellies were never empty.

The tents are large & lacked nothing. We saw quite a few wildlife on our safari tours and even enjoyed getting wet in the rain.

The children were so thrilled to know that an elephant could possibly roam the campsite at night. They woke up in the morning looking for the elephant foot prints.

We look forward to coming back again.

Perfectly located right by the park and enmeshed with the local community, the Camp is luxury with a warm and welcoming feel that immediately embraces you and makes you feel like you are exactly where you belong.

The Safaris are expertly conducted with respect, passion and an intensive knowledge of the wildlife in a way that will light an enduring passion for the subject in all.

It only gets better when you return to the camp to relax in absolute comfort and indulge in the most delicious meals. The staff will always go above and beyond to cater to all your needs.

An experience not to be missed, and one that is certainly to be returned to!

Review Wilpattu

We've been on a lot of safaris in Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. Wilpattu Safari Camp really stands out.

WSC is a small camp, with ~10 guests max. The owners and guides are all expert photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, and it really shows. The focus here is all about the wildlife. Our guide was the camp manager, who is a widely published photographer. In four drives, we saw sloth bears, leopards, elephants, jackal, a mouse deer, monitors, barking deer, sambar, crocs, and many many birds. The camp had been visited by a pangolin a few months earlier, though they are super-elusive and we did not see it.

The camp is simple. The semi-permanent tents have lights, beds, 220V, washrooms w/ toilets + shower. There are fans but no AC (which was fine in December). Food is served communal Sri Lankan-style. Nothing fancy but it's sufficient. If you want a spa, a nightclub, or safe playrooms for a young kid, this would not be the right place.

Regards Wilpattu vs. Yala: Wilpattu is a much denser forest. It's wetter and more vegetated, so it doesn't have the larger open areas that Yala does. The animal density that you see is a little less than at Yala. However, there are also far fewer trucks in the park every day. It's quiet, there aren't many trucks, and it will often seem like you hav the entire park to yourself. (At Yala, with hundreds of trucks, every leopard sighting is instantly WhatsApp'd between the drivers, and you'll find yourself in a massive pileup of diesel trucks all chasing the same animal. It's horrible.)

Excellent national park and sanctuary to visit for wildlife lovers and birdwatchers. Make sure you go during times where it's dry season where the animals have to come out of the forest areas to drink water. If not you won't get to see much animal activity. There are four hour Jeep Safari tours you can take for very reasonable rates. It's best if you take the early morning tour or evening tour to get the best of seeing birds and animals. Luckily we got to see the leopard and the bear as well.

If are ready to stay in a place off the beaten track, look no further. This limited edition tent based accommodation delivers quite an unique experience. The 2 day stay was awesome. The meals are out of this world. They go out of their way to make your stay memorable.

Best tented accommodation at Wilpattu Main entrance just a couple of hundred metres from the park entrance. Specious Tents situated in very spacious grounds. The food served is simple but packs amazing flavours and taste authentic to the Island. Very accommodating menus. Luckily one withered get a chance to spend evening with renowned wildlife photographer Namal Kamalgoda the Camps owner who has published some amazing books on Sri Lanka's wildlife. In house Safari Landcruisers are also available for hire.

Namal and his staff are brilliant at this wonderful tented camp. Intimate an informal they provide excellent personalised service with delicious food. Namal's knowledge of wildlife and Wilpattu made the park an unforgettable experience with sightings of leopards, bears, myriad birds and other animals. Camp is 5 minutes from main gate to park

We spent three unbelievably exciting days and nights at Wilpattu Safari Camp, The tents were comfortably furnished with a very comfortable double bed in each tent. Despite the aura of “off the beaten track” ambiance, meal times were a delight with sparkling crockery and cutlery, and spotless linen supplemented by very friendly and efficient service staff. Chef Senadheera was always at hand to explain the authentic and delicious Sri Lankan cuisine turned out with his very own special garnishings. The Safari organized by the camp tracker left nothing for want. The icing on the cake was the 45 minutes we spent tracking a leopard for over 2 km. Thank you, Gehan and team Wilpathu Safari Camp for an amazing and unforgettable experience, and we wish you all success for the future.

Kausha & Chandima

We had an amazing experience at the Wilpattu Safari Camp with Namal and his team. Everything was taken care of to utmost perfection and that too in the wild! Our rooms were clean and beautiful, the bathroom was impeccable too. Namal explained what to expect and what to do (given that we were staying in the wild) and so - it was all exciting as opposed to being scary! The food was delicious & Namal answered so many of our questions with such patience. The driver, Hemant is extremely talented too - will spot animals that are so easily camouflaged. I just can't recommend it highly enough - Namal's passion for this camp is contagious! It's a 'must-stay-at' if you are heading to Wilpattu!

Excellent place to set up base to enjoy Wilpattu NP. Literally 5-10 min drive to entrance. Excellent service and food is out of this world. Will help coordinate your programme and connect you to the local suppliers. Very knowledgeable about the area, it's history and especially about the animals..

Stayed here for two nights, while on Safari in Wilpattu National Park. The site located off the beaten track, 10mins drive from the park entrance.

Darrel and the team were super friendly and went out their way to make sure we had what we needed. Organised the driver/guide and made us very welcome.

The camp is wonderful off grid setting with 5 large, clean glaming style tents, hot water, electricity sockets for charging phones, large fans and large comfy beds. You get a decent 4g signal on site.

Food is served in a central eating area and the team did their best to accommodate our requirements; especially considering the remote location. Bring your own alcohol if you want any.

If you want to add a bit of adventure to your safari, I highly recommend Wilpattu Safari Camp.

Foods are superb. Good service. Very close to the park. Visitors can observe many wildlife at the campsite itself. You just have to come out the tent and sit on the chair.

A Wild stay experience can mean more than a single reason or one single reason to each person. Wilpaththu safari camp doesnt fail to meet your expectations or introduce you to one.

The best safari experience in Sri Lanka. Amazing food. Great rooms. Fantastic host.

Love their concert. Appreciate the initiatives they've taken towards conservation.