Luxury hotel holiday Wild Coast Tented Lodge Yala

This is a UNESCO design award winner and member of Relais & Chateaux hotels. Wild Coast Tented Lodge is a luxury tented camp located where the jungle meets the beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean. The unique organic design blends into the natural surroundings. The accommodation is in cocoon suites that are reminiscent of expeditions of old with modern comforts. An innovative and luxurious tented camp.
Included in your Expressions holiday
  • Accommodation in a double Cocoon with all meals included and one game drive each day
  • Scheduled flight from London to Colombo return in economy
  • Transport by private car with driver-guide
  • Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
  • Optional room, board and flight upgrades. Details on request.

Luxury bespoke holidays at Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala National Park

Wild Coast Tented Lodge is a luxury tented lodge, and Relais & Chateaux member, on the edge of Yala National Park and next to the Indian Ocean. UNESCO award-winning design.

Facts in brief

Official star rating 4 plus

Location On the edge of Yala Safari Park

Annual opening All year

Closest airport Colombo

Distance from airport About 5 hours by car

Hotel facilities and services

Swimming pool and ponds, library, spa, beach (not for swimming), dining pavilion, bar, cookery class for adults and children, a range of experiences including game drives, a guided nature walk, birding experience at the Bundala National Park, rural bike expedition, exclusive game driver with afternoon tea, sundowners by the beach.

Complimentary

Included in your rate is one game drive per night’s stay. The lodge does not recommend game drives for children under the age of three. Families with children under 12 years of age are advised to take an exclusive jeep for their party.

Out and about nearby

Wild Coast Tented Lodge is on the edge of the Yala National Park. It takes about 15 minutes from the lodge to reach the start of the game drive. The primary focus of a stay here is to appreciate the wildlife in the National Park. Yala is home to leopards, bears and elephants and is not a private game reserve, but a public national park. Your stay here includes one game drive per night’s stay. Another experience is a guided nature walk accompanied by an expert range.

Special offers for this holiday>

Thank you. We had an amazing holiday. Really appreciate the work put in to give us the trip of a lifetime!
Mrs H, Jan 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Deluxe double room for 4 nights

From about

£2,490

Holiday Code EXH46769

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Luxury bespoke holidays at Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala National Park

Room descriptions

Wild Coast Tented Lodge has 28 cocoons with wi-fi, air-conditioning, mini-bar, outdoor deck with table and two camp chairs, Espresso machine and tea selection, safety deposit box, universal electrical sockets, sonos speaker with music library, digital phone, RFID door locks.

Cocoon suite 55 sqm, king bed, outdoor viewing deck, for 2 adults and 2 children (with 2 futon mattresses for children), bathroom with free-standing copper bathtub, enclosed shower and enclosed WC.
Cocoon pool suite 55 sqm, king bed, for 2 adults and 2 children (with 2 futon mattresses for children), private plunge pool and two sunbeds on a deck, bathroom with free-standing copper bathtub, enclosed shower and enclosed WC.
Family cocoon pool suite 74 sqm, with cocoon pool suite connecting on an outside raised walkway to a separate urchin ideal for two older children or young adults, private plunge pool and two sunbeds on deck, bathroom with free-standing copper bathtub and enclosed shower with additional separate enclosed WC in the urchin.

Special offers for this holiday>

Thank you. We had an amazing holiday. Really appreciate the work put in to give us the trip of a lifetime!
Mrs H, Jan 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Deluxe double room for 4 nights

From about

£2,490

Holiday Code EXH46769

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Luxury bespoke holidays at Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala National Park

The journey and how you get there

Most of the stays at the Wild Coast Tented Camp are part of a longer touring itinerary in Sri-Lanka, accompanied by driver-guide but a stay here could be combined with another hotel in this region or another to make a two-centre holiday.

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

Thank you. We had an amazing holiday. Really appreciate the work put in to give us the trip of a lifetime!
Mrs H, Jan 2023

Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Deluxe double room for 4 nights

From about

£2,490

Holiday Code EXH46769

The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.

Luxury bespoke holidays at Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Yala National Park

Highlights of Galle and the south coast

Fascinating Galle has plenty to offer the visitor: Galle Fort – UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the few living fort cities in the world; Walk around the ramparts of Galle at dawn or at sunset; Arts & crafts shopping – jewellery, lace, rush & reed, home décor, furniture, antiques, batik and boutiques; The Dutch Reformed Church; Galle Literary Festival in January; National Museum; Maritime Museum in the Dutch warehouses of Galle Fort, just re-opened; Galle Markets; Galle Cricket Stadium; Hot-air balloon ride (December to April); River boat trip. A little way inland from Galle/Koggala: Hiyare Nature Reserve (volunteering possible); Kottawe Nature Reserve; Kanneliya Forest; Samakanda (organic farm, visit, walks and lunches available upon request); Village life bike rides; Handicrafts in the villages e.g. lace-making, rush & reed, woodcarving; Yatagala Temple. On the way from Galle to Yala you can enjoy: Stilt Fishermen; Cinnamon plantations; Unuwatuna beach; Martin Wickramasinghe’s house – museum (literary and 20th century life); Koggala Lake; Hinduangoda White tea factory and estate; Lace-making – Weligama, Dickwella; Surfing – popular surfing beaches from Unuwatuna to Mirissa; Weligama Bay; Coastal villages and fishing harbours; Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching (from Mirissa); Diving (from Mirissa); Deep-sea fishing trips (from Mirissa); Provincial town of Matara (Dutch heritage – fort and church); Dondra Head and Dondra Lighthouse; Kudawala Blow Hole; Mulkirigala Buddhist temple (inland); Uda Walawe National Park and Elephant Transit Home (inland); Sea Turtles laying their eggs on the beach, usually February to July (Rekawa Turtle Project); Kalametiya bird sanctuary; Bundala Nature Reserve (bird-watching mainly); Yala National Park; Kataragama – centre for Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim pilgrimages; Tissamaharama - ancient ‘tank’ and dagobas.

Cultural highlights of Galle and the south coast

There are many places to visit in Galle and the area along the south coast of Sri Lanka. In Galle itself, Galle Fort is home to a national museum housing Dutch and Singhalese exhibits of historical interest as well as a newly-opened Maritime Museum, a lighthouse and a 17th century Dutch Reform Church. The narrow streets within the Fort are fascinating for their architecture, lined with official buildings, shops and old town houses, some of which have been converted to stylish villas and boutique hotels. Outside the ramparts, Galle functions busily as a provincial town and port - brightly painted fishing boats line the shore and there is a lively market area with a whole pavilion dedicated to fish. Galle and the surrounding villages are full of artisans – lace makers, jewellers, woodcarvers, painters and people making things out of coir, rush and reed. The National Crafts Council has a centre by the old entrance to Galle Fort and there are plenty of small shops selling crafts, jewellery and antiques, as well as a few designer boutiques. Slightly further afield, there are numerous beautiful beaches and fishing villages including Thalpe, Unuwatuna, Matara, Koggala, Weligama Bay and Tangalle, as well as a number of National Parks with plenty of wildlife.

Festivals in Galle and the south coast

January: The Galle Literary Festival - this 4-day festival brings together Sri Lankan and international authors from around the world for writing workshops, talks, exhibitions and more at various locations in Galle. Past guests have included Vickram Seth and Gore Vidal. July: Unuwatuna Perahera - a 7-day festival commencing on full moon day. Matara/Dondra Perahera - with dedications to Lord Vishnu. Kataragama Esala Festival - a 10-day festival when pilgrims give penance to the Hindu war god, Skanda. July to September: Kite flying on the ramparts of Galle

Climate in Galle and the south coast

The average temperature on the South coast is 32° C with 65% humidity, though it is cooler and more humid in the west, getting progressively hotter and less humid the further east you go, especially the east of Tangalle. The evenings are a little cooler and the coasts enjoy sea breezes. Rainfall is experienced mainly during the south-west monsoon from May to August. The ‘calm’ season is December to April, when the seas are general calm and there is little rainfall. Whilst the sea appears calm out of the monsoons, there are still undercurrents and riptides.

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