Leopard Nest - Glamping in Yala

A special place close to Yala that makes you feel like you’re in the park. Small staff was so friendly and lovely, and I felt well taken care of. Delicious meals—often candlelit and with an outdoor grill. Room was air conditioned and well appointed, despite the jungle setting. Only caution: there probably will be some wildlife in your bathroom! They also organized my safaris in the park, as well as pick ups and drop-offs, which I appreciated.

Wonderful unique experience with excellent staff and attention to detail. Fabulous lantern lit dinner. Kid’s thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon safari. Comfortable air-conditioned rooms in the trees. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Overall a cool experience, we stayed in the sky nest. It is important to know that the road getting to resort is very very rough, essentially off-roading in a jeep, maybe even worse than safari. I wouldn’t recommend older adults or young children or anyone with a disability. The resort had kind staff, great evening bbq and early morning safari packed breakfast. Our only negative was that the safari guide booked through them was not good, of note he was not their usual safari guide on staff. We had a much better guide with a private group the evening before we stayed at the resort.

Fantastic stay! My husband and I have been glamping in Africa before, so we knew what to expect when we booked a glamping hotel in the Yala National Park buffer zone. We had read reviews from others beforehand and despite what some others said, we booked Leopard Nest anyway. We are so glad we did! The actual room itself (treehouse room) was the same quality as what we spent $700 a night on glamping in Africa. It was clean, had a strong AC, and an updated toilet/shower. They provided a mosquito net for us, but in general, we did not see any bugs (even if we did, this would have been totally normal as it is glamping in the wild) Our room also had a big balcony that overlooked a watering hole that elephants are sometimes spotted at, which was cool. The best part was the food - we were served a prefix 4 course dinner under the stars, outside in our own private “rock table”. It was so cute and we weren’t expecting this, so it was such a special touch! Breakfast was also a prefix, multi course meal that had us full and happy. The staff was so helpful and eager to assist us. We were happy with our one night stay here. They are advertised as a glamping hotel, and as long as you have the correct expectations going into it, you will be satisfied. It is good for a night, I would probably not book more than that just because there aren’t too many things to do once you are there, besides go on safari. But overall, fantastic!

This place is not as described. By no means can it be described as a luxury experience. I actually believe a a lot of the reviews are misleading or circumspect. Like others have said if this was a third of the price then I would have kinda been ok with it. But at best it is a poorly maintained man made camp site in an area of overgrown “bush”. The description talks about it being jungle. I think that is stretching it. Eg the “lake” is a man made and badly finished pond. The tree house room I stayed in is old, very tired, very grubby and poorly maintained. The food whilst plentiful is back packer fare at best. There is no culinary ability on display here. The “restaurant” is a basic deck type structure. Quite simply I hoped this would be the highlight of my trip but it has become my nightmare. Literally stuck in the middle of nowhere, requested to check out early which was denied. If you’re happy to go somewhere really basic and pay absolute top dollar for it and continue to be gouged whilst here for extras. Sign up! If not then please try one of the alternatives. I feel We have paid for luxury and got budget. Would have been better off booking the cheapest place if this is the standard of the “high end”. Literally anything has to be the same or better.

This property was amazing! It was a unique experience that we didn’t get anywhere else in Sri Lanka. The bbq dinner was our favorite and the treehouse was beautiful ! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a true nature experience to go with the safari

My wife and I have just returned this afternoon from here. A unique experience in the trees. The bbq at night time is very good. The staff are all very attentive and make for a wonderful experience. You are in jungle so enjoy it

Getting to the property was hard, you can’t drive up to the property. Wish there was more amenities like a pool.

The review is based from a perspective of travellers with young kids. This place would be a big NO The whole experience below: - Check-in: there is no direct access to this place and the resort will arrange a pickup from somewhere outside the area. Our pickup was horrible! The driver had no idea of the route. (Also fyi, its a jungle, so if u miss a turn, u r lost in a JUNGLE!) Thats what happened with us. We got stuck and waited for an hour in middle of nowhere & electric fences all around. Somehow, we reached the property and first thing the manager asked us (after a simple sorry) was to make the payment. That was off-putting - Room :its nothing like u see on their website. Its within the bushes & no maintenance whatsoever. Ours was a luxury tent, wherein the bathroom is outside the room (which for us was not very ideal ,atleast). The beds looked clean but there were bugs and mosquitoes & ants inside the room. No mosquito net were provided so it was very uncomfortable. We requested a changed & were offered jungle nest but it was no different (bathroom being inside was the only plus) - The campsite : the impression on the website is more of a jungle campsite but its nothing of that sort. We could only do a basic bnb, as one cant really step out cos of various reasons as it is absolutely dark, various kinds of animals in the bushes (gets scary) & no seating facilities outside the room. - Seriously Overpriced (we’ve had amazing stays in other cities for lesser).

Leopards nest provided the most incredible experience, with a reservation on valentines day I took this opportunity to propose to my girlfriend. The staff were all extremely helpful in setting up the perfect scene and very congratulatory after. We enjoyed a fantastic safari the following morning, with the driver, Isanka, and the naturalist, Sumedha, providing a great service and really guiding us through the animals we could see, including the Leopard and Jackal, two of the rarest! The binoculars really helped wit the Leopard, so these would be useful to be provided to all jeeps. Huge thank you to all the staff for making this an experience we will never forget.

We had a wonderful stay at the leopards best. The tree house room was AMAZING, staff very friendly and professional and the safari was unreal. We saw leopards and lions and our guide was fantastic

I paid almost $800 for a single night at their King nest with a package inclusive of all meals and two safari game drives. Most of the reviews are misleading. It is about 45 mins to actually get to Yalla park gate. While it was OK, it was certainly not worth the amount we paid and is grossly overpriced. The hotel is probably a 2 star or 2.5 stars. There are no real amenities. Our lunch was tuna sandwiches only, and I am not exaggerating. Breakfast was just as disappointing. The safari drive was ok but the driver seemed rushed and was not as aggressive as other drivers in helping us get closer to the animals. For what we paid, they can do better. A lot better. It should not be priced at more than $150-200/ night for what you get.

Luxury price tag for a hotel though comfortable not what would be considered luxury based on experience for similar packages in Africa. No tea and coffee making facilities, no bedside lights just a single bare bulb in the bedroom, bathroom light on a timer which went off whilst showering, etc. The staff and Roy in particular, went out of their way to try and make up for the disappointment in the facilities. There was no mention in the literature that the nearest part of the park was closed and it was over an hour each way to get to where was open. Roy accommodated this by offering an all day game drive for which we were very grateful.

Excellent lodge, serene surroundings, helpful staff, meals were perfect...

They made us feel so special during our 2-day stay. The food was fantastic with some of the best curry we’ve tasted in Sri Lanka. Get ready for an early start with 6am through the safari gates. We were very lucky to see a sloth bear but unlucky not to see a leopard. Animals aren’t to order! There is also an afternoon tour as an option. Thanks to Madhu and the rest of the team.

We had a great stay at Leopard Nest. The team looked after us really well, and the treehouse was really quirky and different - you can even see the indian ocean from the balcony. Quite cosy, but enough space for two and the air con worked well (if a little noisy). It was great to have a different experience from the usual hotels we stayed in during our trip. We were the only guests for the one night we stayed which made it even more of a unique experience. I was worried it may feel a little intense, but we were really well looked after and it didn't feel at all like the staff were looking over us all of the time - all of the team were so friendly and made us feel so welcome. We were all inclusive, which included two game drives. Drives were well organised and whilst the leopards didn't come out for us, the team tried really hard and we still saw plenty of wildlife and birds. Food and drink was plentiful and good quality. We were greeted from our afternoon safari with a large, ice cold G&T and a cold towel. Perfect!

Der Service ist sensationell, bester Service seit langem - die lesen jeden Wunsch von den Augen ab. Essen einfach aber sehr gut. Abends Barbeque mitten im Jungle unter Sternen und Fakeln. Wunderschön. Die Einrichtung ist einfach, praktisch und gut. Man würde es sich aufgrund des Preises und der Bilder etwas luxuriöser vorstellen. Die angebotenen Safaris sind super. Wir hatten Rumesh als Fahrer, welcher zu den schnellsten Fahrern gehört. Er macht alles, dass man die Tiere sieht und wir sahen unglaublich viele.. Leopard, Sloth Bear, Elephanten und vieles vieles andere.. fast wie im Zoo. Von Leopard Nest zum Eingang des Nationalparks sind es mit dem Auto ca 45min. Empfehlenswert für einfaches, gemütliches und eco-friendly Jungle/Safari Feeling. Wer Luxus sucht, ist jedoch woanders wohl besser aufgehoben.

Un estancia de ensueño en la selva de yala! Hay que ir subiendo que es un camping y no un hotel 5*... Pero el personal te hará sentir muy cuidado. La habitación muy bonita. La bbq de la cena super rica. El safari que nos organizaron con Jeep privado por la tarde y otro por la mañana espectaculares. El Driver y el guía saben muy bien como encontrar todos los animales. Vimos 2 leopardos y 1 oso... Y era temporada lluviosa por lo cual es aún más difícil verlos. Totalmente recomendable, no te arrepentirás.

Beautiful lodge in the jungle outside the Yala national park. All inclusive service that met all expectations. Accommodation beautifully decorated with everything necessary for our stay. Staff very welcoming and helpful with any request, always with a smile! Safari were smoothly organized: probably because of the country situation of the curfew we didnt have choice in adjusting any time of the safari trips, nor could arrange an evening safari: suggest people to ask in advance about timings of safari.

Superbe parenthèse en pleine nature mais avec tout le confort, Safari très bien avec un naturaliste aussi dynamique qu’intéressant. Dîner BBQ exceptionnel en pleine nature