Uga Chena Huts, Yala, Sri Lanka

Huddled between beach and bushlands, Uga Chena Huts combines the untamed wilderness of Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park with a luxury safari stay. Upscale, but down-to-earth and as close to nature you can get. Read on for our stay at Uga Chena Huts, Yala.

For one night we’re bedding down to experience Sri Lanka’s wilder side:
the leopard-dense Yala National Park. The country’s second biggest park and home to elephants, sloth bears, leopards, bee-eaters, water buffalo's, troops of grey langurs and flamboyant peacocks - to name a few. Only a handful of hotels are lucky enough to sit inside the unenclosed buffer zone of the National Park and Uga Chena Huts is one of them, bringing the spirit of Yala right to your doorstep. Prepare for a little slice of paradise where days out in the bush are topped off with sundowners on the beach and dips in your very own plunge pool.

location

Uga Chena Huts is located on Sri Lanka’s southern shores and sits on a generous seven acres of bushland. The main entrance to the National Park, Palatupana gate, is only a short 5 minutes' drive away from the resort. Though technically not inside the park, Uga Chena Huts is still the closest lodge to the park borders. There are no fences to the National Park so expect wildlife all around - also when you’re not out on game drives (elephant sightings are no exception on the beaches at Uga Chena Huts). Despite the large piece of land, the resort only holds 18 cabins. All placed at a discrete distance from each other to provide ultimate privacy and tranquility.

The Huts

Uga Chena Huts is home to 18 identical huts, all connected to the common areas via an elevated pathway that winds through the jungle. The dome-shaped designs have taken inspiration from the farmer’s huts that used to cultivate these lands. Each ‘hut’ is a sanctuary of its own. Spacious, with over a 100 square meters of living space, and well dressed with subtle hints to its safari surroundings (think thatched roofs, parquet floors, a large headboard made out of logs and copper bedside lamps). At the same each dome comes with all we would hope for in a luxury lodge, and more. A huge and comfy bed takes the center stage in each hut, with an en-suite bathroom placed right behind it. There’s a free-standing bathtub as well as a separate in- and outdoor shower. Other amenities include a stocked minibar (with soft drinks, beer and wine), air-conditioning, a coffeemaker with chocolate chip cookies on the side, laundry service, a torch (to make your way down to the restaurant at night) and an outdoor terrace with sun loungers and private plunge pool. The shared main outdoor pool is placed a bit inland and feels like a hidden tropical lagoon - surrounded by lush vegetation and with the Spa right next to it.

all inclusive

All meals are included and are served at the nautical-themed Basses restaurant, Uga’s main restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean. The staff is friendly and casual but skilled and are quick to remember your favorite cocktail (which are also included during your stay). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served a la carte and come with a good selection of both international and Sri Lankan dishes. Come night time the outdoor area gets lit up, which, combined with a starry sky and crashing waves in the background, makes dinnertime quite an experience. For those who prefer to sit indoors there’s a cosy (airconditioned) indoor seating area too.

Also part of the all inclusive formula are two daily game drives with an experienced ranger. Early mornings and mid afternoons Uga’s six-seater safari vehicles leave the resort for the red-sand roads of Yala National Park. The game drives last about two hours each and the afternoon one ends with sundowners and canapés on the beach.
In between game drives, tag along to one of the in-house experiences offered at Uga, such as a Sri Lankan cookery class, a guided beachwalk or star-gazing sessions.

Uga Chena Huts, rates from USD 1200 per night (all inclusive,double room)