Gal Oya Lodge

We had a lovely stay at Gal Oya Lodge. Such a serine location, with wildlife surrounding the rooms and the main lodge. The staff were very helpful, particularly our guide who looked after us for our entire stay and did a great job at answering all of our questions. Lovely pool as well!

A true hidden gem in Sri Lanka. Not on the coast, and won't see leopards. But you will get a true taste of both history and modern Sri Lanka. Cabins/huts are large/spacious and eco-friendly (this means no AC) but the team, headed by Hasan, worked tirelessly to make our stay comfortable. Close to the best food we had in our 30 day stay in Sri Lanka. Activities were SO WONDERFUL--walking with Veddha elders, a long boat ride and breakfast on Sri Lanka's biggest lake, a cooking class on a traditional cookstove (made of cow dung and termite hills) made this an unforgettable experience. I'm very surprised it's not mentioned much in social media. We also had great interaction with the many international visitors there--very cosmopolitan mix of guests. UNDER-RATED!!!

Wow - what a place! Firstly the scenery was wonderful, and the staff warm and welcoming. Also very helpful with bird spotting and identifying - appreciated! The food was delicious, a nice variety of things in the menu, and the room was lovely and spacious too with an outdoor bathroom. We had some trouble with opening our safe, and the staff came and helped within 5 minutes. I did a complimentary night walk around the hotel, amazing! We saw so much and it was really interesting to see the forest at night. The real highlights were the jeep tour and boat tour, both led by Sam. He was amazing! Best guide of our holiday by far. Incredible at spotting animals, identifying them, and very helpful at getting us in good positions for photos. Also allowed us ample time for photos, thank you!

We spent a wonderful time at Gal Oya Lodge. Everything was very well organised and of high standard. Friendly staff, beautiful rooms and nice setting in a scenic environment. Highlight was our walking, jeep and boat safari with naturalist Lakshman. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and competent. It was a great pleasure to spending a full day with him in the National Park!

We absolutely loved our stay here, little lodges that have everything you need and a stunning view of monkey mountain which feels like it is in your back garden. The staff here are amazing, the naturalists are extremely knowledgable and will take you out on night walks around the property which I would highly recommend. In addition to the lodges and staff being amazing I have to say the food was exceptional.

Amazing place in remote and peaceful setting. The staff were all so friendly and the food was good. The trips with the naturalists were very informative and we left having seen a lot of birds. We love this place. As there is no wifi or a|c it is probably not for people for whom that matters more than being submerged in nature. We slept very well however and the fans kept us cool. The pool has a view which would be hard to beat. Lovely bar area.