Nice cottage in a lush garden. Charming from the outside, simple but spacious from the inside. The owner and his family are super friendly. He arranged a good safari for reasonable price, she cooked a very delicious rice & curry, plus take a way breakfast.

Stayed in March 2025

Cleanliness could be improved, but overall good.

Lovely location and nice garden/outdoor area. Convenient for safaris to Udawalawe.

Stayed in February 2025

The best accommodation. clean, nice owner, delicious food and great safari

Stayed in February 2025

The bed sheets hat strange spots on them and the family room with two beds smelled very intensely like mold! I would only book the two newer rooms with double beds

Great location, very private as we booked the whole property with 6 people. The staff was very nice and made us feel welcome. Breakfast was decent. Dinner was nice for 1500 per person

Stayed in January 2025

Very calm location on edge of the jungle. Lovely large rooms with ac and a terrace. Well maintained and Samira the owner was very helpful. He will organise a safari if you want.

Stayed in January 2025

My friends and I booked this place for one night via booking.com. When we arrived we came to know that this place (like many other places in Udawalawe) is only meant for those guests that book a safari with this place. Keep that in mind! We had already booked a Safari from another operator but were thankfully still able to stay for this one night, although the manager and owner were not happy about it. We did not have any information about this. Other than that the location and the cottages were perfect.

Stayed in December 2024

It was great value so no complaints

A lovely place in an ideal location for the Elephant Transit Home and Jeep Safari (both incredible experiences). The owner was wonderful arranging all transport and tours at very reasonable prices, even checking in on us to see what time we needed a tuk tuk home from the restaurant.

Stayed in January 2025

There was 12cm diameter spider in the bathroom. Girlfrend was scared but definitely nothing the owner can affect when in the jungle.

Very hostile and communicative owner. Very nice and quiet place. Just monkeys sometime run over the roof and make noise. Accomodation is roughly 600m from the elephant orphanage. There is nothing in direct vicinity but jungle. Good breakfast after safari. Safari arranged by the owner, we got picked up directly in the accommodation.

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing

Wild River Side was the perfect place to stay for my trip to Udawalawe. Such a tranquil location with Sameera and his family being the perfect hosts. When I arrived he showed me around his garden and pointed out all the spices and plants he grows. The accommodation is clean and comfortable, I had the most restful night’s sleep and it’s truly a unique experience staying in the middle of the jungle amongst the wildlife. Sameera also organised a great safari for me with Milan. If this is part of your itinerary make sure to book through them! Afterwards the delicious home cooked breakfast introduced me to authentic Sri Lankan dishes including hoppers and their sweet pancake rolls. After checking out Sameera dropped me off at the bus stop and even waited with me to make sure I got on safely. This caring and considerate gesture reflects the hospitality at Wild River Side and I can’t recommend staying there enough.

Stayed in January 2025

Nothing

This is a very nice and quiet place tucked away in the forest. The owner Sameera is very helpful, he arranged a safari for us and transport to Tanglle. He also cooked a lovely curry dinner for us. The visit to the elephant orphanage & museum was very interesting and the safari was a great experience, another side of Sri Lanka.

Stayed in December 2024

Nothing :)

Great hospitality, and prime location to Udawale national park, and just down the road (3 min drive) from the Elephant Transit Home. The room was just like the pictures, and the surrounding forest and river are magical. We even encountered some monkeys on the property which was a nice surprise. Breakfast was filling and delicious, a combination of traditional Sri Lankan sweets and breakfast foods with fruit. The owner and workers are incredibly courteous, offered some good safari deals, and even showed us some of the cinnamon, curry leaves, and pepper plant which are all on their property. Would 100% recommend to anyone staying in the area! Extremely reasonable price.

Stayed in December 2024

This places it was so magic and wonderful. Quiet into the nature and close to Udawalawe. The owners it was very available and kind. I raccomend this lodge for everyone that want to visit this side of Sri Lanka. The price for this accomodation it's SUPER! Also the breakfast.

Stayed in December 2024

We really enjoyed staying at Wild River Side. Off the main road and set in a beautiful garden with spice trees. We had dinner there and had some of the best Sri Lankan vegetable curries so far on our trip. Owner organised transport from Ella and to Tangalle at a reasonable price as well as the jeep for the safari. The cottage was clean and had warm shower and AC.

Stayed in December 2024

Our best stay in Sri Lanka so far. The cottages are spacious, clean. Relaxing on the terrace is a pure pleasure. Peace, quiet, beautiful nature and close to the main street. The host is a fantastic and friendly man, he organized a safari for us at a very good price. The Sri Lankan breakfast is a masterpiece. We regret very much that we could stay there only one night.

Stayed in November 2024

Part of the road to the hotel was really bad , without knowing the road there were big broken parts of the road, car was hitting these unfortunately. It would have been nice to have a heads up about the road difficulties. (However, we were told it will be soon fixed, thumbs up to that (Y)

Rooms were so nice and comfy. Breakfast was so nice and we loved the lemon ginger tea :) Four of us had a nice time there. Everything was arranged to our comfort including a last minute booking on an Udawalawa Safari.

Stayed in October 2024

Everything was perfect

Very calm and quiet place in Udawalawa. We loved the nature around. Many birds singing in the morning and everting. You could even see a monkey swinging on the nearby tree :) We were welcomed with a cold juice. The room was spacious and clean. Very comfortable. The dinner was one of the best we ate in Sri Lanka. Delicious homemade rice & curry. The same thing for breakfast, really tasty. In our room we had a kettle, tea, coffee and a bottle of water. We were just passing through Udawalawa, but would definitely spend more time in Wild River Side if we could :) Thank you!

Stayed in August 2024

nothing :)

The accommodation is a bit off the beaten path, but that’s part of its charm. It’s a special experience to stay in a tropical environment surrounded by trees, with monkeys and peacocks roaming around the property. Everything is lovingly furnished, and the rooms are new. The host was very helpful and even organized a safari for us, with the guide picking us up directly from the accommodation. After the safari, there was a big breakfast waiting for us, and the host stayed up late just to make sure we were taken care of. We would definitely recommend this place and would stay here again if we're in the area.

Stayed in August 2024

This is a great place to stay for a visit to Udawalawe National Park. The hotel is lovely, we had a wonderful home cooked breakfast and dinner made by his wife and he took us round his garden filled with different spices and trees. Would recommend.

Stayed in August 2024

Nothing.

This is an amazing little oasis in the jungle. Samir and his family are so friendly and polite. The compound is laid out really well, to ensure every bungalow enjoys privacy. We stayed in the double double bed room just over the bridge. The room and bed were very comfortable, I enjoyed my best nights sleep in days. The bathroom was impeccably clean. I asked Samir if he could help us arrange a safari, which he did. He arranged for Udawalawe Jeep Safari Services to collect us at 6AM. It was off season, so we had the jeep to ourselves.it was seamless. We are well in the open aired dinner area, entertained by a tree frog, who must have thought he was invisible, and inquisitive squirrels. . .

Stayed in June 2024

We stayed at the Wild River Side for two nights to make a Safari in the Nationalpark. We had a really good time at this place, the Bungalow was very nice and the location is just perfect, right in the jungle but still easy to get to. The breakfast and Dinner were really good and the host was very friendly and helpful. The price isnamazing for what you get, we definetly would recommend this place

Stayed in April 2024

Loved the rooms, they were big and very comfortable. Their was air conditioning and I loved that it was in the jungle tucked away. It felt like I was in a jungle resort with monkeys everywhere and yummy food.

Stayed in April 2024

Really nice little hotel with your own little cabin. Room is clean and tidy, bed is confortable. Incredible wildlife all around with monkeys and squirrels jumping on the roof. The family that own the hotel is really nice and always happy to help you. The food was the best we had around Sri Lanka. You should really try the dinner ! We can only recommand.

Stayed in April 2024

The staff was super nice and they were caring a lot about us with a lot of details. They also helped us to hire the Safari. The place was very nice, with a beautiful garden. The food was also amazing! I completely recommend this place.

Stayed in April 2024

Our room had everything we needed: a cozy bed, working AC, and a clean space to relax after traveling. The host even gave us cold drinks and face towels when we arrived. Plus, the peaceful surroundings allowed us to enjoy the soothing sounds of nature, with monkeys occasionally visible nearby.

Stayed in March 2024