Leopard Safaris Yala

We first stayed with Noel and the team at Leopard Safaris over 14 years ago on honeymoon; this year we returned with our children had (another!) magical time in Yala thanks to Noel and the amazing team. We had a great time and the kids loved it – our guide was great with our daughter and our son, and helping us all to spot lots of different animals and birds on our drives, not to mention a couple of leopards that we were lucky enough to see. While the leopards are obviously a highlight, its worth not being too fixated on them as there are plenty of other wonders to enjoy - not least some of the scenery. The camp was a definite change from 14years ago when the set up was simple tents in the park itself (no longer allowed). But this meant an upgrade in comfort, with an amazing family room - big double bed and spacious bunks for the kids, both with comfortable mattresses. The bathroom was well appointed - and you can have a shower under the stars. The food at camp was amazing - I ate far too much - and the whole space was very comfortable, with the pool a particular hit with all the family after a long morning in the heat. Thank you to all the team - particularly Manu, Ravi, Cecile and of course Noel. Hopefully next time it won't be 14 years before we see you again.

I really can’t say enough about our INCREDIBLE experience with Noel and his team other than we wish we had more time and highly recommend at least 2 nights. We absolutely loved the beautiful property. It is thoughtfully designed with the environment at the forefront of every decision. The tents are beyond luxurious with strong air conditioning and a very unique and private outdoor bathroom and shower experience. The food is fresh, plentiful, sooo delicious and caters to different dietary requirements and levels of spice. Meals are at different locations on the property according to maximum shade in the daytime and an opportunity to stargaze in the evening. The staff is beyond accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable and the safari experience is fabulous. We were 2 families each with a teenage boy and they loved it too. I highly recommend this special experience to anyone heading to Sri Lanka! Thank you Noel and Cecile.

Quite a wonderful place to stay. The staff were helpful and attentive and our accommodation was above expectations. One does need to remember that this is still a camping facility with luxurious touches. The open air shower is fun but this does mean that you may be joined by a frog or gecko whilst abluting. The food was excellant Sri Lankan cuisine. Much effort is made to provide a lovely setting to eat, with torches, fairy lights and a fire in the evening. Meals tend to be a communal affair but provision can be made for sepearate dining, for example when we were leaving whilst the others were on the morning safari. The guides for the safari were knowlegeable and enthusiastic. Personaly we loved our stay. Although some might find things rustic, that is the nature of a campsite over a hotel and for us, part of the attraction.

First of all, Sri Lanka is very much open for tourism despite the economic troubles - we felt very safe and welcomed and saw nothing of the riots. The Sri Lankans desperately need tourists to come now so don’t hesitate! We had a fabulous couple of days at Leopard Safaris. Dani and the team went above and beyond to make it a brilliant experience. The four drives we did were incredible and we saw elephants, monkeys, birds, deer and the elusive leopards- seeing a mum and her two cubs very close up on the last morning. The driver and guide were a brilliant team working out where to look and made sure we were in the right place at the right time. They were very respectful of the animals and clearly loved their jobs. Back at camp the food was superb and the accommodation very comfortable. I can’t recommend this place enough.

We have just spent two magical days at leopard safaris. The rooms were luxurious and very cleverly thought through. From charging points in the beds to outdoor showers under the stars. The food was fabulous. The staff even took the time to explain what products had been used. They even catered for one member of our group who is allergic to coconut, not a mean feat in Sri Lankan cooking. The safaris were led by our guide who was an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the animals and Sri Lanka in general. He has even taught me a new trick for learning names and positioning of towns worldwide. We were lucky to see a leopard and other beautiful wildlife, but the variety of scenery itself makes for a fantastic drive. It should be noted that we did two three hour drive with a 2, 4 and 9 year old! Lastly it’s very important to note that this company is respectful to nature and its staff. Employing policies of recycling and equal opportunities that we didn’t see in other places that we stayed. I would recommend a stay here 100%

We chose Leopard Safaris camp for our honeymoon, enticed by the promise of a "luxury" safari camping experience. Unfortunately, our stay was very disappointing, so we ended up cutting our stay short and did not get any refund (despite the misalignment in expectations/ high price point and reality of our experience.) The safari itself was incredibly tedious, as the guide struggled to communicate in English and we circled the same route over and over again. It is important to note that it was raining during our stay, so they were definitely limited in where they could and could not go within Yala, but little of this was actually communicated to us upfront. Additionally, the promised 'safari refreshments' were limited to stale cookies and a few warm sodas....and we encountered other frustrating issues like a malfunctioning rain cover throughout the rainy safari. The initial dinner dining experience, too, was underwhelming with limited portions and a communal table set up (which in itself was OK but just not just communicated upfront and not what we would have opted for on our honeymoon.) Accommodation-wise, our room had a mildew smell, was filled with mosquitoes and had an outdoor shower setup, which was essentially unusable during the rain storm. What was most frustrating about this experience was really just the lack of transparency and upfront communication throughout. And after expressing our concerns very kindly to the management, hoping for a fair resolution, we found our requests and feedback were not taken seriously nor fully addressed. We understand that some factors (such as the weather) are beyond control, but the overall quality of service and communication we experienced were below what one would expect from a luxury camp, especially considering the high cost. This review is to share our honest experience so that future travelers have a clear picture of what to expect. While the camp's setting is beautiful, there's significant room for improvement in service delivery and guest communication.

Fantastic few days with Noel and his dedicated team. Nothing was too much. Delicious plentiful food, really fun authentic ‘camping’. Shower under the stars, a supremely comfy bed - even the kids bunk beds had toppers- and listening to all the wildlife is very special. Great lounge and so many different dining areas depending on the numbers of people and the inclement weather- so beautiful when outside and lit by lanterns, or breakfast outside our tent on last morning. Safari is Sri Lankan style, not African… the park is big but it’s not run that well so there is a drive to the entrances, it can be slow getting in and they don’t limit the number of cars, but they do limit where they can go. Having said that, Noel’s rangers were real experts- we saw 5 leopards over 6 drives, beautiful placid elephants, land monitors, crocs and so many beautiful birds. His vehicles are also proper 4x4s and really well equipped, unlike many others we saw get stuck. Thank you for a magical time!