Big Game - Udawalawe by Eco Team

A very nice place to stay if you go on safari. The tens are simpel but good and all you need. The staf is SUPER. We had dinner onder the stars with campfire. A perfect set up. The the 5 course menu was served and it was exelant. We had a great experience.

This is a unique experience, right in the buffer zone between Udawalawe national park and the villages. The staff are lovely, and very helpful. Dinner (bbq served to the table) is held outdoors in the lights of lit candles and fire pits. Tents are super cosy and much better than the pictures - each tent has its own bathroom with toilet and shower. Our tent was located a bit further away, and to find out way back after dinner, the staff had lit flamed torches along the path to our tent. It was magical! The next morning, Heshan gave us a private tour of the camp, pointing out various plants, trees, and animals. We got to taste some of the crop (mung beans) even saw freshly laid peacock eggs! Overall, a very good experience and we’d highly recommend Big Camp to anyone who’s looking for an authentic experience.

We stayed at Big Game Campsite in Yala national park whilst visiting Sri Lanka on our honeymoon. The value for money is amazing and worth every last penny. We got to stay in the most fantastic tent which is absolutely surrounded by nature, which is a real experience that you don't want to miss before getting up early and heading off on a FANTASTIC morning safari. We saw elephants, monkeys, crocodiles, many beautiful birds, mongooses, land monitors etc. And the safari is guided by some very knowledgeable and friendly guides. The food was so delicious and catered to any dietary requirements, the afternoon walk and night walk around the the local area are also brilliant and you can purchase beers, wines etc when you're there if you want to have a drink under the stars sitting by a bonfire. We cannot reccomend staying here enough. If you go to Sri Lanka, you simply cannot miss out on this experience and thank you to the team for making it so wonderful for us!! Jack & Helena. London, UK

There are a lot of nice elements to this camp; the staff is amazing and very friendly, they try hard to bring all you need and help you in every way possible; tents are set up thoughtfully, safaris are prompt and well balanced; the driver tried hard to navigate the busy traffic we encountered at Udawalawe and the guide was ‘somewhat’ knowledgeable about wildlife. The food is average, choices are very limited and for the price paid for vegetarian choices, not reasonable. There are so many vegetables available just around the block, we didn’t understand why there was only a soupy, w few potatoes, as a curry dish for the vegetarian option dinner. However, Breakfasts are fantastic and they bring loads of food and as much as you can possibly eat. Lunch is basic. Only recommend staying here one night as a gateway to the park, there isn’t anything offered to do at the camp if you aren’t on safari.

A belated review. Throughly recommend and Solomons, our guide was so knowledgeable and keen to share his naturalist skills and experience. Even if camping is not your thing, try this glamping experience once. Dining under the stars is so wonderful. The food was also delicious (we were surprised). All the staff were so eager to help. We saw so many wildlife, especially birds.

I've got slightly mixed feeling about this experience. First impressions weren't great when staff weren't aware we were coming, they said head office hadn't let them know so our tent wasn't ready, lunch wasn't prepared, staff weren't aware and were enjoying a well deserved day off. Everyone rushed around and were very apologetic but it started things off with a strange vibe. I should note I did move our booking a day earlier but I had received a confirmation email advising it was all sorted. The tents are very comfortable and set up really nicely. There's lots of nice details like lanterns being lit at night and candles on the tables. The staff are extremely attentive and nothing is too much trouble. The food was absolutely delicious and eating by candlelight was lovely. We stayed 2 nights and it felt a bit too long, none of the camp activities seemed to be running. There was a board that had a list of activities 'craft, cooking classes, movies etc but none of this materialised. Our bush walk was about 15 minutes long due to it being too muddy. We also had no hot water in our shower. Someone came to fix it but wasn't successful. The game drives were really enjoyable, Solomon is very knowledgeable. It's a good 30 minutes to the park entrance and even though the camp is on the border of the park it's surrounded by electric fences so animals don't move through the camp. I had an idea it might be like safari camps in Africa where animals move through. This was a pretty expensive treat for us which is maybe why I had high expectations, maybe it's better just for adults rather than families?