Gal Oya Lodge

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.

Absolutely loved this place. A really relaxing atmosphere and lovely staff. Nothing is too much trouble for them. We stayed in Bungalow 6 which great. Very spacious with great views. Most people come to do the boat safari but for us the highlight of our trip was a breakfast picnic at “new tank”. It was so beautiful, almost from a different word. One of our favourite places in Sri Lanka.

This was such a disappointing trip on so many levels. The weather was awful which obviously doesn't help and I know people who stayed during good weather have had very different experiences The rain meant that a lot of activities weren't available. Rain here isn't unusual by the way. We did the lake safari which was good and we saw plenty of birds, crocodiles and monitor lizards. The ride to the lake took 90 minutes in one of the bumpy jeeps. The guide was good. Only one gate was open to the national park back in the direction of the lake. We were told we would be very lucky to see any animals due to the rainy weather. We decided not to go. The lodge itself is very over priced for what you get. The lodge rooms are basically furnished with poor quality linen and ineffective mosquito nets. I was bitten by something in bed one night that has left a terrible scar on my knee which still hasn't faded after four weeks. The open air bathroom looked directly onto a wall of trees. The rooms are in need a revamp and some TLC. Sadly due to the rainy weather everything smelt and felt damp. Laundry service was good and efficient. Due to the rain paths were very slippery and at night you walk in darkness but there are hand torches and men do appear with torches to help guide you to the main lodge. The main lodge is ok with some seating and some board games. The all male staff tended to hang out around the bar area. The restaurant serves meals which you choose ahead of time. There is a limited menu choice. The food is ok. The swimming pool is nice in a pretty setting but was busy because guests were at the lodge rather than out on activities. I just don't understand the rave reviews this place gets. Nor do I understand how it is advertised by niche travel agencies such as Scott Dunn and Mr and Mrs Smith. Condé Nast rates it too. Perhaps the reps from these organisations haven't visited for sometime? They definitely didn't stay in my room if they did visit. We went on a wave of hype and sadly it didn't deliver. It was definitely a low point in our trip and we were glad we decided to cut our stay from 3 nights to 2. Go if the weather looks good and go realising you are not getting a luxury eco lodge experience worthy of the $ price tag.