Name: Ruhunu Safari Mobile Tented Camping Yala
Address: Yala National Park, Tissamaharama, Tissamaharama, Tissamaharama, 82600, Sri Lanka
Rating: 9

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Weerawila Airport

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport

Ruhunu Safari Mobile Tented Camping Yala

Had the pleasure of spending a night in the Ruhunu Safari camp and had an unforgettable experience. From arrival to departure we were treated to wonderful service, delicious food and beautiful scenery including an astonishing nights sky around a cosy bonfire.

My family loved this unique Sri Lankan safari experience. What an adventure ... early mornings, an open-air jeep, racing along dirt roads in search of wild animals. We saw it all - leopards up close, a rare sloth bear, elephants, crocodiles, boar and every bird imaginable! It was worth every minute of the chase. 
The campsite staff and drivers were friendly, knowledgeable and above and beyond for hospitality.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere welcoming and relaxed and the luxury tents, a delight! We had an unforgettable time at Ruhunu Safari Camping. Thank you, Isuru and the team. We hope to be back one day!

A fantastic experience in a beautiful setting, you feel you are in the heart of the jungle but still surrounded by comforts! Due to the weather conditions in Udawalawe, we were relocated to the Yala camp and Isuru and the team could not do enough to make up for this and give us the best experience. The two safari journeys were amazing and our driver was so helpful in spotting animals and keeping us away from other jeeps so you can properly view the animals. We were fortunate to see leopards and elephants and were then welcomed back to camp with delicious home cooked Sri Lankan food. A must visit if you are looking for a more unique experience rather than just staying in a tourist filled hotel!! Many thanks to Simon, Isuru and the rest of the camp team :) 

Joanna & Nick

We were greeted by very welcoming and friendly hosts at the camp. From then, the trip only got better!! The staff here were so lovely to us and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience - delicious food, good fun and great chats! The game drives were amazing - we saw so many elephants and leopards and had the best fun.  An experience we’ll never forget.

Our small group of 5 spent 5 nights here in early May, 2019. Unfortunately, due to the events in April, the tourism in Sri Lanka was severely affected. It was a blessing to us though, as Yala was nearly empty. The service and local food at Ruhunu is wonderful. The tents very comfortable, with good working air conditioning. As we had the camp pretty much to ourselves save a group which came in for 2 days, I can say we have simply an incredible time. Isuru and his team are terrific, and I cannot state that we had any issues at all. The drives into Yala were wonderful, and we were able to see several leopards, sloth bears and all the other wonderful wildlife and birds which exist in Yala. I am personally working on a film project related to feral dogs, and I was hearwarmed to know that Isuru is working on a project relating to the care of dogs. Indeed while we were there, he had rescued some 9 pups, feeding and protecting them pending spay, neuter, flea and other treatments. This place is wonderful, go visit them, and tell them Serge sent you. The authentic bush experience rivals those of which we have experienced in Africa many times, and the sightings of the rare species was wonderful. Yala has generally less antelope then Africa, but you won't be disappointed with what you see. Ruhunu's assigned driver was terrific, and knew the territory of the leopards. If you are going to Yala, I highly recommend Ruhunu.

Our family of four - 2 adults, 2 kids (age 3 and 6) had the most amazing time at Ruhunu!  We booked one night and included as much as we could possibly squeeze and it was all fabulous.  The drive off the road into the camp area was an adventure in itself, driving over boulders and ducking branches - the kids loved it!  The camp is off the grid so it's very remote and we saw lizards and monkeys all over the grounds and even one sighting of a giant squirrel.  The communal dining/lounge area is beautiful and relaxing and all of the meals were delicious.  The first meal was a bit too spicy for the kids though, so that may be something you'd want to request prior to arriving.  The staff were very accommodating and the meals thereafter were perfect.  The safaris were amazing, although the 4am wake-up for the morning one was painful... definitely worth it though!  The evening after the afternoon safari on the first day was packed full of activities including a bonfire and roasting marshmallows as well as an after-dinner night walk (which we passed on since our kids needed to get to bed).  Since we only had one night, I felt like we didn't get to enjoy the grounds as much but it would be lovely to go back and have one leisurely afternoon to just hang out.  The staff are all amazing and kind, we really felt well taken care of.  thanks for a great stay!

We had a wonderful stay. Stefan was outstandingly accommodating and welcoming. His briefings and calm disposition helped us feel at ease. Gayathri was also helpful as she followed us out on some Safaris. Our main driver was Bodi and he was outstandingly resourceful and hardworking.
We stayed for 3 nights (1 night may not be enough as nature sightings are always dependant on, well, nature...) and we had the following sightings:
1. 6 Leopard sightings - the first was very close. The leopard walked toward us and practically brushed past our vehicle as it made its way to the other side of the road. On the second day, we had 4 (further away). 3rd day we had one (fleeting view), and none the last day.
2. Many elephant sightings - including seeing them bathing, drinking up close, a growl (that nearly made me jump out of my seat) as one suddenly appeared up close from behind the trees, as well as an unexpected chase by a Tusker.
3. One fabulous rare sighting of a sloth bear! Credit really goes to Bodi for this one as he saw the animal on rock on the hill when another vehicle missed seeing it cos it was looking the other way. Then he drove slightly ahead to a plain to lay wait for it as he was sure it would come down the hill - and true enough, it did! Don’t come expecting to see this though - I hear its pretty rare.
4. Many deer - both the spotted and sambhal.
5. Several mongoose sightings - mainly the ruddy.
6. Countless bird species, crocodile, wild buffalo, hare etc
We enjoyed each sighting thoroughly!
The accommodation was nice and comfortable - but you have to be prepared this is outdoor camping (albeit somewhat glamping) and you should definitely not be expecting a hotel room.
The food was nice - very local, very home- cooked and lots of local veggies too.
Highly recommend staying here!

We had an memorable stay at Ruhunu Safari Camping with excellent safari drives, luxurious tents, authentic srilankan food and very hospitable staff. 

The campsite is located in the buffer zone of the yala park and its just 5min drive to the main entrance. the safaris were awesome. Bodi our driver was a great spotter and driver at the same time. 

Meals were all srilankan and well prepared to suite our taste (Not too Spicy). we really enjoyed the meals and specially the pick nick lunch in the beach. 

The Tusker tent was amazing. we never expected so much luxury in the jungle like this. aircon and hot water shower was very welcome to us. the bed was very comfy. 

The Staff was very friendly and helpful when needed. our heartiest thank you to all the staff who made our stay a most memorable one. will be definitely returning on our next vacation to sri lanka.

Cheers.

Jen & Gus

Went to Ruhunu Safari with my wife and the experience we had was phenomenal. The staff was very friendly and very supportive when it comes to the briefing about the surrounding and they were very knowledgable. Shihan was a guy with the knowledge on the wild and he gave us a lot of insights around the area and on the wildlife. The camping site was very clean and nicely done with all the facilities we looked for especially I went there with my wife. I will definitely visit Ruhunu Safari again and never hesitate to recommend the place to anyone who loves wildlife.

We had a fantastic time as a family of four with our two sons staying at Ruhunu for two nights over Christmas 2019, the staff were very welcoming and helpful and our accommodation was comfortable and clean. We had time to do one afternoon and one full day safari and in that time saw way more wildlife than we ever expected-  the photo's featured do not lie! This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Sri Lanka.

Ruhunu Safari Mobile Tented Camping Yala

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