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Wildlife Bungalow Booking in Sri Lanka

Photo summary of all parks captured by our wildlife experts

All Parks
Elephants
Horton Plains
Jeeps
Kumana
Leopards
Lunugamvehera
Minneriya
Udawalawe
Wilpattu
Yala
Yala Block V

Benefits of Staying in a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

Choosing to stay in a wildlife bungalow, rather than a conventional hotel outside the park, offers a unique and environmentally responsible experience. These bungalows are built with sustainability at their core, featuring eco-friendly designs and zero-waste practices that minimize their impact on the surrounding ecosystem. Nestled within the heart of nature, they allow you to experience the wilderness in a more intimate and respectful way. For those who are passionate about wildlife conservation and committed to eco-friendly travel, staying inside the park is a perfect choice. Here are some of the standout benefits:

  • Staying in a bungalow within the park gives you early access to safari areas and allows you to stay later, increasing your chances of spotting leopards, bears, and other wildlife. This also offers the unique opportunity to enjoy sightings without the presence of other jeeps.
  • Bungalows are strategically located near waterways—lakes, rivers, and streams—where animals are especially drawn during the dry season.
  • Animals often roam near the bungalows at night, allowing you to observe them up close without needing a safari jeep.
  • Staying inside the park lets you relax between safaris without needing to exit and pay additional entry fees. For example, you can rest or nap after the morning safari and refresh for the evening game drive.
  • If you stay inside the park, entry fees are charged only once for multiple days, whereas staying outside the park incurs additional costs for re-entry.
  • Enjoy authentic Sri Lankan meals prepared by skilled bungalow keepers, whose expertise we highly recommend.
  • The experience of staying in a small bungalow in the forest is uniquely immersive, offering a connection to nature that many find irresistible compared to a hotel stay.
  • Bungalows are designed to allow natural airflow, with beds placed in open spaces for a calming and refreshing experience.
  • The sense of isolation from busy life is another key benefit. Many bungalows have no mobile connectivity, offering a completely offline experience to recharge and reflect.
Wildlife Bungalow Booking and Safari

Benefits of Staying in a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

Choosing to stay in a wildlife bungalow, rather than a conventional hotel outside the park, offers a unique and environmentally responsible experience. These bungalows are built with sustainability at their core, featuring eco-friendly designs and zero-waste practices that minimize their impact on the surrounding ecosystem. Nestled within the heart of nature, they allow you to experience the wilderness in a more intimate and respectful way. For those who are passionate about wildlife conservation and committed to eco-friendly travel, staying inside the park is a perfect choice. Here are some of the standout benefits:

  • Staying in a bungalow within the park gives you early access to safari areas and allows you to stay later, increasing your chances of spotting leopards, bears, and other wildlife. This also offers the unique opportunity to enjoy sightings without the presence of other jeeps.
  • Bungalows are strategically located near waterways—lakes, rivers, and streams—where animals are especially drawn during the dry season.
  • Animals often roam near the bungalows at night, allowing you to observe them up close without needing a safari jeep.
  • Staying inside the park lets you relax between safaris without needing to exit and pay additional entry fees. For example, you can rest or nap after the morning safari and refresh for the evening game drive.
    • Wildlife Bungalow Booking and Safari
  • If you stay inside the park, entry fees are charged only once for multiple days, whereas staying outside the park incurs additional costs for re-entry.
  • Enjoy authentic Sri Lankan meals prepared by skilled bungalow keepers, whose expertise we highly recommend.
  • The experience of staying in a small bungalow in the forest is uniquely immersive, offering a connection to nature that many find irresistible compared to a hotel stay.
  • Bungalows are designed to allow natural airflow, with beds placed in open spaces for a calming and refreshing experience.
  • The sense of isolation from busy life is another key benefit. Many bungalows have no mobile connectivity, offering a completely offline experience to recharge and reflect.

What to Expect in a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

Bungalows are government maintained properties and only provide minimal facilities to experience the wild. But they are the best way to experience the wild. But knowing what to expect is great, and you can prepare well.

  • Bungalows are usually powered by small solar panels, hence you will not have facilities to charge your devices in most cases. Hence you need to bring your own power backups, or extra batteries.
  • Bungalows are equipped with basic toilet facilities which are good enough, but do not expect luxury levels inside national parks. You must take your own toilet paper.
  • Basic bedding facilities are there with pillow covers, bed sheets, and mosquito nets. They clean everything after each use.
  • Beds are placed in open space with natural air conditioning as well as inside rooms.
  • Bungalows do not have coolers or fridges, so all meat items and drinks should be kept in a cool box, which you have to bring.
  • Bangalow keepers are really good with cooking, especially Sri Lankan traditional cuisines. So please get prepared for some good times with sri lankan spices. You can ask the cook to maintain a moderate level of spices depending on your interests.
  • Bungalows can have small home based insects, animals like lizards at a manageable level. Also frogs could be around the bungalow nearby.
  • Animals can be roaming nearby the bungalows at any time, so expect some adventurous time, while making sure not to feed them, also not reaching very close to them to protect yourself and the wild animals.
  • You cannot do safaris at night in Sri Lanka inside national parks, but you can see some animals who come close to bungalows like wild boars, fish owls and other birds, even elephants at some times.
  • Nights and early morning safaris can be a little cold, but manageable. Please use some cover for small kids.
  • All parks have almost zero internet and mobile connectivity, so basically prepare to be completely offline for your full stay. But there can be some places with limited internet.
  • Bangalow bookings are complex and involve a lot of details, so please consult a good safari service provider, who actually does these regularly.
  • The Wildlife department of Sri Lanka provides an official guide for each bungalow booking, but having a separate naturalist and a wildlife photographer is always worthy.

How to Book a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

Wildlife bungalows are built inside many national parks in Sri Lanka. Most of the bungalows are of high demand from local wildlife research community as well as wildlife photographers as they provide quick access to amazing wildlife habitats. Bungalow bookings for the month start the first Sri Lanka working day of the previous month. But you need to be physically present at the Battaramulla branch of the wildlife department to secure the high demand bungalows via the lottery draw. The remaining bungalows will be made for online bookings after the draw has been concluded. Please make sure to talk to a local expert before making any bookings to avoid mistakes as this involves lots of complexities. Please follow the steps below for the online bookings if you decides to go ahead,

  1. Go to official website https://dwc.lankagate.gov.lk/ 
  2. Press “Make reservation online”
  3. Press “Proceed”
  4. Select Park and the facility you prefer
  5. Select Check in date and checkout date and press Next, careful with the number of nights.
  6. Enter the NIC or passport and press the Lookup button, which auto fills information.
  7. Enter group details as shown in the screenshot as is.
  8. Press next and Proceed to payment (Please do the payment within 10 mins)
Wildlife Bungalow Booking and Safari

How to Book a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

Wildlife bungalows are built inside many national parks in Sri Lanka. Most of the bungalows are of high demand from local wildlife research community as well as wildlife photographers as they provide quick access to amazing wildlife habitats. Bungalow bookings for the month start the first Sri Lanka working day of the previous month. But you need to be physically present at the Battaramulla branch of the wildlife department to secure the high demand bungalows via the lottery draw. The remaining bungalows will be made for online bookings after the draw has been concluded. Please make sure to talk to a local expert before making any bookings to avoid mistakes as this involves lots of complexities. Please follow the steps below for the online bookings if you decides to go ahead,

Wildlife Bungalow Booking and Safari
  1. Go to official website https://dwc.lankagate.gov.lk/ 
  2. Press “Make reservation online”
  3. Press “Proceed”
  4. Select Park and the facility you prefer
  5. Select Check in date and checkout date and press Next, careful with the number of nights.
  6. Enter the NIC or passport and press the Lookup button, which auto fills information.
  7. Enter group details as shown in the screenshot as is.
  8. Press next and Proceed to payment (Please do the payment within 10 mins)

Important instructions

  • You will need your NIC or passport details to make a booking. If you are a foreigner, please consult a local safari operator, and use one of their member IDs for the booking.
  • Please enter a valid email address and a phone number.
  • Make sure to have the guest count ready for the booking. Foreign and local adults and kids need to be filled separately. Local count includes the jeep driver, and other team members accompany you. You do not have to include the wildlife officer coming with you. Please be mindful about the minimum and maximum visitor counts for the bangalow and jeep capacities.
  • Booking can be paid via credit or debit cards easily but make sure to keep the browser open until you get the confirmation of booking, and reservation number. This can take a significant time. So stay calm and keep the browser window open.
  • Please keep the reservation number noted, and download the park permit at the end of the booking and bring a print out on the day of your visit with the same Identity card you used for the booking.
  • Please write down the names, and identification details (Passport or NIC), and contact details of the visitors on a separate paper, and hand it over to the wildlife officers when you are entering the park.

What to Bring when Staying in a Wildlife Bungalow in Sri Lanka’s National Parks

    Must-try Meals to Enjoy 

    • Rice and Curry with Your Choice of Meat (e.g., Chicken Curry)
    • String Hoppers with Savory Egg Curry
    • Sri Lankan Milk Rice with Lunu Miris (Spicy Sambol)
    • Boiled Eggs or Freshly Made Omelets
    • Steamed Vegetables
    • Bread with Jam or Butter Spread
    • Coconut Roti with Lunu Miris (Spicy Sambol)
    • Fried Rice or Yellow Rice with Sri Lankan Devilled Chicken
    • Boiled Sweet Potatoes or Cassava with Coconut Sambal

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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Usually a traveller will get a 30 day single entry visa online or on arrival at the airport. You can apply online via the official government website.

    Simple answer is No. But we recommend to book a tourist board authorised guide or an authorised driver for your visit to get the best experience in Sri Lanka. This way you improve your safety, trust, and experience overall as they are trained to perform best.

    Ideal group would be of 6 travellers or more. Transportation cost and safari ticket/jeep costs would be shared across the team, so the price would be less per individual. If you can group more than 6 people, that would be even better.

    You can buy a sim card at the airport itself by producing your travel documents for few bucks. Internet packages are very cheap in Sri Lanka and they will active the card for you. Refer 4G coverage maps of Dialog and Mobitel internet providers.

    All transactions are done in LKR in Sri Lanka, other than few tourist hotels and restaurants accepting foreign currencies. Alternatively you can pay by your credit or debit card at some places. But we highly recommend to exchange some of your currency to local currency at one of the airport exchange counters. 

    Please contact us via WhatsApp with your email, group size, arrival and departure dates. We will find matching teams at possible services such as transport sharing and safari pooling.

    You can report either to nearest Sri Lanka police station or tourist police of any incident in Sri Lanka. 

    You might encounter mosquitos at some places in Sri Lanka. You can buy a mosquito repelant from a super market in Sri Lanka.

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