Where the wild still leads in Sri Lanka

On the fringe of Yala National Park, Wild Coast Tented Lodge delivers an immersive safari experience where eco-conscious design, close-range wildlife encounters and the raw force of the Indian Ocean converge

The sun had dipped beneath the horizon while we were dining, so while leaving the restaurant our maître d’ requests we pause. He flashes a torch, a chaperone appears on the lantern-lit path before us, and with a reassuring nod we’re invited to proceed.

Given Wild Coast Tented Lodge’s location within Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park buffer zone, our after-dark escort is requisite. There is, after all, no fence separating us from leopards – one of the densest concentrations of the species globally – and other wildlife, including elephants, crocodiles and sloth bears, that inhabit the sanctuary.

“There was an elephant outside the dining pavilion two days ago,” our usher informs us, but there’s no such excitement this evening and we’re soon safely ensconced within our own exquisitely appointed refuge.

Wild design

Enmeshed within jungle and fringed by rugged coast and the pummeling Indian Ocean, Wild Coast Tented Lodge, a Relais & Chateaux property, forms part of the Resplendent Ceylon collection of boutique accommodations owned by Sri Lanka’s philanthropic Dilmah Tea family.

It comprises 28 freestanding canvas-like cocoon suites – 12 with private pools, eight more combining plunges and family ‘urchins’ – scattered around wildlife-attracting waterholes.

Dutch architects Atelier Nomadic intended these accommodation clusters to appear as leopard paw prints aerially, and used biophilic design principles – with community involvement and locally-sourced materials – to embed the resort within its semi-arid landscape.

The habitat

Animal encounters are integral to the experience, and we’ve barely finished sipping welcome iced tea – Dilmah, naturally – at the open-air reception when our initiation begins.

A bush quivers and timid eyes peer.  “A deer mouse,” Rohan, our ‘personal curator’, grins. He also draws attention to a wildlife corridor, a patch of bark rubbed smooth by scratching elephants and two red flags on the untamed beachfront which, for safety, we’re not to venture past. He doesn’t need to point out the Asian monitor lizard sauntering lazily – with a gasp we clock his presence.

Set back from the sand the colossal bamboo, recycled-teak-shingled domes of Ten Tuskers Bar and the lodge’s UNESCO-design-award-winning dining pavilion echo the boulders on the shoreline. The azure infinity swimming pool meanders between them providing a communal oasis for guests and a jewel-like contrast to the weather-worn setting.

Smaller-scale mudbrick structures mimic the gathering space’s curvature, including a curiosity-endowed library, the alluring Sanctuary Spa and the promise of a gym and kids’ club, due to open imminently.

To call this 75 square-metre vaulted-ceilinged expanse a tent is a blatant understatement. Our insulated, climate-controlled Cocoon Pool Suite is a lighthearted lesson in safari chic…

Creature comforts

A black-faced monkey – specifically a grey langur, I learn later – is hovering in a tree above our pool deck. His presence explains the heavily-weighted door to our accommodation, and swinging it open I realise it’s one of many extraordinarily-well-considered elements infused within.

To call this 75 square-metre vaulted-ceilinged expanse a tent is a blatant understatement. Our insulated, climate-controlled Cocoon Pool Suite is a lighthearted lesson in safari chic, blending beaten copper, sutured canvas, timeworn timber, luxe linens and vintage-look leather in an elegant expedition-inspired aesthetic.

The frame of our lavishly-adorned, canopied king bed amplifies the patina of the double vanity and freestanding leopard-paw-foot bath, and naturally-fragranced, handmade Ophir amenities help maintain these copper surfaces.

There’s a phone for contacting reception, Rohan is at our disposal via WhatsApp connection and, though there’s a torch and lantern to alleviate occasional electricity interruptions, the one black-out we experience lasts but a moment before the Lodge’s generator intervenes.

A canvas-covered camp fridge containing a generous supply of complementary beverages, reinforces the adventurer theming, as does a timber trunk, which reveals an Illy coffee machine and Dilmah tea station – and a campaign-style desk, side table and armchairs.

Coverable portholes and double-height, double-glazed windows invite jungle views in, and outside a pair of sunlounges overlook the plunge pool and wildlife reservoir.

Lodge dining

Owing to the Lodge’s fury, scaley and feathered inhabitants there’s no food permitted inside cocoons and for included, chef-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner services we wander – past scurrying palm squirrels – to the upturned-basket-like interior of the communal dining pavilion.

Gravel floors and mud-brick benches lend the space an easy-going air, but we discover a refined elevation at play when it comes to the high-end service, cuisine and presentation.

The rotating, a la carte menus cater to all palates, though given Sri Lanka’s ‘spice island’ acclaim there’s a justifiable skew toward local flavours.

At lunch the first day our congenial server, Shanuka, suggests the Sri Lankan limeade, and the thirst-quenching mix of fresh lime, clove buds, cardamom pods and cinnamon bark becomes a staple of our stay.

It’s the ideal accompaniment to the simple-sounding ‘Sri Lankan rice and curry experience’, an aromatic festival of chicken, breadfruit and stem-vegetable curries, teamed with creamy dhal, light cabbage mallum, crispy papadums, pickles and sambols. Each dish individually piquant, masterful when married, and possibly as good as the local lunch we prepare ourselves next day, when junior sous chef Sathish shares stove-side secrets in an optional cooking lesson.

During our sojourn traditional egg hoppers and coconut milk kiribath, wild coast eggs benedict, prawn and baked banana blossom sambol, a mixed seafood platter, koththu – local comfort food – and decadent homemade ice-creams and desserts find their way onto our plates. Each delectable, memorable and unquestionably satiating, though an evening of lantern-lit beachside dining is undoubtedly a highlight.

We scarcely have room for cream tea offered in the bar come afternoon, but on our final day we yield to temptation and imbibe decadent tiers of arancini, finger sandwiches, delicate cakes and scones with cream, berry jam and freshly-brewed pots of Dilmah leaves.

Added adventure

There are around 45 mammals and 220 types of birds in Yala National Park and over one evening, and an early morning, we eyeball a good number of them on ranger-led safaris.

We list crocodiles, buffalos, langurs and mongooses among our sightings, together with proudly parading wild peacocks and dancing troupes of spotted deer, and within hours I develop twitcher-like prowess, identifying painted stalks, blue-tailed bee-eaters and crested hawk-eagles thanks to the expertise of Shani, our ranger. It’s raining, though, so leopards elude us.

“Cats, even big ones, don’t like rain,” Shani apologises, but any disappointment is washed away by close-up elephant encounters, including one saggy-skinned couple cavorting with their baby.

Hosted walking safaris are among other activities the Lodge offers, together with wilderness dining and daytrips showcasing local villages and cultural highlights, but after our bumpy 4WD expeditions it’s the body-easing rituals of the spa that beckon.

A symphony of Ceylon tea-infused poultices and the expert hands of massage therapist, Arik, melt away my dirt-road escapades, and an energising foot massage leaves my husband equally assuaged. Even when langurs inadvertently drain our pool we’re unphased – though admittedly Rohan has this fixed almost before we’ve noticed.

Sundowners, hosted atop the coastal dunes come day’s end, are celebrated as one of the Lodge’s signature experiences and it seems fitting we spend our last blissful evening sipping gin and nibbling canapés as the sun fades, with the thrashing surf and this deeply moving landscape drumming farewell.

Rates at Wild Coast Tented Lodge start from approximately US$820/night, including meals

resplendentceylon.com/resort/wild-coast-tented-lodge/