We wanted to stay in an eco lodge near to Yala national park and Galapita looked the obvious choice from the guide books. The website also looked really slick - a long way from the reality unfortunately.

Our first difficulty was in contacting Galapita - the number in the guide book did not work and, after finding another phone number on the web, no one answered it. So we ended up making the booking through an agent in Colombo (using another number on the Galapita website) and the quote was for $75 pp pn full board. This is quite expensive by Sri Lankan standards but we assumed that given the website, that this must be justified. Following a 3 hour journey from Tissa, we arrived and were surprised at the lack of any reception or greeting. There were no other guests there and the staff did not speak English. There is potential to make this a really nice place but it all looked a bit tired and certainly not at the standard you'd expect for the price. The setting was rural and by a river but not especially scenic. Needless to say, we were disappointed to have made the journey and decided not to stay.

We booked Galapita directly, looking for somewhere different to stay - the web site promised various activities, including tyre tubing (sic), elephant watching and cycling. The accommodation is very very basic, although it is a lovely location by the river. None of the activities were available - we were told the tires "had burst". The staff tried hard, but there just wasn't much on offer. The food was basic vegetarian - but after 2 days we'd had everything on offer - endless vegetables, three times a day. It's terribly over-priced, for what it is - at half the price, it would be almost reasonable, but we definitely couldn't recommend it.

We stayed one night in this lodge. It's about 15 km from the next city and a good start for Yala NP. The lodge is situated along a river. You can reach the logde via a walking bridge. The lodge is very basic. Expect no comfort here, but you will experience a lot of rest and it's back to nature. People are friendly and the food is fine: vegetarian. If you like to have meet or fish, you have to pay extra for it. They have common bathrooms. Warm water on solar energy. The bathrooms look very natural, but as I said: don't expect comfort. During our stay it was very very warm during the night. No breeze and we were very tired the next morning. You don't must be afraid of being in nature, because the cabins are open (no doors, no windows). We expected the lodge to be a little more trendy and comfortable. Nevertheless I rated this logde above average, because it has been really a special experience.