Jump to:

• Introduction: Wilpattu National Park Review
• Booking Mahoora Glamping
• Getting To Wilpattu National Park
• Accomodation at Mahoora
• Food at Mahoora
• Guided Walks at Mahoora
• Safari at Wilpattu National Park
• Further Useful Information
• Wilpattu National Park Review Summary

Introduction: Wilpattu National Park Review

Wilpattu National Park is Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest national park. It’s known for its forests, open grasslands, and many natural lakes. It’s located in the northwest, around a four-hour drive from Colombo, and is one of the best places in Sri Lanka to spot wildlife. Some of the highlights being leopards, sloth bears, elephants, and a wide variety of birdlife. Wilapattu is a quieter, less crowded national park than some of Sri Lanka’s other options and we felt it was an ethical and sustainable option. 

We recently had the chance to experience safari glamping at Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Wilpattu National Park, and it was unforgettable. We stayed for one night in one of their beautifully set-up glamp tents. The experience included a half-day safari, an afternoon guided walk, a night time guided walk, and breakfast, dinner, & snacks. We paid £210, which we felt was exceptional value considering everything that was included. 

From the moment we arrived, it was clear this was going to be something special. We can happily say we’d highly recommend it. In this Wilpattu National Park review, we dive deeper into what the safari was like and what it’s really like staying at Mahoora.

Booking Mahoora Glamping

You can easily book online, directly on the Mahoora Website , and there are plenty of different packages to suit your needs and budget. We actually found Mahoora on Booking.com and booked through them. 

We then messaged them on Booking to check our booking and arrange a few details for example if we wanted a morning or evening safari, and dietary requirements for meals. They were very helpful throughout, and made the process nice and easy!

Getting To Wilpattu National Park

Our Wilapattu National Park Review starts with how we got there. We travelled in the morning from Negombo to Wilapattu National Park, which is a popular route when travelling Sri Lanka. We left at around 10:00am and arrived around 13:15. There are a few ways to get to Wilapattu. We actually used PickMe – a popular ride app used in Sri Lanka similar to Uber or Grab. The journey cost us around £40 and the driver was very good. If you are coming from Colombo it will be slightly more. 

You can also book a driver in advance, and most hotels / guest houses will be happy to help do this for you. You can book online too, and 12go Asia is a great option to do this. The cost will be very similar to the £40 we paid on PickMe. If you do book online, we would suggest avoiding Real Lanka Holidays, as they actually didn’t show up and that was why we ended up using PickMe on the day!

There are also some shared minivans that you can book online or through your hotel. However, we found the cost for two seats was already very close to a private car, which was something we noticed a lot when travelling Sri Lanka. 

Lastly, if you are feeling adventurous or on a tight budget, it is possible by public transport though you will have to do some further research into this. There are several routes we have seen, though you will essentially need to head to Wilapattu Junction. From Negombo and Colombo, it’s common to take the public bus to Puttalam, and then change for another bus which passes Wilapattu Junction. It’s also possible to find a bus running to Anuradhapura, but check that it definitely passes Wilapattu Junction. 

Accomodation at Mahoora

After arriving at Mahoora, we checked in and were warmly welcomed by the staff, who introduced themselves and gave us a short briefing about the campsite and the activities. Throughout our stay, the team were very friendly and attentive, clearly putting a lot of effort into making guests have a great stay. 

We were then shown to our glamp tent, set on its own private pitch with a small outdoor area furnished with chairs. Lanterns lined the path to the tent and were lit in the evening, adding to the atmosphere and making it easy to find our way in the dark. The tent itself had mesh doors to keep out bugs, which worked really well.

Inside, the tent was surprisingly spacious. The first room was the living area, with a sofa, coffee table, several lamps, and a large fan to keep things cool. The second room had a double bed along with some storage for our bags, and again multiple lamps and a large fan. We were also provided with glass bottled water and a torch, which was especially useful in the evenings. Behind the bedroom was our private bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower — fairly basic, but with everything we needed.

The campsite itself was very well designed, featuring a large reception area, a relaxed communal space with games and books, a restaurant, and plenty of spots to explore or simply sit back and enjoy the setting. The accommodation and overall service at Mahoora really helped make our Wilpattu National Park review a very positive one.

Whilst on the campsite we started seeing incredible wildlife already, including squirrels, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and large snails. At reception we were actually greeted by a 2-3 metre snake crawling past!

Food at Mahoora

With our package, we had dinner and breakfast included. However, when we arrived at around 13:15, we were ready for some lunch. We went to the restaurant, which was in a picturesque setting at the edge of the campsite and ordered sandwiches. We were very surprised with the great prices with a sandwich, fries and drink costing around £3 each. There were plenty of options, and our lunch was delicious!

We had a bit of time to relax and enjoy some time to ourselves. At 17:30, we had just gotten back from an afternoon walk (see below) and Mahoora provided some local snacks and tea which was fantastic. We tried some coconut sambol sandwiches and kevum (a local sweet). 

At 19:00 we enjoyed a local beer, and were then seated for dinner. The dining experience was amazing and they really went all out. They served 4 courses all beautifully presented and enjoyed in a lovely outdoor setting under candle light. We had messaged in advance that we are vegan, and they catered really well for us. We enjoyed vegetable samosas to start, followed by a soup, a local main with soya and rice. For dessert we had a local sweet called halapal. Throughout the meal, the staff made a real effort and the head chef even came over to speak with us and make sure everything was okay. 

After a good night’s rest, we woke early to start our safari. At 5:30am we were given a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits to help wake up. Around 8:00am while on the safari we were given a packed breakfast which contained a sandwich, spring roll, sweets and fruit. Again it was very tasty!

Guided Walks at Mahoora

There was a lot to do at Wilpattu National Park provided by Mahoora and we really enjoyed all of it. 

At 16:30 there was an afternoon walk in a small group of around 10 of us. It’s optional, and you can just show up to join. It lasted about an hour and the guide mainly showed us plants and foods which were growing in the local area, and pointed out many birds throughout the walk. 

After dinner at 21:00 there was an evening walk. It was a similar size group and probably took around 30-40 minutes. It was great to see the difference in the local area at night, spotting wildlife such as frogs, lizards and birds. 

Safari at Wilpattu National Park

After a good night’s rest we gathered for the morning safari at 5:30am. Depending what you book there is a full day and ½ day option. We picked the morning ½ day option, but there is also an afternoon option. By 6:00am we were in our jeeps and set off into Wilapattu National Park. 

The jeeps held a max of 6 people and we were joined by another couple and a guide. Just a 10 minute drive, we were at the entrance to Wilapattu National Park. There is a small shop which serves some food and drinks and there is also a toilet at the entrance. 

Wilapattu National Park was not too busy and often we were the only jeep in sight or there was just a few others. At one point it did get busy when leopards were spotted as the drivers and guides tried to locate them for us. Overall, it was a good choice for a quieter experience. The roads were rather bumpy, especially due to the recent bad weather Sri Lanka has experienced. 

Sadly we didn’t see leopards, elephants or sloth bears on this safari but others on the day did see a leopard. We still had a great time and saw a lot of wildlife including: deer, lizards, tortoise, water buffalo, crocodiles, jackall, mongoose, and many birds. If you are into bird watching, you won’t be disappointed. 

We have actually done a safari before in Kenya which you can read about in our: Kenya Things To Do: Complete 7-Day Itinerary and Travel Guide. 

Around halfway we stopped for breakfast, and a toilet stop. The guide and driver were great throughout, and we would honestly recommend the safari. We actually wished we had longer! We arrived back at the campsite by 11:00am and packed up our stuff and said goodbye to our glamp tent and the Mahoora team. 

Further Useful Information

There is internet available, however it might only be available at certain times and work best in communal areas. For us the internet worked fairly well, though you should expect it to be slow at times. 

There are some small shops nearby which sell drinks and snacks if needed. 

There will be mosquitoes in Wilpattu National Park. We recommend bringing a mosquito repellent and some longer layers to cover up in the evening. We actually only got a few bites, no worse than anywhere else on our Sri Lanka trip. 

Food shouldn’t be kept in your tent, you can give it to the reception to store. The restaurant is very affordable and a great option. If you have any dietary requirements they are very accommodating. 

There is drinking water provided and you can fill up your bottles anytime throughout your stay.

Wilpattu National Park Review Summary

We really hope our experience and review of staying with Mahoora at Wilpattu National Park has been helpful. We would absolutely recommend it, and the whole adventure was great value. Mahoora was fantastic, from the accommodation and food, to the staff and activities. Wilapattu is a great choice if you are looking for a quieter, more sustainable safari experience in Sri Lanka. Even though we didn’t see leopards or sloth bears this time, the safari was still great. We would be happy to do it again!