Sinharaja Rest

Best location, calm surroundings, food is excellent. Worth it.

We spent 4 nights and 3 full days at Sinharaja Rest and our guide Kuma who was organized by the resthouse. Our host Nelum and the staff were exceptional - the food delicious, the place fantastically located in the middle of nature. We saw so many rare birds and other wildlife already just at the doorstep of the chalet and in the surrounding garden and area. My husband is a biologist and we are both hobby photographers and birdwatchers, so we asked for a specialized bird guide - and Kuma is amazing. It was an absolute pleasure to spend these 3 days with him in stunning Sinharaja on different tours. He is very knowledgeable about birds, plants and all wildlife and showed us so many amazing things. Our third day we spent together with Nelum and Kuma mainly driving around in a van, looking for birds and wildlife, and stopping for short walks on the way because I wasn't able to go on a strenuous hike that day. We saw so many stunning things but Nelum also invited us to his family where we experienced the wonderful hospitality and culture of Sri Lanka: we shared tea together and tasted all kinds of different fruits fresh from the garden. But what made this whole stay and especially this day such outstanding was the kindness and thoughtfulness of Nelum and Kuma to make this day possible in the first place despite my physical limitations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this unforgettable experience and memory that will stay with me forever for the rest of my life. It was such a pleasure and honor to meet you both and spend this time together. I hope we meet again soon! So if you are looking for an exceptional experience in Sinharaja - there is no better place. Highly recommended!

Nothing, everything was perfect for us.

Amazing host and respectful team! Kids-friendly! Pure nature! Delicious food! Top location!

Sinharaja Rest is located a top a beautiful mountain with amazing views to the rainforest. The cook at the property is amazing as we ate some of the best Sri Lankan food I‘ve ever tried there. The staff were generally helpful but didn’t speak English. The property owner Nelum, was rarely at the property so they had to keep calling him every time we had a question. Nelum organized a great tour of the forest for us with a wonderful guide - Kumar! we found the price a little expensive compared to other offers and he made us a small discount which was much appreciated.

We stayed at the cottage by the entrance and it was extremely run down. The hot water system in the bathroom was not strong enough to provide actual hot water just luke warm. It was raining the two nights we stayed and would have been nice to have a hot shower. The bathroom is in major need of renovation. The toilet seat, although clean, was completely stained with dark black/grey blotches. The sink is extremely small and fitted under a shelf making it practically impossible to wash your face. Wifi was very unreliable. The matress on the bed was extremely hard. We tried shifting to the smaller second bed in our room on the 2nd night but also very uncomfortable. The door and windows are not well sealed so there were huge ants everywhere, more than the usual I would expect for a cottage in the forest. We also had some difficulties with the payment as when we booked we were told we could pay in USD but this was then not accepted at the property. The road to the property is in bad shape and not accessible by larger vehicles. Our taxi van could not reach it. Nelum offered to pick us up at the top of the road so we could reach. However on our departure, Nelum agreed to take us to the main road to catch our transport but cancelled this last minute offering to call us a tuk tuk. We found this a little disappointing.