Last Updated on March 27, 2025

Eco-luxury situated between the natural wonders of the wilderness and the beautiful Indian Ocean.

Jetwing Yala Hotel sits on the edge of Sri Lanka’s most popular national park in the deep south of this beautiful teardrop island, positioned between the natural wonders of the wilderness and the unchartered coastline, looking out over the tranquil Indian Ocean.

Since I was a child, I have dreamt of going on safari, and here I was at last in the luxury of this lovely eco-hotel, which heralds a sustainable coexistence with the natural habitat and its wild and wonderful environment. When I first took in my tropical surroundings, I genuinely had that joyous feeling of being at one with nature.

Yala Jetwing offers the best of both worlds, along with its commitment to sustainability it also provides luxury and comfort. It has direct access to the wildlife experience in Yala’s National Park which is known to be one of the best places in the world to spot elephants, leopards, sloth bears and a host of stunning birdlife.

Jetwing Yala Location

Yala is a 4-hour drive away from the capital of Colombo, where the main airport is situated. We were travelling from Galle, where we had previously been staying. We journeyed through beautiful scenic provincial greenery and coastal roads, a lovely two-hour drive via the speedy Southern Expressway. On arrival, we were met by the delightful Yala staff who throughout our visit provided exceptional hospitality. A short candle lighting ceremony and refreshing drink marked the beginning of our very special stay at Jetwing Yala.

Hotel Design

The hotel is designed by Murad Ismail, a celebrated Sri Lankan architect who is one of Geoffrey Bawa’s protégés. It is modern, airy and spacious with minimalist furniture, hanging basket seats in the lobby looking out to sea, wood and polished concrete floors, white pillars and cool geometric corridors all of which cleverly integrate with the beauty of the natural landscape.

It provides spectacular jungle and coastal views with sweeping sand dunes as far as you can see.

Bedrooms at the Jetwing Yala

The 80 bedrooms are housed in a three-story block with a grass roof which is adjoined to the main building.

You can choose from a Superior room with a terrace or a balcony, a Deluxe or a Family room, with ten of the rooms built to be wheelchair accessible. Our superior terraced room was stylishly designed, with simple and uncluttered décor in hues of brown and beige, a dark wood floor, a contemporary four-poster king-sized bed, small sofa, desk and a splash of vibrant turquoise above the bed adding colour.

Our large terrace looked out over the magnificent swimming pool, perfect for early evening drinks or late-night stargazing. On our first morning, we were delighted to be greeted by a group of monkeys on our terrace cheekily inspecting our swimwear.

The ample sized modern shower room is built of cool stone and concrete in shades of sand and grey, with the roof above the rain shower open to the elements. Link Natural toiletries in eco-friendly bags and soft white towels, robes and slippers were provided. Also included is a TV, air-con, fan, free Wi-Fi, mini-fridge, bottled water, safe, daily housekeeping and there’s laundry service available.

Guest facilities at the Jetwing Yala

The 75- metre lamp-lit pool swimming pool really is quite spectacular, it’s perfect for a leisurely swim, games, early morning exercise,  relaxing on a sun lounger or perched at the poolside bar with a cold beer. One evening we were lucky enough to see a wild elephant walk into the pool area and help himself to a drink of water, which caused great excitement, and according to the staff, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Alternatively, you can go to the beach, which stretches as far as the eye can see, where they have internationally trained lifeguards, plus water and beach sports. I took an exhilarating early morning swim in the choppy sea before walking along the golden sand dunes.

There is a pool table, a glass-fronted gym and an excellent Spa where we enjoyed an amazing Balinese massage.

Food and Drink at the Jetwing Yala

There are two restaurants and a smart air-conditioned bar. We ate in the main restaurant, which serves exceptionally delicious food, a combination of buffet or set meals three times a day. You can choose to sit in the air-conditioned restaurant or as we did out on the decked terrace surrounded by trees with a path that leads directly to the sandy beach and beach bar, which is perfect for sundowners.

Breakfast provides an extraordinary spread of hot and cold food… fresh fruit, pastries, Sri Lankan curries, dosas, eggs, meats and my favourite Sri Lankan breakfast an egg hopper – a fine rice bowl-shaped pancake with a lightly spiced egg in it, that is cooked to order.

Dinner was equally impressive, with a huge buffet with endless choices of tempting international dishes alongside traditional Sri Lankan curries, sushi, soups, salads, pasta, rice and noodles.

Wonderfully fresh fish and grilled meat were available from live cooking stations, my lightly marinated tuna steak was sublime, I could like eat this time and time again!

Alternatively, you can go to their fine dining restaurant Thambapanni for a more intimate dining experience, which serves Asian clay pot cuisine, and is open for dinner.

Eco-credentials and sustainability

Jetwing Hotels are known for their eco-credentials, but Yala in particular has made a huge commitment to sustainability and the environment. It has one of the largest solar installations in a Sri Lankan hotel, with over 1000 panels spread over 1.2 acres. All organic waste at Jetwing Yala is treated and recycled onsite. They have their own onsite glass bottling plant, an organic garden, which is irrigated from a treated water line, and sprouts fresh regional produce that is used in the hotel kitchens.

They are committed to looking after the local wildlife, and because they have such close proximity to Yala National Park it is not unusual to see beautiful birds and wild animals roaming freely around the hotel grounds, as we witnessed, which adds to the marvellous Yala experience. They also aid turtle conservation and the presence of 5 turtle species, that have been recorded laying eggs at their beach.

I was hugely impressed by the investment they have made in supporting the local farmers and small producers, helping them package, label and sell their products. On the morning of our departure, the hotel held a small market in the lobby selling goods and produce made by local people, which included a potter who showed us how to throw an earthenware bowl, a mother and daughter selling pretty hand-woven baskets and an artist with a collection of his beautiful paintings. I brought a basket, fresh herbs and spices and a jar delicious of Sri Lankan treacle, which is made from sap extracted from the kitul palm, it’s a little like maple syrup but better in my opinion. It’s such a great initiative I only wish I had had more room in my suitcase.

Safaris and tours with the resident naturalist

The hotel offers the opportunity to explore the surrounding grassland and local habitat which sits at the edge of Yala National Park. I went on a fantastic tour where I was able to get up close to nature spotting birds and free-roaming wildlife with Thisaru, the hotel’s hugely knowledgeable resident naturalist. We met local people picking a herb called ranawara which has lots of medicinal purposes and is known to be especially good for bladder infections.

The hotel can arrange safaris into the National Park, with jeeps picking you up either at dawn or in the late afternoon.

This is the place to spot leopards in Sri Lanka (if not the world), as the leopard population is dense in the park, unfortunately on the day of our safari the leopards were in hiding, and as hard as our driver tried, we could not find one, but speaking to our fellow guests we discovered that they were lucky enough to spot one of the magnificent creatures…maybe next time.

We did get to see some stunning birds, a fearsome-looking crocodile, giant water buffalo, wild boar, sloth bears and sambar deer and there was great excitement when we found the mother and baby Asian elephants who happily strolled alongside our jeep.

This wonderful eco-hotel offers a unique Sri Lankan experience; luxury, style and the chance to embody the true spirit of nature. I absolutely loved it here and would go back there at the drop of a hat!

Jetwing Yala
Palatupana,
Kirinda 82614,
Sri Lanka

Looking for something different?  Check out our review of the Jetwing Yalla Hotel Galle </div<