The Backwaters Lodge

We spent several nights at Backwaters Lodge Wilpattu and absolutely loved our stay. The lodge is surrounded by nature, offering a peaceful and beautiful environment. Our room was spacious, clean, and very comfortable. The hotel offers many activities — on our first evening, we enjoyed an excellent boat tour where we could observe birds, bats, and the stunning natural scenery. Our guide was amazing — kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about nature. They also organized a private safari for us, which was truly unforgettable. We saw so many animals and experienced the incredible beauty of Sri Lanka’s wildlife. The restaurant serves delicious food, full of local flavors. Overall, a wonderful stay with exceptionally kind and caring staff — we highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Wilpattu!

For the overall experience, I would rate it 4/5. The location, design, atmosphere, and vibe are truly amazing. We were looking for a getaway from our busy hustle to relax and explore, and this place offered just that.|The kayaking ride was one of the element i would say. Since we were afraid of crocodiles 🐊,when we saw a sight of a one we ended up paddling back to the resort! The location is also ideal for birdwatching, stargazing, and spotting wild creatures.|The only small hiccup was the limited food options. However, the dishes they do offer are incredibly tasty—so well-cooked that we even requested second rounds because the food was just that delicious. The staff were welcoming, always with a smile, and professional.|We also enjoyed playing darts and board games. The room and its amenities were commendable as well—nestled in the woods with a beautiful river view. We celebrated a birthday during our stay, and the team kindly arranged the decorations and cake (at a cost), which turned out to be truly stunning.|Overall, as hoteliers, we deeply appreciated the effort and hospitality we experienced here and this property is amazing. |#Nature friendly #sustainably responsible

Delightful in every aspect! Situated on the edge of a river, less than 5 minutes to Wilpattu National Park, we are SO glad we stayed here for 3 nights to experience the wonderful setting, long list of activities, and endless hospitality given by everyone (owner Tarik’s friendly welcome, manageress Lakshmi was amazing/efficient, Hijas/Ikram/Daas looked after our every need). We did a morning jeep safari (6.30-12, but you can do full day too), walked 5 miles to/from Lily pond not far from the hotel (amazing for bird lovers), kayaked on the river, and enjoyed the silenced surrounded by sounds of birds/peacocks/monkeys on our room deck. We also really appreciated Lakshmi coordinating our dolphin watching trip on our last day before we headed east. Rooms are converted shipping containers well spaced apart with lots of privacy and comfort to enjoy the sounds of nature. Food was delicious - well prepared and lots of choice. Enjoying a cold beer on the river deck at sunset will be forever etched in my memory. A big thank you to everyone at The Backwater for making our stay so memorable. Five stars PLUS.

We had an unforgettable stay close to Wilpattu National Park. Everything about this place feels connected to nature, yet thoughtfully comfortable.||Location:|Just a short drive from one of the Wilpattu national park entrance’s. The property sits beside a serene lake, where mornings are filled with bird calls, squirrels and monkeys, and evenings glow with colorful sunsets. Perfect for anyone who loves nature and tranquility.||Views & atmosphere:|The lake and sunset view is breathtaking. We loved waking up to wildlife right from the property. It truly sets a calm and peaceful tone for the entire stay.||Staff & service:|The staff were incredibly friendly, accommodating, and always ready to help. From arranging safari tours, activities within the local area and preparing delicious meals to sharing local knowledge, they went above and beyond to make our experience special.||Overall:|A perfect combination of eco-conscious living, warm hospitality, and natural beauty. Highly recommended for anyone planning a safari at Wilpattu and looking for a place that offers both comfort and a genuine connection to nature.

Would recommend it 100%. First stay in Sri Lanka after arriving in Colombo. Whole different feeling in comparison to all our other destinations. You feel like you are in the jungle and there are so many animal around you. The service and the food were really good. We booked the safari from our hotel. Worked out perfectly, fair price …

It was awesome. The staff was so local, so polite and so great ! Each meal was a unique presentation with local blends and flavours which in not served at any other place. The property is a testimony to preserving nature in all aspects and we truly admired the efforts Tarique has put into running such a wonderful holiday resort in the wilderness. Loved iloir as stay very much ❤️

We stayed 4 nights which gave us access to 3 days of safaris in the national park organised through the lodge. The property is in a great location on the banks of the Uppu Aru with sun decks, over hanging swing chairs and hammocks. In line with the "eco" tag there are numerous repurposed materials throughout the property such as elevated shipping containers for the rooms and wodden pallets for the beds, which all work really well and although basic everything works as it should and lends itself to the experience. ||Evenings were spent kayaking on the Uppu Aru enjoying the sunset and watching the eagles and other bird life fish for their supper. ||Overall an enjoyable stay with a lot of care and thought put into the lodge including the food which is typical Sri Lankan but plenty of it and very tasty. ||A great experience.

We had a sensational stay at The Backwaters and it exceeded our expectations in so many ways.||The staff couldn't do enough for us. Prior to arriving they helped arrange transport to and from Anuradhapura and were always quick to respond to my emails. There was always someone to check if you needed anything to make sure you were happy.||The rooms are well thought out making the best use of quite small spaces, little things like having plenty of well positioned hangers and hooks make it easy to make good use of the space.||The food was amazing and there was so much of it. The packed breakfast and lunch for the safari day were superb.||The space around the lodge for swimming on the river or walking the forest trail was so peaceful and the evening river cruise was beautiful.||We will treasure our memories of the place and the people.