Sinharaja Kurulu Ella Eco Resort

The remote quiet location immersed in nature. The many FireFlys we saw, the walk to the waterfall and swim in the natural pool. The owners passion and knowledge of the environment. A true gift shared so enthusiastically ✨✨✨✨

We only stayed 1-night. I suggest a 2-night minimum to really get the best experience of such an amazing place. 🩵

the setting is spectacular with it's own access to fabulous pools and waterfall just a few minutes walk down a path from the rooms. loads of colour changing lizards, monkeys, giant squirrels and other beautiful sights as well as lovely trees and flowers. you'll be delighted to explore sri lanka as a garden full of wonderful fruit, vegetables and spices. tea and coffee plants side by side with breadfruit, cinnomon, cardomam, cloves ..... the rooms are very comfortable with huge windows looking onto the forest. watch monkeys from your bed with a cup of local tea in your hand! the couple who run the place are super lovely and the food is first rate. we went on a day tour which was smazing, a day i'll never forget. i wish so much we had stayed longer and booked the early morning nird tour and the night time tour. i would recommend staying at least 4 nights. an absolute highlight of my life!!!

nothing

Beautiful place run by the family - former tea plantation which is now becoming a jungle again. The panoramic view from the room was amazing - makes you feel like you are sleeping in the forest and you can spot a lot of wildlife from the bed. Waterfall with natural pools is within the resort. Very good food with massive portions. The trip to the forest was also great - the entrance to reserve is just 2 km away. Everything perfect and worth its price.

N/a

Everything! The location was perfect, Janith and his family were so accommodating. Food was exceptional and the rain forest trek was awesome. Our guide was knowledgeable and attentive. It was a once in a lifetime that I cannot recommend highly enough. The waterfall and natural fish spa at the weee an added bonus. If you are planning a trip to Sinharaja book this beautiful place.

Nothing

One of the nicest eco lodges I’ve ever stayed in. Everything about it was great — the glass room surrounded by pristine nature, location by the waterfall, the restaurant, trekking tours. Owner is very helpful and can arrange anything you need.

Wi-Fi works well in the main building but doesn’t really reach the glass room, although this can be a good thing if your wanting to reduce distractions and connect more with nature

Glas bungalow in the forest with view to a waterfal. Nice host.

It takes a bit of effort to reach this location without a private chauffeur. Wooden floor and bench are creaking quite noisily. Too many light switches ;-)

Stunning place to stay - set in a beautiful hillside close to the Sinharaja reserve. The hosts were exceptionally good and went out of their way to give us a fantastic experience. Our trips into the reserve were wonderful with an excellent guide, and the property itself was amazing - spotlessly clean surrounded by trees, birds, monkeys and reptiles. The food was also fantastic - a really outstanding experience.

It’s run by a lovely couple and their young son. They are so hospitable and friendly. The lodge is set in idyllic location by a waterfall v peaceful in nature. There are only 3 rooms which are immaculate and have all amenities. The food is amazing breakfast and dinner so healthy plentiful and so v tasty. They arrange all treks and trips so everything is easy even the leech socks. We did a day rain forest trek and half day village waterfall and temple trip seeing all the rural village life. Definitely recommend and hope to return some day

Nothing you couldn’t fault it

Janith and Monisha are a lovely couple who live in an absolutely stunning location and are willing to share their joy. Our room was very comfortable and opened up to the jungle. If you look closely and watch carefully there are many creatures to see: snakes, lizards, butterflies, birds, the giant squirrel and also lots of lovely plants (epiphytes, parasites, vines). Janith took care of all our transfers and the car with our driver Amlewe was very comfortable. The drive out is also scenic and interesting. We also had a 7h hike in the reserve. I’ve been in prime rainforest before in Malaysia, Brazil, Costa Rica and will say that this is a bit different in that it is sub montane so the trees and animals are different. More vines and secretive animals. It was more a meditative slow walk than a hike so I don’t think you need to be overly fit, just mobile and have good balance. You can walk down to the waterfall for your fish therapy and join the locals enjoying nature. We had fun avoiding the fish as they are too ticklish. Janith is kind enough to share what he spots around his lodge including the wild Sri Lankan fowl roosting in the tree at night, the lizard eating a snake!, the kangaroo lizard sleeping under the leaf, etc etc. Our meals were made by Monisha. She is an excellent cook and I particularly enjoyed her Banana French Toast. She accommodated our low salt requests. Please be sure to try the curd and kithul palm treacle (it was the best compared to other places in Sri Lanka). Also of all our lodges this place had the BEST coffee. Janith says they pick the beans off their tree themselves and dry and roast it over a wood fire. For someone who adores coffee it was like a life saver thrown to me in land of tea.

There are some comments about paying for breakfast and meals and I think it surprises some people but if you know about it in advance, the meals are very reasonably priced. We had a lovely large grilled tuna steak meal (enough protein for two portions by Western standards) for USD$12. In the mornings there is a strong sewer smell in the bathrooms. It’s not that the lodge is unhygienic but more a function of the sewer system. I’ve noticed this throughout Sri Lanka and not just at this lodge. If you just close the bathroom door it contains the odour.