Wild Edge Panama - Kumana Safari Lodge

Staff service levels were fantastic.

This is THE place to stay if you are interested in safaris within Kumana NP. We had an exceptional driver (as good an animal spotter as our guide!). We were lucky enough to have Sam as our guide. He is a BBC wildlife videographer and knew so much about the animals and their behaviours. It gave us the best chance of having so many great leopard/animal encounters. The food and hotel staff was also fantastic. If I come back to Sri Lanka I would skip Yala and come here for a few nights more. There is no mobile signal in Kumana to alert other drivers to where wildlife is so usually the leopard encounters are just yourself and no-one else. Just note - the national park is still about 45 min drive away from the hotel and Panama is a quiet place (more peaceful than Arugum Bay). Its def not a party place like Arugum bay. Safaris are from 5am until about 6.30pm. I would also recommend maybe bringing a neck buff and protection for expensive camera equipment (towel to cover). There is a lot of dust that kicks up off the road.

We had an amazing safari in Kumana reserve guided by Samitha, the owner of Wild Edge and also an experienced research biologist and wildlife photographer. As well as a great range of birds, we were lucky enough to see leopards, a sloth bear and other animals in a very memorable day. The accomodation is excellent, clean and comfortable and great food. There is a lovely quiet beach around 10 minutes walk from the property, but we did not have the time to explore much more locally.

Very quiet location, staff are kind and all the food was delicicous. I liked prawns curry, fish curry & Egg curry.

We booked this place in Panama in order to arrive earlier to visit the park in the morning instead we arrived later than the jeeps from Arugam Bay. So it was better to stay in Arugam Bay! The hotel is basic but much more expensive than other places where we stayed that were also much nicer : here rooms are basic, facility none , dinner and breakfast poor.

The worst was the charge on the bill! we paid with a credit card. They warned us that banks charge a lot . We replied our card does not charge us and we asked to pay in LKR. The bill was in LKR, the amount on the card machine display was in LKR. When my husband checked on our bank statement he found out that we had been charged more than expexted compared to the previous payments in Sri Lanka. We investigated and found out that the Wild Edge machine charged us in GBP and not in LKR! charging 16% more than our card! Wild Edge replied they were not aware, they thought the charge was applied by the customers bank and they charged in LKR.... I am very sorry but I cannot believe this: the wrong amount in GBP was on their bank statement, how it possible they never notice this? . We paid with that card for 3 weeks in Sri Lanka : hotel , museums... never happened elsewhere! We got eventually our money back... but it was unpleasant and it went on for 2 weeks.... I also involved Booking.com because they disappeared not keeping us updated nor replying to our last email.

This was a great find. The room was large and had a modern bathroom. The food was excellent. We had a great day long safari. The park is really beautiful and has a huge diversity of birds. (People who were staying at the same time and were keen birders counted 107 different bird species in one day.)

Easily the best accommodation close to Kumana for its location, very comfortable rooms and exceptional staff. We had the added pleasure of meeting the host Samitha who is one of Sri Lanka’s premier wildlife filmmakers. We will definitely return!

Nothing

Well designed accommodation with water features and airflow which made it comfortable sitting inside and out. Staff friendly and provided a good level of information and service. Meals were big, great variety, tasty and reasonably priced. Located in a small town with few tourists but easy access to Arugam Bay by tuktuk (with wild elephant spotting on the way). Comfortable room and beds, well equipped bathroom. Great wifi. Arranged a brilliant safari to the national park. Also arranged a late afternoon tuk tuk to the tank, where there are crocodiles and loads of birds (and another elephant). We liked it so much we extended by a night. One of our favourite stays in a month in Sri Lanka.

Some add ons to safari cost eg meals/delivery. Probably better to quote a higher price including everything.

Great staff, great food, comfortable room and great guides for safaris. Owner is super knowledgeable and passionate about animals and conservation. They are the best trackers in the park, but also just amazing people. We saw all the major animals during our 4 day stay here. Had a super good time staying here. 😊

Bed is a little small for someone 186cm. Everything else is amazing.

My stay at wild edge panama was perfect.The combination of a great location, excellent service,comfortable rooms and top notch amenities made it a memorable experience. I will definitely choose wild edge for my future visit to kumana national park.