Amba Kola Udawalawa

We had a beautiful stay at Amba Kola, a slice of paradise in the Udawalawa jungle. We originally booked for 1 night but as soon as we arrived we were so warmly welcomed and loved the look and feel so much that we extended our stay. Janik and his family were incredible hosts, they treated us like family. Amba Kola is perfectly located on the edge of the National Park, which made it super easy to access safari tours. Tours are available to book onsite with their recommended tour guide, who we found to be so helpful, spoke very good English, and was amazing at spotting all of the wildlife on safari and relaying information. We saw many elephants as well as peacocks, deer, crocodiles, chameleons, iguanas, and so many different species of birdlife. Our room at Amba Kola was very relaxing and comfortable, we really loved the extra touch of an outdoor shower. We had the best food of our whole trip during our stay here, it truly was amazing. Janik’s mother, Mama Swarna, makes beautiful authentic home cooked meals, made from home grown and locally sourced fresh ingredients, and served with love. We have not stoped raving about it yet! Mama Swarna is a top rated cook and also offers traditional cooking classes. Janik, Greshan, and Sanju were so warm and friendly from the moment we arrived. Some of the most generous and happiest people we have met. They went out of their way to show us many of the local sights, and were always checking in on us with a smile to make sure we had everything we needed during our stay. We loved spending time petting and playing with their lovely dogs and cats, chilling in the beautiful garden, and enjoying a cool beer of an afternoon while playing a game of chess before dinner. We would not change a thing about our stay, every aspect was tastefully thought out and we enjoyed every moment, but the thing that really stood out and made our experience so special was being treated as part of this beautiful family.

We arrived at Amba Kola to the warmest welcome, not just from Janik but from all of the staff and the many animals lying on the porch in the sun. The excellent hospitality continued throughout our stay as everyone went out of their way to ensure our time at the hotel was as comfortable and memorable as possible. Rooms were clean and spacious, coffee was great, laundry done for free - what more could you ask for?! Highlights included: - Tour of the local area, through the sugar cane fields and to the reservoir with Janik and his friend pointing out wildlife on the way. - Cooking class with Janik’s mum, learning how to make various vegetable curries and coconut roti using ingredients sourced from the garden. (Especially memorable due to a power cut and cooking by candle-light) - Excellent safari, not only did we see elephants but also crocodiles, eagles, pythons - brilliant! We have no hesitations in recommending Amba Kola to family and friends in the future, it is a memorable stay full of character and friendly faces!

We stayed two nights at Amba Kola for doing a safari at Udawale nationalpark. Janik was an amazing, openhearted and very helpful host, the best we had in Sri Lanka. The food, wich is provided by his mother, is outstanding delicouse and is made from scratch by her using fresh local and selfmade ingredients. The cooking class was very interesting and is definetly worth it. The safari was provided by the hotel and was very cool and had a very good price in comparison to other providers in the regions. In generell the Amba Kola is a hidden gem with very fair prices, an outstanding host and beautiful rooms designed by an artist you have to expirience when you are in this region. 12/10

Janik and the staff set a new bar for hosting that I haven't experienced before. Nothing was too much trouble and they made everything easy for us. We booked a safari through them, an excellent cooking class and transfers. Janik also gave us great recommendations for the rest of our trip. I can't say enough good things about the level of hospitality we received at Amba Kola.

Honestly, the stay at Amba Kola was one highlight of our Sri Lanka vacation. The host is very nice, supportive and welcoming. We very enjoyed the safari trip and a boat trip he organised for us. We participated at the cooking class which was very fun. The food on general was great. The place is beautiful and has great rooms. We would definitely come again and can warmly recommend to stay at Amba Kola