Uga Chena Huts
Palatupana, Yala · Sri Lanka
Uga Chena Huts
Palatupana, Yala
Lodge · $$$$
18 cabins · Year-round
- Unfenced site that wildlife crosses freely
- USD 1.50 per room night into a ring-fenced community fund
- Travelife certified, with an annual sustainability report
Welcome to Uga Chena Huts
The 18 domed cabins take their shape from the chena watch huts that farmers once built above their fields to look out for elephants. They are made of biodegradable durra board, mud plaster and iluk grass (a local thatching grass). There is no perimeter fence, so elephants, leopards and other animals move freely across the site.
The lodge was built to LEED Gold and won the HICAP Sustainable Hotel Award 2025 in the sustainable design category. It is Travelife certified and publishes its own sustainability report every year.
Each cabin has about 105 m² inside, plus a deck and a 4.5-metre private plunge pool. The ceiling is vaulted and the glass back wall opens onto the deck.
Meals are served à la carte at Basses, where the menu changes daily with seasonal produce. The ocean-facing bar sits in a sunken pit by the pool, behind a small waterfall. There is also a 22-metre main pool and an Ayurvedic spa. Safaris into Yala are led by the lodge's own rangers in its customised vehicles.
The lodge belongs to the Sri Lankan group Uga Resorts and is listed in the Condé Nast Johansens collection.
The lodge sits on the Palatupana coast of Sri Lanka's Southern Province, next to Yala National Park (about 979 km² of forest, grassland, lagoons and beaches, home to leopards, elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles). The park's Palatupana entrance is 5 to 10 minutes away by car.
Accommodation
18 cabins
Capacity
2–4 guests per unit
Availability
Year-round
Price range
$$$$
Amenities
Pool · Spa · Restaurant · Wi-Fi · No pets · Wheelchair accessible
Included
All meals at Basses restaurant · Shared safaris in Yala with park fees · Transfers between the lodge and the park · Selected wine, beer and spirits · Minibar refilled daily · Daily laundry
Good to know
The all-inclusive rate covers meals at Basses (à la carte, no buffet), drinks, shared safaris with park fees, transfers to and from the park, daily laundry and the minibar.
Children are welcome. Each cabin takes 2 adults and up to 2 children, and a Junior Ranger programme is run for 6 to 12 year olds.
The beach is rugged and unsafe for swimming. Sea turtles come ashore to nest there at night.
One cabin is adapted for wheelchair users and ramps run across the site. There are small steps at the restaurant and the spa, and the beach is not accessible.
Why it's a Positive Escape
Thatched cabins on stilts between the bush of Yala National Park and the Indian Ocean, on unfenced land that wildlife still crosses.
Travel mindfully
From Colombo, the lodge is 4 to 5 hours by road, a large part of the stay's footprint. The coastal train to Beliatta shortens the drive to about 2 hours.
Yala is one of Sri Lanka's busiest parks, and in high season many jeeps share the same tracks in Block 1. The park authorities close Block 1 for about a month in the dry season, usually in September and October, to limit disturbance to wildlife.
In 2025 a fault in the solar panels cut solar generation by 43.8%, and renewables covered only 2 to 4% of the lodge's energy each month.
Getting there
Train station · 104 km
Beliatta Railway Station
Southern end of the coastal railway from Colombo Fort. From the station, the lodge is about 2 hours by road.
Airport · 51 km
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI)
Closest international airport, about 1h30 by road.
Airport · 308 km
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)
Sri Lanka's main international airport, 4 to 5 hours by road along the Southern Expressway. The lodge can arrange a private car.
Photos · © Uga Resorts
Last verified: October 2026
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences our selection.
