Hill Safari Eco Lodge

The location of Hill Safari is utterly stunning. Remote, nestled away in the hills, surrounded by great walks. Steven and the team make you feel right at home. They are so immensely helpful, working out walking routes, always making sure you’re well fed with the most delicious food and that all your needs are catered for. We absolutely loved our 4 days there and we were sad to leave. Strongly recommend staying here!

The rooms could do with a bit of a refresh; new lick of paint, update amenities etc but everything worked well. More generally, we would have loved to learn more about the tea plantation itself but there wasn’t an opportunity to do so.

It was a bit of a mission to get there, but it was so worth it. The most secluded, tranquil and beautiful place we have visited in Sri Lanka so far. Small place and the staff looked after us so well especially Stephen he is so knowledge about the area and nothing is a problem. He drove us to Hortons Plains for sunrise and to Ohiya for our train to Ella. So kind. Hortons Plains is an amazing experience so different to anything else in Sri Lanka, a cloud forest with spectacular views in the morning early. Then lovely afternoon tea on the terrace back at the hotel. If you want peace and quiet and stunning scenery, this is the place for you.

Nothing to dislike.

We loved the location and the possibilities to see Sri Lanka village and tea hill life. The hosts were incredibly helpful, met our every wish and provided delicious SL food. We loved our 3 night stay in the upstairs room with a spectacular view and balcony. Watching the mist come in and the sunset made up for the daily afternoon rain. If you are looking for a lush, green bit of solitude Hill Safari can be your place. Every morning we were woken by the beautiful music/chants from the village temple. We did not go to Horton Plains or Worlds End, there is plenty of adventure right at the doorstep. Thank you for making our stay memorable.

Remember some warm clothes. The rain can make it feel quite chilly in the room. We travel with good ear plugs which can come in handy.

This hotel is in really a gorgeous location with beautiful views, very authentic and peaceful and it's a place I would recommend staying at least two nights to fully appreciate the surroundings. The owners are very kind and attentive, providing clean drinking water. The hotel provide stunning views where you can enjoy a cup of tea. The food is always tailored to what we feel like eating, featuring breathtaking natural scenery, sunsets, and evening mists. The staff was very accommodating and pleasant. Dinner was excellent, especially thanks to the chef named Nuwan, whose culinary skills truly enhanced our experience. I also recommend visiting the school in the local village and bringing candy and especially pencils for the children. 🙂

Once we arrived (our driver struggled with the path to get to the hotel however we were collected by the hotel owners) we were immediately greeted with fresh locally produced tea. Our room offered the most beautiful views across the striking mountains, altitude 1800m++, taking in local tea plantations and vegetable allotments. With the bed facing out to the mountain view through a glass wall, this was an incredible sight to wake up to. The veranda allowed an unforgettable opportunity for star gazing, no light pollution so I saw stars like I hadn't seen for decades. Dinner was served to order with home cooked local Sri Lanka food offered in large and generous portions, vegetables grown in the hotel's own strictly organic vegetable garden. We took a Tuk Tuk (arranged by Hill Safari) to the entrance of Horton Plains, getting an early start to begin what would end up being 5 hours of absolutely beautiful hiking. The hotel provided breakfast (no plastic as required by the park) and we enjoyed this part way through our walk. The fast Tuk tuk rides across broken mountain roads will also be an indelible memory! To help with the journey back, the hotel arranged for a Tuk Tuk (at a reasonable charge) to take us to the local train station (Ohiya) so that our driver could collect us from there to take us on to Colombo.

Nothing

We had an excellent stay at Hill Safari. Hosts Eomal and his wife and staff Nuwan are very kind, friendly, and helpful. The location is an excellent place for Horton Plains and many other hiking trails. Also, the views around the property are excellent - tea plantations, farms, mountains, and long distance views as well. Eomal, who has lived there over 40 years, is very knowledgeable about the area and all the hiking opportunities. Home cooked dinner and lunch were very tasty. He arranged our travel logistics to the Horton Plains and to the Train station.

An electric Kettle in the room would have been helpful. But they brought Tea to the room, and therefore it wasn't a big issue.

Staff were incredible, so friendly. Beautiful Sri Lankan food cooked for us each morning and evening. The views were amazing, definitely recommend watching the sunrise from bed! The staff were great with recommendations for hikes in the area too. Thanks guys!

The road down from the station is pretty bad so it makes for a very bumpy ride! This is obviously not the hotels fault - just be prepared to be thrown about a bit :)

Stunning! the food, the view, their hospitality. It’s been the best place in the mountains for us. Lots of people go there to hike in Horton Plains but the host was right: the view from their terrace is even better. Regretting spending only one night on the site, we should have booked at least two:( Peaceful and quiet, but bear in mind that you might need warm clothes. Very good for hikes, and very cozy for doing nothing and enjoying nature.

We are a Belgian family (father and 2 adult children) travelling through Sri Lanka in summer 2023. Looking for a hotel at walking distance from the Horton Plains National Park we ended up in the Hill Safari Tea Estate Hotel. At the Ohiya train station (approx. 5 km from the hotel) we were picked up by the owner, Mr Perera, who was very welcoming and knowledgeable about the site. The hotel, located in a tea plantation, has a fantastic view on the Sri Lankan lowlands (comparable to that at World’s End). Just note that the hotel is quite remotely located and therefore food is taken on site (food is excellent!). We organized a trip to the Horton Plains, going (early morning) by tuktuk and returning by foot (watch out for sunburn on the way back!). We can only be (very) positive about the hotel, the owners, and the staff.

The place is amazing, among the hills with an incredible view. The room was clean and cozy, equipped with everything you need (included warm blanket because the nights are pretty cold). The dinner was tasty and the staff was really friendly and hospitable. You can do some hike around or chill on the terrace enjoying the peace and quiet or reading a book

The breakfast was poor a bit (considering the fact that just a breakfast and a dinner are provided and there aren’t other places to eat or a grocery around). So prepare some snacks for lunch before arrival. Also there was a music from a Hindu temple in the village twice a day. In the morning it starts at 5.30-6.00 and lasts about an hour. It is not a problem if you go to Horton Plains but could be if you wanna sleep a little bit more