The
Ibis
Wilpattu
“Where your feet may leave but not your heart…”
The Ibis, a tranquil exclusive private property envelops you in the absolute peace and serenity of rural Sri Lanka. Overlooking a beautiful lake, cosily nestled amidst lush greenery, The Ibis will awaken all your senses to an experience like no other. The twittering of the birds by day, chirping crickets at night, combined with starry skies will make you feel at one with nature bringing inner peace and serenity
“Where your feet may leave but not your heart…”
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Perfect for Wilpatu - Ibis is a lovely small friendly family run hotel. Ibis is all about the location, it is beautiful set on the edge of a lagoon and very close to Wilpatu... read more national park. The food is excellent and great quality and quantity. The rooms are good and the air conditioning very efficient. The bathroom isn’t perfect but perfectly adequate. The people who work there can’t do enough to help and the service is brilliant without being intrusive. A perfect place to spend a few nights.
February 16, 2022 -
Fabulous eco lodge, like a family - We loved every minute of our stay at this gem of a place. The setting is beautiful and peaceful, the eco pool was so relaxing, and evenings sat on the... read more verandah gazing into the distance, on the edge of Wilpattu Park, were spectacular. But what made this stay really special was the warm, family atmosphere. We felt welcomed into the heart of the family in this eco lodge. Everyone was so welcoming. So many thoughtful touches to make us feel at home. This was our favourite place to stay on our whole trip and I would love to return one day. Thank you for making our stay with you so special.
January 15, 2023 -
Idyllic location, wonderful accommodation and fabulous hosts - This idyllic location and fabulous accommodation is only bettered by the wonderful reception we received and the warmth and kindness of the owner and staff. We really did feel... read more like we were the most important guests they'd had. The food was first class, the room excellent but our overriding memory will be the way in which Shevonne and Samon (plus the others) went out of their way to make our three day stay perfect. Thank you so much
February 12, 2023 -
Wilpattu - The lovely ibis is my favourite place to stay when visiting the wilpattu National park. Setting is awesome and the staff are excellent looking after your every need and very... read more knowledgable. The food is all local produce much of it grown on the property and was delicious. The birds are all around you and you feel very close to nature in this eco lodge. This was my 3rd time staying here and the friends I took also loved it would highly recommend.
February 15, 2023 -
I'd lookked at all all the 5 star reviews for this hotel with a bit of schepticism but realised once we were there that the ratings were valid.
Such... read more a calm, relaxing and friendly place. We arrived mid-afternoon straight from the airpoirt and found post-Covid we were the only guests for the 2 nights we spent here.
The food was prepared to suit our tastes (ie not too spicy) with the owner explaining what each of the dishes was and having the cook demonstrate the preparation process.
Lots of wildlife, birds etc and lovelly location - most relaxing. We did the night walk to look for the slow Loris but as it had been raining so no luck!
Room was clean, comfortable and spacious, bed comfotable, the owner welcoming and took the time to chat with us regularly, staff were friendly and helpful.
Pool looked inviting but didn't get a chance to use it as we were on a busy schedule.
If you're like us and don't go away to end up meet other British travellers, then it's best to go off-season - sure it was the mini-wet season but was dry a lot of the time and it meant there were fewer guests.
Like many travellers we were worried about shortages etc having seen the stories in the press - but like everything the press report its just mostly press exaggeration to create a better story - food and drink (and yes the local Lion beer as well) was plentiful and whilst some petrol stations had queues and limited amount of fuel our guide was able to by-pass the queues and get a full tank of fuel most of teh time when we were with him so now is teh ideal time to go to Sri Lanka before the toursist return in droves and spoil what can be an idylic place.
November 13, 2022 -
Great location to explore local bird life & for Wilpattu National Nature Park
Callum is very is great guide around the area & is very knowledgeable about local birds... read more etc
Unfortunately the shower in our room didn’t get warmer than tepid !
Food was excellent & compliments to the chef for the best dhal
Our room wasn’t cleaned although we did ask
February 16, 2023 -
A Fabulous place to stay - We stayed at the Ibis whilst visiting Wilpattu game park. What a fabulous location. The staff couldn't have been more attentive and the food was wonderful to - don't hesitate... read more to book it really is a wonderful place.
January 18, 2023 -
Our best stay in Sri Lanka - The best stay in Sri Lanka. Reiterating all the positive reviews, Jeevaka and Shervonne sussed us out immediately. They are really professional in understanding clients. My husband was whisked away... read more by Jeevaka to find birds and I relaxed with a cup of tea.
The grounds are stunning at all times of the day and are good for birds, so relaxing looking out over the Monet-style lake or from the tree house.
Jeevaka was taken ill while we were there and Shervonne had to manage on her own. She was delightful. Staff are really well-trained and caring. Nothing was too much trouble to make us feel at home. The food was the best we had in Sri Lanka. There was good wine to buy at a reasonable price.
We appreciated the eco-friendly approach and the desire to help the local village.
It was such a happy community. So much kindness and warmth. Calm, relaxing with beautiful views. We enjoyed being in the Lodge so much we cancelled our final safari and just chilled. Loved the natural pool.
The rooms were clean and comfortable. Stunning eating around the lake and also the veranda.
Happy memories which will stay in our minds and in our hearts. Thank You!
February 9, 2022 -
An unforgettable stay - There simply aren't enough words to describe how perfect our stay with Jeeves and Shervonne was. We spent 2 nights here during our honeymoon and wish we could have stayed... read more longer!
The setting is absolutely stunning - we stayed in the treehouse, which we would wholly recommend for a truly unique experience. Waking up in the treetops with views over the lake was just magical - and yet you still have all the comforts you need (including a very comfortable bed). We loved enjoying a cold beer on our balcony, or in the organic swimming pool after a hot day on safari.
The food is incredible - so fresh and authentic, without doubt the best food we had during our whole trip. No two meals were ever the same! We really appreciated Jeeves taking the time to explain the different dishes to us, and how to eat them.
But what made our stay really unforgettable is the warmth and hospitality of our hosts and the whole Ibis team. Shervonne was so helpful in the run up to our trip, giving us lots of tips and advice. She arranged a safari jeep and naturalist for us to visit Wilpattu national park. We were lucky enough to see 4 leopards, as well as elephants, buffalo, deer, and many other birds and wildlife. We have heard really mixed reviews about some of the other national parks in Sri Lanka so we were really glad we made the decision to come to Wilpattu.
And Jeeves was the most gracious host, taking excellent care of us throughout our stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversations - and it was such a happy surprise to see you both again in Galle!
Finally, we loved the whole ethos at the Ibis - employing people from the local village, and investing profits back into the community as much as possible.
The Ibis Wilpattu was one of the highlights of our trip and we will definitely be back one day. If you are considering this place, just book it - you will not regret it!
May 22, 2022 -
Absolutely amazing!! Idyllic place and warmest welcome - We cannot recommend Jeevs and his team enough!! This place is a MUST visit. We were greeted with the warmest, kindest person upon arrival. The place itself is highly... read more environmentally friendly, with fresh produce everyday and employing and helping the local community. Food was outstanding, by far the best we have had in our whole 3 weeks trip in Sri Lanka. We were very sad to leave but we will definitely be back hopefully very soon!
January 18, 2022