Sri Lankan safari alternative in Yala National Park all-inclusive luxury that rivals African counterparts

For years, the dream has been an African safari.

Now, with a family in tow, the logic is to postpone things until the kids are old enough to fully appreciate the experience. But who am I kidding? A week for five people at Singita requires six figures — the kind of expense that remains out of reach.

Fortunately, there’s an alluring alternative in Sri Lanka that’s significantly more affordable than its African counterparts.

Flights run direct from Sydney to Colombo on SriLankan Airlines and can be booked with Qantas points (43,500 points per person, roughly $384 in taxes in economy — which is just bearable for the 11 hours).

The late arrival into Colombo is, admittedly, one of Sri Lanka’s most unappealing traits. As are the long drives. But once you’ve spent a restful night at Uga Riva in Negombo, and conquered the 4.5-hour journey to Uga Chena Huts the following day, it’s all upside.

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Let’s say this aloud and in simple terms — Yala National Park in southern Sri Lanka is not Africa and the comparison only holds if you accept its limits.

There are no lions, no giraffes, no rhinos. And the leopard — Yala’s most-wanted — eluded us for three days. What Yala can do, however, is match Africa on elephants, and all-inclusive luxury at a fraction of the rate.

At Uga Chena Huts, 14 domed bungalows stretch along a barren shoreline where the jungle thins into the beach. The rooms are spacious, comfortably containing a family of four, with a private plunge pool overlooking the greenery.

Golf carts transport groups from the lodgings to the reception which leads into the hotel’s main restaurant and cocktail bar.

On a great night, elephants will interrupt sundowners at the shanty-style beach bar atop the dunes while guests share stories of what they saw in the park that day.

The food alone is worth the journey. Curries at breakfast and dinner are rich and deeply spiced. The peppery black pork was our go-to, served with bowl-shaped hoppers (fermented rice-flour pancakes) made fresh on the deck alongside an assortment of sambals.

A housemade pumpkin ravioli comes swimming in a burnt butter and curry-leaf sauce has no business being so good.

One night we asked the chef to make a dish he’d cook for his own grandmother – the fragrant mutton curry he served was the best thing we ate all week.

Australians will find the wine menu uninspired and cocktails inconsistent, which keeps you focused on ice-cold cans of Lion.

A housemade pumpkin ravioli comes swimming in a burnt butter and curry-leaf sauce has no business being so good.

One night we asked the chef to make a dish he’d cook for his own grandmother – the fragrant mutton curry he served was the best thing we ate all week.

Australians will find the wine menu uninspired and cocktails inconsistent, which keeps you focused on ice-cold cans of Lion.

Evening golden hour in the park puts on an entirely different show. Within the first half an hour we see three elephants, including a young male tusker wandering the land solo.

A rare star tortoise — one of the most trafficked reptiles in the world. And finally, a mother elephant and her calf, pulling branches from the trees no more than three metres from our jeep.

What we didn’t expect was to come home talking about birds (although I’m almost 40 so it’s not entirely surprising).

Brahminy kites banking low over still-water pans, handsome lime green bee-eaters, and the stunning Asian paradise flycatcher — the kind of bird that makes you wonder what else you’ve been missing before your life as a twitcher.