Glamping Destinations With Cutting-edge Design Across The Globe

Wild Coast Tented Lodge isn’t one for grand entrances, nor does it desire to stand out. What it wants is to blend in and, given its location at the edge of Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park, Resplendent Ceylon’s first luxury safari lodge is all the better for it. Upon arrival, one is greeted by a humble hut set in verdant surrounds, which immediately reminds guests that they’re in the thick of a tropical forest bordered by the pulsing Indian Ocean.

The deliberate integration of the design into the existing ecosystem was the work of Nomadic Resorts, which handled the architecture and landscaping in collaboration with the interior design firm Bo Reudler Studio. From the use of local materials—such as stone and mud brick— to the rounded forms that dominate the structures, almost every element references the lodge’s extraordinary location. Each of the 36 tents was designed to resemble the cream-coloured boulders on the shore and were positioned around a watering hole, meant to draw the wildlife in for closer inspection. In fact, the layout of the tents is crafted to mimic a leopard’s paw, which honours the revered residents of Yala National Park—the Sri Lankan leopard.

Unique to Wild Coast Tented Lodge, the cocoon tents pique one’s curiosity at first sight. Once indoors, they don’t disappoint, either. The tents feature large picture windows that frame the flora and fauna; the nauticalinspired portholes also add to the retro charm. Dominated by warm wood and an earthy palette, they’re clearly designed to be cosy, but not devoid of grandeur—the copper detailing and the hammered copper tub provide decadent touches. Some cocoons are equipped with a terrace and a plunge pool, which, if you’re lucky, might net you a visit by the local elephants, which occasionally use it as their drinking fountain.

Find out more at: www.resplendentceylon.com/wildcoastlodge-yala

Images courtesy of Nomadic Resorts & Resplendent Ceylon (Photographed by Tim Evan-cook)