Hostels in Kataragama

Amazing and quiet place. Friendly and attentive host. Tasty food. They helped to arrange safari. 100% recommend!

I stayed one night at GoYala Hostel, and I booked a shared dorm room. Even though it was a dorm, it turned out no one else was there that night, so it was really quiet. The room itself was super clean—like, really spotless—and everything from the bathroom and shower to the beds, tables, and chairs was well-maintained. The cooler worked great too. The hostel had this really nice garden-like, villa-style atmosphere, which was super charming. Plus, there was a small lake right in front of the hostel that added a really nice view. The only thing to keep in mind is that it’s a bit out in a rural area, so it might feel a bit remote. One important tip: Google Maps tends to show the wrong route near the hostel, leading to kind of a dead end. So when you're getting close, definitely call the hostel owner or manager to guide you through the correct way. In my case, I made a late-night reservation and the young manager was super helpful. He even came out on a motorbike late at night to show my driver the right path. He was really attentive and made sure everything was smooth for my arrival. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this hostel too!

I loved this place. It is a bit 'in the wild' but that is the beauty of it - it is right next to the park and there are lots of animals (especially birds) to see. The owner was very friendly and arranged pick-up for me and bought some curd and treacle to try. He also played pool with me (yes, there is a large and well kept pool table there.) As it was quiet when I was there he kindly gave me a better room for the same price. He also owns riverside cabanas which I recommend staying at.# Nearby is a beautiful beach that looks prehistoric and you can walk along the sand dunes.

Can not recommend this place enough! Feels more like a home than a hostel, huge dorm rooms, immaculately clean and smells lovely as you walk in. The owner, Pradeep, was really friendly, humble and caring. He arranged my group safari tour of Yala for a very reasonable price and made us all coffee in the morning before we left for it and breakfast at the park. Very informative and taught me various different things about Sri Lanka. The best shower and sleep I’ve had the entire time I’ve been in the country. Above and beyond on looking after me during my stay would be an understatement. Thank you so much for a wonderful stay and for your kindness!