Gem River Edge - Eco Home and Safari

This place offers a very different, one of a kind experience thats includes a wide variety of various things to do & places to explore. Most of the hotel is built with natural raw materials which gives it a very calm, welcoming vibe & the feeling of a nature retreat. The backyard of the hotel ends with a very famous gem river that is quite beautiful to experience aswell, along with other beautiful places to chill and swim. There is also the option of wildlife safari and camping that can be arranged aswell. Leopard safari also can be organised upon request & many other various fun & rewarding experiences & nature activities.

Beautiful Eco lodge in the middle of nature. Our host Muna was amazing! We arrived and he gave us a tour of the facilities all the way to the river that runs nearby. We had a lovely vegetarian meal before going to our rooms as we had a very early start for a safari the next day. The rooms are basic but very comfortable and clean. In the morning before leaving for the safari we were served coffee at 5am! Then we hopped into the jeep and off we went! Our guide was incredible at spotting animals and birds. He was super friendly and patient and the jeep (to my huge surprise) was very comfortable! We were very fortunate to spot 2 leopards within 5 minutes of entering the park. We did a half day safari which was incredible. Then returned to the lodge for a wonderful vegetarian lunch. Absolutely loved it. It was so peaceful and beautiful. A place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Gem river is the most beautiful and peaceful place we have in been in Sri Lanka. We felt immediately at home and decided to stop for two nights instead of only one. We spent lovely time with Muna and Kelum during the safari and at the lodge. We enjoyed delicious Ayurvedic recipes with fresh and locally sourced produces. We could borrow the scooter to visit Kataragama and they also drove us to the bus station after our check out. I’d love to go back one day ♥️ Ayubowan Gem River!

We had high hopes for this place, having been recommended it by a friend for its beautiful setting. There’s no doubt that the surroundings and the style of the exterior are lovely. But there are serious issues with the rooms offered. Our room was nothing short of dank, mouldy, and dark. The floors were dirty, the bed sheets and pillows stank of old mould with no natural light. The windows are locked shut and there are tiny lightbulbs that give off minimal light making the whole experience a bit like a horror movie. The plumbing (granted it was raining heavily during our stay) was disgusting - the bathroom opened up into the bedroom meaning that the smell of sewage permeated through completely. The beds were like prison beds - completely hard and smelling of mould, meaning you were breathing it in all night. The food was nice / ok except we were charged $30 for a very average, quite small dinner - much more than the local average. We found the night time stay quite terrible - I took a sleeping pill so I could just pass out and wake up in the morning. We didn’t want to spend a minute longer than we needed to in the room. It’s unacceptable to expect people to sleep in these conditions, even at the price point of $35 per night. I felt physically nauseous packing up the room to leave the next morning as the sewage smell was so bad and the room dirty, dank and dark. No hot water for showers either. The staff are kind and polite for the most part. But unfortunately I would advise travellers avoid this hotel until the rooms have been fixed or renovated, which makes me sad as this place has a lot of potential.

Absolutely in love with this place, beautiful decoration. Gem river is a dream place were we can easy feel like home. The staff and the owners were friendly and so kind. Highly recommended if you want to feel in peace in the middle of nature. The most amazing think about this place is that all was built with love and with respect by nature, in sustainable way. Also Muna has a great talent to work with the wood, making a beautiful and inspired handy work. The food is also super tasty. If you are looking for a cozy and stunning place, absolutely you don't want to miss the Gem River Edge!