Sri Lanka's New Beachfront Safari Camp

THIS YEAR'S hottest new safari camp is not in the savannahs of Kenya, or the deltas of Botswana, or even the tiger territories of Northern India. It's on a beach, where palm trees sway and the soundtrack is the surf pounding the sand.

This is Yala, the southernmost point of Sri Lanka, an untapped wilderness where leopards slink in the night and elephants thunder during the day. It's remained off the radar for so long because there simply wasn't anywhere that comfortable to stay. Tents, yes, and simple guesthouses. But here, just opened on 1 November, is the most extraordinary lodge.

From the team behind the highly elegant and considered Cape Weligama and Tea Trails comes an architectural anomaly, 28 arching cocoon-like suites, with freestanding copper bath tubs, serious bed linens and plunge pools. Others will follow no doubt, but for now, there's nowhere smarter in this national park to lay your head.

Address: Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Palatupana, Yala 82600, Sri Lanka

Telephone: +94 11 774 5730

Website:  www.resplendentceylon.com