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Al fresco table spread at Arana by Forest Trails, Yala, Sri Lanka

Open Kitchen · Al Fresco and Indoor

Dining

The table at Arana

Where the kitchen meets the wild

The Arana kitchen draws from the land around it — local seafood, tropical produce, Ayurvedic principles — married to Western technique. Eaten al fresco as the peacocks make their last call, or under a slow fan as the evening cools.

Sri Lankan rice and curry spread at Arana restaurant, Yala

The restaurant

Sri Lankan and Western — open kitchen, local heart

Our kitchen blends traditional Sri Lankan recipes with Western technique and Ayurvedic thinking. The rice and curry — a daily combination that changes with the season and the catch — is the beating heart of the menu. Around it: fresh seafood from the coast a few kilometres south, grilled meats, handmade pasta, and a short, considered dessert list.

The dining room opens onto the garden. Evenings are taken either indoors under slow ceiling fans, or at tables set out on the terrace, with the sounds of the bush coming in from beyond the wall.

Outdoor dining setup in the Arana cabana gardens near Yala

After dark

The Bush Dinner

In the gardens beyond the pool stand six luxury cabanas shaded by neem trees. On certain evenings, the kitchen moves outdoors. Tables are set among the trees, lanterns lit, and a long dinner served under an open sky. The insects keep time. The dark beyond the walls belongs to Yala.

Bush dinners are arranged for guests — speak to the front desk at check-in to reserve an evening.

Enquire about a bush dinner