Wildlife
Udawalawe elephant safari
An open-grassland jeep drive with near-certain wild elephant sightings in any month, plus buffalo, jackals, crocodiles and exceptional raptor numbers over the reservoir.
Mid-range
Wilderness & National Parks
Udawalawe National Park
Elephants, all year, almost guaranteed
- Wilderness & National Parks
- Best May–Sep
- 1night suggested
Udawalawe is open grassland and scrub around a large reservoir, and it holds a resident elephant population of several hundred. Sightings are close to certain in any month, the terrain is open enough that you actually see what is there, and it is far less crowded than Yala.
Because the park is open rather than thick forest, Udawalawe is the most reliable place in Sri Lanka to watch elephant behaviour rather than just glimpse an animal: family groups at the water, sub-adults sparring, and large solitary tuskers.
There are no leopards to speak of here, but there are water buffalo, spotted deer, jackals, crocodiles and exceptional birdlife, including large numbers of raptors over the grassland.
The Elephant Transit Home nearby rehabilitates orphaned calves for release back into the wild and holds public feeding sessions at set times through the day. It is a genuine conservation operation and, unlike some elephant attractions, there is no riding or bathing with animals.
Udawalawe sits neatly between the hill country and the south coast, which makes it easy to slot into a route without a long detour.
Highlights
- Near-certain wild elephant sightings on an open grassland drive
- The Elephant Transit Home feeding sessions
- Raptors and water birds over the reservoir
- A short, easy stop between the hills and the coast
- Wilderness & National Parks
- May–Sep
- 1 night
Elephants are seen year-round. The driest, easiest months are May to September; October and November can be wet and the tracks muddy.
Where it is
Udawalawe National Park is in Wilderness & National Parks.
Getting there & around
Advisory door-to-door estimates for typical road conditions, not live routing output.
Experiences here
Sri Lanka itineraries that visit Udawalawe National Park
- 10 days
Classic Sri Lanka
The route almost every first-time visitor should take, in the order that makes geographic sense. Cultural Triangle, Kandy, the hill-country train to Ella, an elephant safari on the way down, and three nights on the south coast to finish. Nothing more than four hours in the car on any day.
- West Coast
- Cultural Triangle
- Hill Country
- +2
- Stays
- Transport
- Guide
Indicative price band: Mid-range per person.
- 8 days
Tea, Trains and a Beach Finish
For travellers who would rather walk in tea country than queue at a ruin. Kandy, the high estates around Nuwara Eliya, World's End at dawn, the train down to Ella, and then a fast drop to the south coast for two nights of doing nothing.
- Hill Country
- Wilderness & National Parks
- South Coast
- Stays
- Transport
- Guide
Indicative price band: Mid-range per person.
- 10 days
Wildlife and Beaches
A south-coast and wilderness route for people who would rather look at animals than architecture. Turtles off Hikkaduwa, blue whales at Mirissa, elephants at Udawalawe and two full days in Yala, with Galle Fort at either end to remind you there is a country attached.
- West Coast
- South Coast
- Wilderness & National Parks
- Stays
- Transport
- Guide
Indicative price band: Premium per person.
- 15 days
The Grand Island Loop
The full circuit, unhurried. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa with time to actually look at them, three nights in the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, the tea country and Horton Plains, the train to Ella, a safari on the way down and three nights on the south coast to finish.
- West Coast
- Cultural Triangle
- Hill Country
- +2
- Stays
- Transport
- Guide
Indicative price band: Premium per person.
Nearby destinations
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