Udawalawe National Park gives you the most reliable elephant sightings of any national park in Sri Lanka. The park covers 308 square kilometres of open grassland, scrubland, and forest in the island’s south-central region. An estimated 600 to 800 wild elephants live within the park, making sightings virtually guaranteed on every safari. Calves, breeding herds, and large bull elephants are all regularly spotted from the safari jeep throughout the day.
Udawalawe suits travellers who want a more open, spacious safari experience. The landscape is different from the dense jungle of Yala. Open plains and scattered scrubland mean you often have sections of the park to yourself rather than following a line of jeeps. Wildlife spotting here requires less patience than in denser parks because the terrain works in your favour.
Elephants are the main reason to visit Udawalawe National Park safari. Unlike some Sri Lankan parks that close seasonally, Udawalawe is open 365 days a year and elephants can be seen in every month. Most safari guests see between 20 and 100 elephants on a single game drive. Safaris run in open-top 4×4 jeeps accommodating up to six passengers, departing either early morning around 6am or late afternoon around 2:30pm.
Udawalawe holds far more than elephants. The park shelters 43 mammal species, 184 bird species, 33 reptiles, and 135 butterfly species. Water buffalo, marsh crocodiles, sambar deer, wild peacocks, and monitor lizards are all common sightings. The Sri Lankan leopard and sloth bear also live within the park, though sightings are less frequent than at Yala.
The Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home sits just outside the park boundary. The centre rehabilitates orphaned elephants before returning them to the wild. Feeding sessions take place at set times during the day and give you close access to young elephants in a genuine conservation setting rather than a commercial elephant experience.
Udawalawe sits in the south-central region of Sri Lanka. The park is accessible by road from Colombo, the south coast beach towns, and Ella. The Southern Expressway has significantly reduced travel times from Colombo and the south coast. Most travellers combine an Udawalawe National Park safari with nearby destinations including Ella, Mirissa, or Yala on a longer itinerary.
Sri Lanka Tour Organizer includes Udawalawe in several of our wildlife tour packages and classic tours. For more information on Sri Lanka’s national park network, the Department of Wildlife Conservation provides current park status and entry details.