I recommend the jeep safari here. You can spot different animals. Many jeep drivers are available, and the tour costs approximately 7000 LKR. In our case, we had a great and knowledgeable jeep driver who explained everything. The tour lasted about 3 hours, and it was a fun and worthwhile visit.

After going on a safari in Udawalawe National Park for myself, I discovered that it wasn’t exactly what all of the rumors and blogs say. In fact, there are a few things you should know about going on a safari in Udawalawe National Park before you go! So without further ado, here is my honest TRUTH about visiting Udawalawe National Park including what to expect from a safari and more! On a safari in Udawalawe National Park, you will undoubtedly see elephants. In fact, chances are that you will see many of them – babies, too! Udawalawe National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s smaller national parks at only 308.2 km². It is estimated that within this space over 500 elephants live. It’s simple really, a smaller space with a higher density of elephants increases your chances of seeing them! On my safari through Udawalawe National Park, we saw tons of elephants! Within minutes of entering the park, I saw a group of about 7 elephants. Then, throughout the safari, we saw many more including a mother with two babies (one was very small) as well as large male elephants crossing the road only meters from our jeep! The jeep drivers/guides all want you to tip them, so they work hard to find you as many animals as possible.

Excellent safari experience with plenty to see. Not hugely expensive compared to other countries. Elephants are majestic 😍. Just like anywhere else in Srilanka government run ticket office can improve the processes and policies (They need to start accepting digital documents). Our guide was great though.

It was the first Safari in my life. We rented a jeep for three hours, which is enough time to enjoy the views and animals. We met about 10 lone elephants and two herds of elephants. Great variety of birds. By the river we saw deer, buffaloes. It is forbidden to get out of the jeep, feed and touch the animals. There is a stop by the river to take photos.

Guaranteed to see lots of elephants! We saw probably around 40 elephants, lots of peacocks, birds, spotted deers, lizards and some crocodiles, mongoose, storks. The park was very busy in the morning, would recommend doing a half day safari rather just the standard 3 hours as the park was much quieter from 10am to 12 Can pay entry fee by credit card

Udawalawe National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s smaller national parks at only 308.2 km². It is estimated that within this space over 500 elephants live. It’s simple really, a smaller space with a higher density of elephants increases your chances of seeing them! On my safari through Udawalawe National Park we saw tons of elephants! Within minutes of entering the park, I saw a group of about 7 elephants. Then, throughout the safari, we saw many more including a mother with two babies (one was very small) as well as large male elephants crossing the road only meters from our jeep! Any time of year it is pretty much guaranteed that you will see elephants on an Udawalawe safari – this is a great reason to visit! The downside to the “elephant guarantee” in Udawalawe National Park is that there will be lots of other people there too. Tourists come from all over the world to Udawalawe to jump in a jeep and see wild elephants for themselves! As you drive into the park there are tons of jeeps everywhere you look. If your guide spots an elephant, or any animal for that matter, chances are the other guides will have too. This creates a traffic jam around the elephants. Basically, don’t expect a peaceful jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park with just your group and driver. There will likely almost always be another jeep (or 10) nearby fighting for the prime spot to watch the animals. The drivers all race each other around the park trying to find the animals first to get their group the closest spot. They are all speeding around and getting as close to the animals as possible to box other drivers out. It is all very intense, to be honest, and feels hectic. Despite all the chaos and touristic-ness of it all, you can’t deny how amazing elephants are. When I was on the safari in Udawalawe, I was in awe the entire time at these incredible animals. Observing them from afar or getting right close up, they are incredible! Seeing elephants on a safari like in Udawalawe National Park is a once in a lifetime experience, and one I’ll always remember.

My first safari experience was great, there are a lot of elephants on this park, more than in Yala for example, our safari driver explained Udawalawa is famous for the elephants. We saw a lot of baby elephants and female elephants. They come incredibly close to the van, they are not that shy as I thought they were. Unfortunately we didn’t see any Lepard because there are only a few of them around. Our driver told me he has around 10 years experience and he saw leopards only 10 times. If you see one, you are really really lucky :)

Overrated but still worth it because we really wanted to see the elephants! We saw a lot of them that's great and a few other animals/birds but nothing impressive at all. Way too much expensive for a 3 hours tour and the worst was when the guide (that we didn't ask for but just jumped in the jeep and said it was included with the entrance ticket) kept insisting at the end for getting a big tip as it was something mandatory :( Nope

A beautiful safari experience. Beautiful environment and elephants can be seen at all times. Udawalawe National Park, the sixth largest animal sanctuary of Sri Lanka is located 180 km from Colombo in south-central sector of the island. The Udawalawe National Park is the third most visited Park in Sri Lanka. The varied habitats in Udawalawe make it home to a diverse spectrum of animals. This Udawalawe National Park is located at the borders of Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces in Sri Lanka. Besides elephant, other mammal species in the park include, sambar, chital and wild boar. Dry zone birdlife includes greyheaded fish eagle, black-shouldered kite, changeable hawk eagle, crested serpent eagle, white-bellied sea eagle, shikra, common kestrel, brown fish owl and western marsh harrier. Can be seen in this national park

You’ll definitely enjoy this park if you’re a first timer. I saw about 15 elephants in herds of four and roaming alone. I’m glad I asked the driver to go deep into the forest to leave crowds behind. Thanks to this idea once we even spotted two male elephants fighting with each other in 10 rounds (seriously!) Other than these biggest mammals on Earth you may see many peacocks, monkeys, monitor lizards, “colorful chicken” (Sri Lankan National bird). The guide said there are crocs and even leopards but a chance to witness them goes to zero.

The wildlife you can see here is just incredible. Tens of elephants, and we were lucky enough to see them way closer than in Yala. Plenty of gorgeous birds, crocodiles, water buffalos, lizards of all kinds. Our driver had a great eye for all the wildlife and was very informative, also kudos for providing us with a pair of binoculars. Must do when in Sri Lanka!

Udawalalwe is a beautiful large park packed with Wildlife (More than just elephants). We booked a private safari and we really loved it. We made sure our driver knew we didnt want to get too close to the Elephants, or chase them in any way. Within 10 minutes we saw our first family of Elephants including a little 2 month old baby. They seemed quite relaxed in our presence, the drivers turned off their engines and people were quiet to let the animals be. We had lots of time to take photos and enjoy the surise at the same time. After spotting a few elephants our driver took us to other spots where we could find other wildlife, its full with Buffalo, Deer, Birds, Eagles, Crocodiles, Monkeys and much more. Even encountered a friendly Grizzly squirrel.

A great memorable experience. We saw many elephants peacocks, wild buffaloes, crocodiles and various species of birds. Unfortunately, the guide provided from the entrance did not utter a word for any explanations so for us, the experience was only enjoying the scenic beauty. The area was exceptionally dusty especially during the dry season the fauna compensates....

This large wildlife park is in the southern part of the country, about an hour's drive from the city of Hambantota. The terrain and environment vary, as the park is on the border of the country's wet and dry zones. Visitors to the park can see elephants, as there's a large population of them, along with crocodiles, water buffalo, and more. In fact, it's one of the best places in the world to see elephants in the wild. There are leopards there, too, but they can be very hard to track or spot. There are also monkeys and a large assortment of deer and small mammals. It's also an excellent place for bird-watching. There are some small accommodations and guesthouses across from and even inside Udawalawe. You can also visit as a day trip, the best times to visit are very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon.

It always nice to see elephants healty in nature, so many of them.... it is crowded with all those cars, competiting who will be the first finding elephants, but any way... nice big park and nice experience

It is the best place in the country and the region to see wild elephants. You can come pretty close. Avoid large tourists groups. We have found experienced local jeep driver with excellent knowledge.

Best place to see elephants in Sri Lanka 🙌🙌 It took us a while but we did see lots of elephants and the tour guy was actually really helpful. We saw 🐊 crocodiles, monkeys, peacocks, and lots of different birds. The guy gave specific details about them and showed lots of interest in how we were finding the experience. Go here if you have a chance!

Enjoyed the Sri Lankan wildlife in Udawalawa Safari. We saw plenty of elephants and tuskers at close range. Various other birds, peacock dances and crocodiles that evening. The safari jeep cost Rs. 4000/= and entrance tickets were Rs 1250/= for six people. We roamed about three hours in the park. It was a wonderful experience.

It’s a heaven for nature lovers. We were going mainly to see the elephants, and we saw a lot. On top of that - peacocks, different types of eagles and bee eaters, parrots, monkeys, crocodile, water buffalo ( didn’t even knew they exist:)), deers, pelicans, iguana… Wow, I am absolutely happy.

If you want to see Elephants, you have to visit Udawalawe! We saw many elephants eating, roaming, bathing and relaxing! The park has a calming atmosphere with a variation in scenery. Lots of lakes and pools for the animals to sunbathe at dusk, a really beautiful place that will live long in the memory.

Very nice park, recommended for a jeep safari. You will most likely see wild elephants maybe even some babies if you are lucky. We saw male elephants fighting, some young ones. Also tons of cool birds, occasionally crocodiles along the water, deer and buffalo to mention a few

This is an one of best natural wild life park in SL. For over four decades since its inception, the Udawalawe National Park has successfully attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, including both local and foreign tourists, while prolifically contributing to the development of the entire tourism sector of Sri Lanka. The number one and predominant factor that has attached a high degree of prestige to the National Park of Udawalawe is the high probability of sighting Sri Lankan elephants. Tourists will most certainly catch a glimpse or even get within several metres of one or multiple elephants at Udawalawe during each safari tour. Furthermore, other exotic creatures, such as the Sri Lankan leopard and endemic species of birds, can also be witnessed at Udawalawe. The Udawalawe National Park was designated and established as the fifth national park of Sri Lanka on the 30th of June, 1972. This officially designated the Udawalawe region as a national park in addition to a wildlife sanctuary under the Fauna and Flora Protection ordinance of Sri Lanka.The water reservoir of Udawalawe National Park, encompassing a total surface area of nearly 3,500 hectares, is the largest reservoir in the vicinity and it is referred to as the “Walawe reservoir”. The total area of Udawalawe National Park is almost 31,000 hectares and this makes the park one of the most expansive parks in the island. The most common type of environment witnessed in Udawalawe is the dry grassland and scrubland. Extensive regions of tall grass, scrubs, as well as trees are common sights at Udawalawe. These are the most favourite environment conditions of the elephants at Udawalawe for a substantial portion of the year. Even though grasslands, scrublands, and similar types of plains are predominantly witnessed in the park, mountainous and rocky areas are also not uncommon.

This is the first ever safari I have ever took in my life. I went with the friends and we were able to find a safari jeep for 5000 Rupees. There are two seat jeeps and also jeeps for families. It is better if you can ask the prices before going the safari and always choose known persons. If there's no rain the safari would be very dusty and very harsh do not forget to bring sun creams, shades and sun glasses. Spotting a leopard is a very rare incident. But you will meet many elephants along the route with some elephants are familiar with humans. Other common animal encounters are crocodiles, deers, monkeys and various birds. You should always be inside the vehicle and your belongings should be watched and kept safe from monkeys. There are some few bungalows inside the safari, you can use one of those to going to washrooms. We went to the Weheragolla bungalow and there you have the chance to bath in the nearby fresh water river.

We had a wonderful few hours adventuring here with Crocodile Safaris. When we first drove in, I didn’t have high expectations. We immediately encountered a number of elephants and the cynic in me thought they were being coached to hang out there. But as we headed deeper into the park, getting off the beaten track, we were blown away. Our driver was so sharp eyed, he spotted elephants, birds, a fox and he even stopped to point out a chameleon! It took a while for us to see it! But the best of all, seeing the baby elephant feeding from its mama. What a surreal magical moment. This place connects you to nature. You can come with a list of things you want to see and possibly disappointed, or you can relish visiting a place where animals have more freedom to roam and enjoy seeing whoever happens to cross your path.

Great safari experience. We saw many animals from really close - especially elephants, but also spotted deers, peacocks, varans, wild boars and many different birds. The guides are very vigilant and they will alert you of presence of any animals nearby, that you have no chance of spotting with untrained eyes.

Udawalawe National Park Safari is one of the popular safaris in Sri Lanka. I went there, at early in the morning. To see the sun shine and the animals roaming freely is so mezzmorising. Everywhere is green and herds of elephants are a common site. Stopped near lake where you can see wonderful creations of mother nature.

There are a lot of elephants here. Drivers are good. They don't hurry to finish their turn. It too around 4 hours to complete the ride. Don't eat a lot before going in. Road's are bumpy. You'll throw up.

Early morning safari was stunning

Great place. Many elephants. Go for early morning Safari. 4hours safari is enough.

Really loved the Safari at Udawalawa.❤️This place provides home for elephants, peacocks, wildboars, deers, birds and many more species. If you are visiting, the best time would be early in the morning.

I did a half-day safari in this national park in the afternoon. It was a very intense experience and incredible to see all the animals. There are not only elephants, but also different species of birds, butterflies, crocodiles, peacocks and monkeys. The number of elephant herds here is incredibly high. Can recommend the safari tour to everyone.

We had a booked a private safari and we travelled to this place all the way from Anantara kalutara. It was a rainy weather and I remember we had umbrellas with us and initially we were watching elephant feeding and then we travelled in a safari vehicle to the national park. We saw many crocodiles and a bunch of elephants , a few species of different birds and the nature’s view was great as well !!

this is the best place to see wild elephants in Sri Lanka. there are lots of wild elephants lives there and lots of local and foreign tourists come daily there. park open early in the morning and it close near 6 pm. early morning and evening times are better to see elephants. enjoy

one of the most beautiful wild sanctuaries in Sri Lanka with lots of different animals with... you can enjoy wild life to the max at the this place...

Udawalawe National Park is a national park on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces in Sri Lanka. The park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established on 30 June 1972.

It is a place with peace for animals to spend the time. But it is also a huge tourism place for Safari ridings and other things.Very famous among sri lankan and foreign travelers .You can see 2 types of elephants available in sri lanka and other animals.

If you want to see elephants, this is absolutely the right place. It seems impossible not to see an elephant. The elephants also seem to have become very accustomed to the jeeps here, as they came within 1 meter of us without any problems. After that there are monkeys and a few bird species. Leopards and crocodiles I think are very difficult to see here. YALA Park is more worthwhile. Approx. 22,000 LKR for 2 persons. Driver was top, guide was okay. Very difficult terrain. Only 4 Stars because I saw a lot of garbage. Absolutely no go!

You can see lot of elephants there, most of these species haven't ivory, we are lucky to have find one before entrance, better to go early in the morning, of course unexpectedly there are variety of animals there, mostly elephants, before start discuss about final price of everything including guide, duration..

The Safari was a surreal experience, Udawalawe National Park is an incredible place for a vast selection of wild animals to live their lives like they are meant to - in nature and without human intervention. It was not packed full of trucks like some reviews say however this is potentially due to the ongoing pandemic. Our driver would simply follow the designated roads and come to a slow stop and turn off his engine when something was spotted along the way. There was certainly no chasing or following of animals involved. The elephants infact were so comfortable with the trucks they stood grazing beside us for 30 minutes! P.S. buy the freshly cooked coconut roti's from the local woman who sells them as you're queing to go in, they're incredible!

Recent visit was 1st Jan 2022, Lots of elephants scary but not aggressive or attacking. Visited in the morning between 6:00Am - 9:00Am. It is better to take Japanese jeep as it generates low noise compared to Indian as where the animal go and hide when they getting closer. Noticed there are some stray dogs following the jeeps to into the park and makes Elephants annoyed and more aggressive to them.

The Sri Lanka wild life national park. Situated rathnapura district around 16 km from embilipitiya town. Nature safari trails available 8.00am to 4.00 pm normally. These days safari cost per one jeep around 8000/ . This is the wonderful journey and can watch most of elephant 🐘 and some other animals.

Great safari experience, situated in sabaragamuwa and uva provincial boarder, Home to many animals like elephants, peacocks, deers, water buffalos, star turtles and many other animals and birds.

We had a great driver an nice impressions - I prefer a telephoto lens in case of long distances to the animals

Udawalawe National Park, the sixth largest animal sanctuary of Sri Lanka is located 180 km from Colombo

Great Safari experience. One of the best national parks to see elephants & birds in Sri Lanka.

Udawalawe national park is one of the best attractive place in srilanka. It islocate at the wet zoon. Although it is not a rainforest. Elephant, variety of birds, lepords and lots of other animals can see. You not allowed to leave your vehicle or feed to animals in the forest. You have to choose best time for enter to the forest ..it may morning of evening.. At noon you can see few amount of animals. This is the place you must see as a srilanka also as a tourist.

Beautiful and awesome trail. You can watch many animals in there. Its better start your journey early.

You can get a great sfari experience. Safari jeep is the best and safe vehicle. Elephants are everywhere

Wonderful experience with jungle and animals. a great memory to keep with nature. u will see real animal in very close.