Udawalawe

One of Sri Lanka's best elephant safaris

As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sri Lanka, Udawalawe National Park is probably already on your list. Framed by soaring highlands on its northern boundary, Uda Walawe National Park is one of the world's best places to see wild elephants. Largely comprised of grasslands and bush forest, it's also one of the best national parks in the country for game spotting — seeing elephants here is genuinely one of the best things to do in Sri Lanka.

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Places to Explore in Udawalawe

Discover the historic landmarks, cultural attractions and hidden gems that make Udawalawe special.

Getting to Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park is accessed right from the town of Udawalawa in central Sri Lanka. It's about a 2-hour drive from Mirissa, 1.5 hours from Ella, or 4 hours from Colombo. If you plan on spending a night or two in Udawalawe, there are plenty of hotels and guesthouses around, making it a good option for those with time. Alternatively, you can easily go on a day tour from places like Colombo, Galle, Ella or Hikkaduwa — many tour offices will try to sell you this option.

Guaranteed Elephant Sightings

If you came to see elephants, you're in the right place. On a safari in Udawalawe, you will undoubtedly see them — in fact, chances are you'll see many, babies included. The reason for this is simple: Udawalawe is one of Sri Lanka's smaller national parks at only 308.2 sq km, but it's estimated that over 500 elephants live within this space, so a smaller area with a higher density of elephants greatly increases your chances of seeing them. Within minutes of entering the park you might spot a group of around 7 elephants, then throughout the safari many more, including mothers with two babies, as well as large male elephants crossing the road only metres from the jeep. Any time of year it is pretty much guaranteed that you'll see elephants on an Udawalawe safari — a great reason to visit.

A Popular, Busy Safari

The downside to the 'elephant guarantee' in Udawalawe is that there will be lots of other people there too. Tourists come from all over the world 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, and if your guide spots an elephant or any animal, chances are other guides will too — creating a traffic jam around the sighting. Basically, don't expect a peaceful jeep safari with just your group and driver; there will likely almost always be another jeep or ten nearby, fighting for the prime spot to watch the animals. That's not to say you won't get to see them alone — it's just rare. Safari jeep drivers and guides all want you to tip them, so they work hard to find as many animals as possible, racing each other around the park to get their group the closest spot, which can feel quite intense and hectic.

Habituated Elephants

Something worth being aware of is that while these elephants are free in the wild, they are almost tame. The elephants in Udawalawe have become so accustomed to hundreds of jeeps and people around them every day that they don't react the same way a regular wild elephant would — they largely go about their business no matter how close the jeeps get or how many of them there are, and only walk off eventually if they get sick of being bothered. A real wild elephant would likely walk away immediately from people or cars, or even get aggressive or curious and approach people, thus becoming potentially dangerous — so don't expect to be observing elephants behaving quite how they would normally act in the wild on this particular safari. Despite the chaos and touristic nature of it all, though, you can't deny how amazing elephants are — observing them from afar or getting close up, they're incredible, and seeing them on a safari like this is a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Other Wildlife in the Park

Beyond elephants, safaris in Udawalawe also turn up water buffalo, monkeys, crocodiles, lizards, a variety of birds and insects. No leopards, though — in fact, you won't see leopards in Udawalawe at all; for those, you'll need to go to Yala or Wilpattu National Park instead. This is one sacrifice you need to make if you choose to safari here — no chance of seeing leopards, but a 100% chance of seeing elephants.