How to Visit Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka’s Wild Elephant Safari

How to visit Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka‘s wild elephant safari. Did you know that in the South East of Sri Lanka, not too far from the country’s famous south coast beaches, you can see elephants in the wild? Visiting Udawalawe National Park is a magical experience – a true highlight of my time in Sri Lanka. So definitely consider adding it to your Sri Lanka itinerary!

It’s such an amazing privilege to be able to see these beautiful creatures in the wild, where they truly belong. It gives you the chance to witness their natural behaviour and interactions with each other, rather than the cruel unnatural behaviours imposed by sham “sanctuaries”. Read: Is It Ever Ok to Visit Elephant Sanctuaries?

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Why Visit Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka?

Udawalawe National Park is specifically for elephant lovers. There are other animals in the national park (and I saw some beautiful birds), but elephants are definitely the main attraction. These gentle giants are quite used to seeing the safari jeeps, so you can get fairly close to them without scaring them. With the number of elephants in the park estimated between 250 and 600, sightings are almost guaranteed. Watch as these majestic creatures roam freely through the park, using their trunks to find food or throw mud over themselves to protect their skin from the scorching heat.

History of Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park was created in 1972 to provide a safe home for the wild elephants displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir. The protected area is located between Sri Lanka’s wet and dry areas, and includes grasslands, marshes and forest.

What to Expect When Visiting Udawalawe National Park?

You can book either a 3 1/2 hour, half day or full day safari. Personally I think the 3 1/2 hour option is enough time. I was picked up from my accommodation at 5:30am to drive to Udawalawe National Park for opening time. I then spent a few hours being driven around the national park by my own personal safari guide as he pointed out elephants and native birds.

The safari guiding experience is good but basic*. You will be shown the elephants but don’t expect any in-depth information about them. I’ve visited wildlife experiences in the past where they will tell you all about the animals, their behaviours, their conservation status and the issues facing them, but don’t expect that here. Driving around and watching the elephants as they foraged for food was still a beautiful experience and I’d happily do it again. *There may be some particular tour providers who do offer a more in-depth experience at a more premium price point.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Udawalawe National Park?

There are two pricing elements:

• Udawalawe National Park entrance fee. You pay this at the park gate upon entry. US$40.
• Jeep and driver. I organised this and paid for it via my accommodation. US$40 – 100 depending on number of hours.

What Time of Year Should I Visit Udawalawe National Park?

Udawalawe National Park does experience quite a bit of rainfall. This is mostly between the months of October to January and March to May. This makes mid-January – February and June – September the best times to visit.

Is Udawalawe National Park Ethical?

As far as I can tell, yes. There is no elephant riding, bathing, touching or any of that nonsense. (Read: Is It Ever Ok to Visit Elephant Sanctuaries?). These are truly wild elephants.

It is thought that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in all of Asia. Unfortunately this means that human – elephant conflict is an issue, due to demand for land for farming and human habitation. This makes it incredibly important for the elephants to have protected areas to live in. Thankfully ivory poaching is fairly rare in Sri Lanka as not many Sri Lankan elephants have tusks, but it’s not unheard of. Visiting national parks such as Udawalawe National Park creates a financial incentive for the country to keep protected areas for wildlife.

Can I Feed the Elephants?

Absolutely not. It’s bad for their health. Unfortunately, even though feeding the elephants is banned, some of the less responsible safari guides have been known to let passengers feed elephants. This is incredibly dangerous as it teaches the animals to associate the jeeps with food and get far too close and put their trunks inside the car to have a rummage around. They might pick up your bags and trample on them. That’s if you’re lucky. If unlucky, the elephant could ram the jeep causing it to overturn. Luckily this behaviour is very rare as the national park does have strict guidelines for drivers, but it’s not unheard of. Don’t be one of the idiots who encourages this sort of behaviour.

How to Get to Udawalawe National Park?

Udawalawe National Park is located in the South East of Sri Lanka. It is between the south coast beaches and the hilly tea plantation region of Ella and Nuwara Eliya. This makes Udawalawe very easy to reach from either of these locations.

Personally I took a bus to Embilipitiya followed by a connecting bus to Udawalawa Junction, the closest town to Udawalawe National Park. It’s also possible to book private transfers from Ella, Colombo and various towns on the South Coast. Some people even book tours that take you to both Udawalawe and Yala National Parks on the same day.

There is plenty of accommodation available in Udawalawa Junction. Many of these offer very cheap room rates as they hope to make their money from the safari bookings.

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