Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe is in the south of Sri Lanka, about 160 km from Colombo. It sits between the hills around Ella and the beaches of the south coast, so it is easy to visit on the way. Prices are from October 2026, when $1 was about 330 rupees.

Why is Udawalawe so good for elephants?

• Many elephants live here all year. About 250 stay in the park, and more come to the reservoir.
• The land is open. Most of the park is grassland and low bush, so you can see elephants from far away.
• There is water all year. The reservoir and the river keep animals in the park, even in the dry months.
• The tracks go close. The jeep tracks pass the water and grass where the herds feed.

Many safaris see dozens of elephants, including babies. But they are wild animals, and nobody can promise a sighting.

The landscape

Udawalawe became a national park on 30 June 1972. It covers about 308 km² on the border of Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces, where Sri Lanka’s wet and dry zones meet.

The park was made for two reasons. It protects the land that feeds the Udawalawe Reservoir with water. It also gave a new home to animals that lost theirs when the reservoir was built. Today the park is a mix of:

• open grassland and low, thorny bush
• patches of forest along the Walawe River and smaller streams
• marshes and wet ground around the reservoir

The Udawalawe Reservoir

The reservoir is a big man-made lake on the Walawe River. Its water is used for farming, and a power station at the dam makes electricity. For the park, it is a water hole that never runs dry.

Elephants come to drink and bathe at the shore, buffalo lie in the shallow water and crocodiles wait at the edges. Water birds such as cormorants, painted storks and spoonbills visit too. In the early morning and late afternoon, the light over the water is lovely for photos.

What animals can you see?

• Elephants: the stars of the park, often in family groups with babies.
• Other big animals: water buffalo, spotted deer, sambar deer, wild boar and crocodiles.
• Smaller animals: golden jackals, hares, and two kinds of monkeys: toque macaques and grey langurs.
• Shy animals: leopards, sloth bears and fishing cats live here too, but you are very unlikely to see them.
• Birds: about 184 kinds, including eagles, storks, bee-eaters, kingfishers and peacocks. About 33 kinds are migrants that come for part of the year.

In all, the park has 43 kinds of mammals, 33 kinds of reptiles and 135 kinds of butterflies.

When is the best time to visit?

Udawalawe is good all year. Elephants live in the park in every month, and we found no yearly closure, unlike Yala.

• Rain: most rain falls from October to January and from March to May. Tracks can be muddy then, but the park is green.
• Dry months: June to September and February are drier. Animals stay close to the water, which makes them easy to find.
• Time of day: early morning and late afternoon are best. In the middle of the day it is hot, and many animals rest in the shade.
• Crowds: the park is busiest at weekends, on Sri Lankan holidays and in the main tourist season, from about December to March.

Safari times and what a safari is like

The gates open at 6 AM and everyone must leave by 6 PM. Most people do a half-day safari:

• Morning: from 6 AM to about 10 AM. The jeep picks you up at about 5:30 AM.
• Afternoon: from about 2:30 PM to 6 PM.
• Longer safaris: some drivers offer 6-hour or full-day trips, but most people see plenty of elephants in a half day.

You ride in an open-top jeep with a driver, and the jeep takes up to 6 people. The driver buys the park tickets at the gate. The elephants here are used to jeeps and often come very close. Stay seated, keep quiet and never feed them. Elephants that are fed learn to come up to cars, which is dangerous for them and for people.

Other jeeps often gather around the best sightings, and some drivers race to get there first. Tell your driver at the start that you want a calm safari. Our Sri Lanka safari guide explains the park rules and how to choose a kind driver.

How much does a safari cost?

A safari has two costs: the park tickets and the jeep.

So one adult alone pays about 13,400 rupees ($41), and two adults pay about 22,500 rupees ($68) together.

These rupee prices come from the Udawalawe gate price board (October 2026). The gate turns dollars into rupees at its own rate, which is lower than the bank rate. If it moves to the bank rate, one adult alone pays about 14,000 rupees.

The jeep costs about 13,000 to 25,000 rupees ($40 to $75) for a half day, for the whole jeep. Longer safaris and pick-up from far away cost more. For example, two adults on a half-day safari pay about 22,500 rupees for tickets and about 15,000 rupees for the jeep. That is about 37,500 rupees ($114) in total, or about $57 each.

Bring rupees in cash. You can also buy park tickets on the wildlife department’s Day Visitor ePermits website, with a small booking fee.

The Elephant Transit Home

The Elephant Transit Home (Ath Athuru Sevana in Sinhala) is a centre run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. It opened in 1995 on the western edge of the park, near Udawalawe town. It is about 9 km, or 10 minutes by car, from the main park gate.

It is not a zoo or an orphanage for tourists. Baby elephants that have lost their mothers, or are found alone or hurt, are brought here. Staff feed them milk and care for them with as little human contact as possible. When they are old enough, at about five years, they are released into the wild, mostly into Udawalawe. The first ones went back to the wild in 1998.

Visiting

• What you see: the young elephants come in a few at a time to drink their milk, then eat and play. You watch from a covered stand behind a barrier. Each feeding lasts about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Feeding times: sources disagree. Most give 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM and about 6 PM; some list 9 AM, 12 noon, 3 PM and 6 PM. Check on the day, and arrive 20 to 30 minutes early.
• Ticket: about $5 plus VAT for a foreign adult, paid in rupees. One visitor paid 2,000 rupees in August 2026. Children pay less. Bring cash.
• Rules: no touching, feeding, riding or bathing the elephants. Keep quiet and don’t use a flash.

The morning safari and the 10:30 AM feeding fit well together.

How do you get to Udawalawe?

These are road distances to the main park gate. From Colombo, the usual road goes inland through Ratnapura, not along the coast. Most visitors come by car with a driver. There is no train to Udawalawe.

One night at Udawalawe, step by step

A simple plan by car from Colombo. Check the feeding times at the Elephant Transit Home when you arrive.

1. Day 1, 10:00 AM

   Leave Colombo

   The drive takes about 3½ to 4 hours, inland through Ratnapura. Have lunch on the way.

2. Day 1, 2:30 PM

   Elephant Transit Home

   Watch the young elephants come in for their milk. Arrive 20 to 30 minutes early for a good place.

3. Day 1, evening

   Stay near the park

   Sleep in Udawalawe town or near the park gate. Ask your hotel to book a jeep for the morning.

4. Day 2, 5:30 AM

   Jeep pick-up

   Bring water, a hat and a light jacket. The driver buys the park tickets at the gate.

5. Day 2, 6:00 AM

   Morning safari

   About 3 to 4 hours in the park, when the elephants are active and the light is soft.

6. Day 2, 10:30 AM

   Go on

   Drive back to Colombo, or go on to Ella, Yala or the south coast, each about 2 hours away.

A sensible plan

• From Colombo: stay one night and take the morning safari (see the plan above). A day trip is possible, but it is a very long day.
• Between the hills and the coast: leave Ella at about 8 AM and watch the 10:30 AM feeding. Have lunch, take the afternoon safari and stay the night. The next day, go on to the beaches of the south coast, about 2 hours away.
• With Yala: many people see elephants at Udawalawe, then drive about 2 hours to Yala for leopards. See our Yala safari guide.
• With whales: from about December to April, you can add whale watching in Mirissa, about 2 hours away.