Udawalawe, Sri Lanka: travel guide
A small roadside town beside the park famed for year-round elephants
A small A18 roadside town at the edge of Udawalawe National Park, base for the year-round elephant safari and the Department of Wildlife Conservation's Elephant Transit Home.
About Udawalawe
Udawalawe is a small roadside town on the edge of Udawalawe National Park, and works mainly as a base for safaris. The park is open grassland and scrub around a large reservoir, which makes spotting wildlife easier than in denser forest.
Elephants are the main attraction, with herds visible throughout the year, along with buffalo, deer, crocodiles and many birds. The Elephant Transit Home, which cares for orphaned calves and releases them back into the wild, is a short distance away and run by the wildlife department.
It suits families and wildlife fans, and fits well between the hill country and the south coast. Dry months from about May to September bring animals to the water, though elephants are seen at any time.
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Currency
- LKR
- Time zone
- Asia/Colombo
Last updated
Top places to visit in Udawalawe
Udawalawe National Park
national-park · 4.5 rating · about 3.5 h · check the fee at the gate
A 308 km2 park of open grassland around the Udawalawe reservoir with roughly 250 resident elephants. Sightings are near-certain and the terrain is open, which makes it the reliable elephant park — and, unlike Yala, it stays open all year.
Elephant Transit Home
wildlife-sanctuary · 4.5 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
The Department of Wildlife Conservation's orphan-elephant facility on the edge of Udawalawe. Calves are reared for release rather than kept, so there is no riding or bathing — visitors watch the milk feeding from a viewing platform at set…
Things to do
- Udawalawe Jeep Safari Wildlife · 3.5 h
Getting to Udawalawe
Nearest airport: Colombo (CMB), about 133 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Car With Driver
- Tuktuk
- Walking