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View all Colombo toursUdawalawe National Park Elephant Safari Day Trip from Colombo
A full day from Colombo to Udawalawe National Park, the reserve where Sri Lanka's elephants are seen most reliably, with a jeep game drive and a stop at the Elephant Transit Home.
Highlights
- Game drive of around three hours through Udawalawe, the most dependable park in Sri Lanka for wild elephants
- Private air-conditioned car from Colombo with hotel pickup and drop-off
- Visit to the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned calves are raised for release
- Water buffalo, crocodiles, spotted deer and strong birdlife around the reservoir
- Park entrance tickets and the safari jeep with a tracker arranged for you
Udawalawe National Park Elephant Safari Day Trip from Colombo: Key Facts
| Price | From $292.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Group size | Up to 6 people |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
Udawalawe sits at the edge of the dry zone about four hours south-east of Colombo, and it is the park people go to when they want to see elephants rather than hope for them. The reserve grew up around a reservoir built in the 1960s, and the grassland and scrub that replaced the old farmland suits elephants well. Several hundred live here year-round, so sightings are the norm rather than the exception.
The day starts early because of the drive. Your driver collects you from your hotel in Colombo or along the coast at Wadduwa, Moratuwa or Panadura, and the road runs south past the coconut belt before turning inland through Ratnapura's gem country. It is a long stretch in the car, with a couple of tea stops along the way.
At the park entrance you transfer into a safari jeep with a tracker for a game drive of around three hours. Elephants are the headline, often in family groups at the water's edge, but the same drive turns up water buffalo, spotted deer, sambar, crocodiles in the tank and a long list of birds: serpent eagles, bee-eaters, painted storks and, in season, migratory waders. Leopards exist here but are rarely seen, and any sighting is luck rather than an expectation.
There is a break for lunch at a restaurant near the reserve, taken at your own expense so you can order what you want, and then a stop at the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home. This is a state-run facility where orphaned calves are raised for release back into the wild rather than kept for rides, and visitors watch the feeding from a platform at a set time.
You will be back in Colombo late in the evening. It is a genuinely long day with roughly eight hours on the road in total, and it works best for travellers who would rather do the park properly in one push than break the journey overnight.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Hotel pickup
Your driver collects you from your hotel in Colombo or on the coast at Wadduwa, Moratuwa or Panadura.
Drive to Udawalawe
Roughly four hours by air-conditioned car, heading south along the coast then inland through Ratnapura, with a tea stop on the way.
Safari jeep game drive
Transfer to an open safari jeep with a tracker and spend around three hours in the park looking for elephant herds, buffalo, crocodiles and birdlife.
Lunch near the park
Break at a local restaurant close to the reserve. Lunch is at your own expense so you can choose your own dishes.
Elephant Transit Home
Watch the feeding of orphaned calves at the state-run transit home, which rehabilitates young elephants for release into the wild.
Return to Colombo
The drive back to your hotel, arriving in the early evening.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "05:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "Your driver collects you from your hotel in Colombo or on the coast at Wadduwa, Moratuwa or Panadura."}, {"time": "05:00 - 09:00", "title": "Drive to Udawalawe", "description": "Roughly four hours by air-conditioned car, heading south along the coast then inland through Ratnapura, with a tea stop on the way."}, {"time": "09:00 - 12:00", "title": "Safari jeep game drive", "description": "Transfer to an open safari jeep with a tracker and spend around three hours in the park looking for elephant herds, buffalo, crocodiles and birdlife."}, {"time": "12:00 - 13:00", "title": "Lunch near the park", "description": "Break at a local restaurant close to the reserve. Lunch is at your own expense so you can choose your own dishes."}, {"time": "13:00 - 13:45", "title": "Elephant Transit Home", "description": "Watch the feeding of orphaned calves at the state-run transit home, which rehabilitates young elephants for release into the wild."}, {"time": "13:45 - 18:00", "title": "Return to Colombo", "description": "The drive back to your hotel, arriving in the early evening."}]
Includes
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver; hotel pickup and drop-off in Colombo, Wadduwa, Moratuwa or Panadura; Udawalawe National Park entrance tickets; safari jeep with tracker for the game drive; Elephant Transit Home entrance; bottled water; all fuel, tolls and parking
Excludes
- Lunch and other meals; drinks; tips for the driver, guide and jeep tracker; camera fees where charged; personal expenses; travel insurance
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Colombo, Wadduwa, Moratuwa or Panadura, arranged when you book.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
It was fantastic, saw a lot of wildlife, and a beautiful park
Excellent ! I highly recommend. Thanks to our guide it was just an incredible day
It was a very nice safari with lots of sightings of elephants, crocodiles, water Buffalo, peacocks, jackals, mongoose, python and numerous species of birds. The park was not very crowded, hence allowed me to spend quality time at each sighting. The journey from Colombo was also very smooth in a good Toyota Prius car. The car had arrived for pickup on time at the hotel lobby.
Long road to reach the park from Colombo, but worth it! Seen a lot of elefants, buffalos, lizards, large variaty of birds, turtles and even a crocodile. The safari experience is not very crowded (as I heard Yala is) and there was enough time to admire the park and the animals. The driver from Colombo to the park was reallt skilled and the guide was nice, but needs to improve his english a little bit. All in all, don’t regret the money I spent, even though I paid double as solo traveler.
We had a wonderful time during the safari and the guide was very helpful and nice.
Great activity to learn about the biodiversity of the country!
We have booked the safari for Udawalawa because we wanted to see elephants specially. But they tricked us and taken us to Wilpatu by saying that we will be able to see more animals along with the elephants in Wilpatu park. Overall it was a waste of money and time because we were not able to see a single elephant. We have just seen deers/ghazals and a peacock and that’s it. They reduced the time of safari to 2:30 minutes. I would really not recommend going for to Wilpatu and with them.
Safe travel with careful driver. They were polite prompt and helpful. But be aware of the rainy days, then you will not only have to bring hat sneakers and sunscreen but also raincoats for jeep safari.