Explore more curated experiences in Ella

View all Ella tours

Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included

Top rated
4.4
Activity provider: Himayuru Tours, Ella, Sri Lanka - Trusted Yala & Udawalawe Safari Tour Provider
Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included
Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included 2
Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included 3
+3
more

An all-inclusive private Udawalawe safari from Ella with the jeep, the park permit and both transfers covered, so there is nothing to pay at the gate.

Highlights

  • The park permit included, so there is nothing to pay at the gate
  • Around 600 resident elephants on open grassland, reliably in sight
  • A private jeep and tracker rather than a shared seat
  • Crocodiles, buffalo and excellent birding along the reservoir
  • Open year-round, unlike Yala Block 1

Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included: Key Facts

PriceFrom $156 per person
Duration8 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Full description

Most safari bookings in Sri Lanka leave you paying the park permit in cash at the gate, which for a foreign visitor is USD 25 to 40 on top of what you already paid and comes as a surprise to plenty of people. This version includes it, which is worth knowing when comparing prices — a cheaper listing that excludes the permit is usually not cheaper.

Udawalawe is two hours south of Ella and is the dependable park. Created in 1972 around a new reservoir, the farmland it displaced became open grassland, and there is nowhere for an elephant to hide. Around six hundred resident animals, usually in sight within twenty minutes of the gate, and sightings are near-certain rather than lucky.

What you will not see is a leopard. They exist in Udawalawe and are essentially never seen, so if leopards are the point, take the Yala trip and accept the crowds that come with it.

The rest is water buffalo, spotted deer, jackals, mugger crocodiles along the reservoir edge, and genuinely good birding — serpent eagles, hawk-eagles, painted storks and a heavy winter migration.

Private hire means the tracker works for your group rather than to a schedule, which in practice means sitting at a waterhole rather than moving on.

Tour Itinerary

Itineraries are customisable as per your request

The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.

5:00 AM

Pickup in Ella

The drive south.

7:00 AM

Udawalawe gate

Permits already covered; straight in.

7:15 AM

Private game drive

Three to four hours at your own pace.

11:30 AM

Leave the park

Breakfast, then the drive back.

2:00 PM

Ella

Drop-off at your hotel.

Detailed Itinerary

[{"time": "05:00", "title": "Hotel pickup", "description": "Two hours each way. The early start is what gets you in with the first vehicles."}, {"time": "07:15", "title": "In the park", "description": "Open grassland around the reservoir. A private jeep can wait rather than chase."}, {"time": "14:00", "title": "Ella", "description": "Drop-off at your hotel."}]

Includes

  • Private vehicle with driver from your Ella hotel, a private 4x4 safari jeep with driver and tracker, the national park permit, the game drive, drinking water.

Excludes

  • Meals, gratuities for the driver and tracker, the Elephant Transit Home entrance if added, personal expenses.

Important information

Meeting point

Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are confirmed after booking.

Know before you go

  • Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 8 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

You might also like...

Share
Main Tour Price
Starting from $156
$156
Tour Type
WildlifeDay TripPrivate Tour
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Private vehicle with driver from your Ella hotel, a private 4x4 safari jeep with driver and tracker, the national park permit, the game drive, drinking water.
The duration of the Private Udawalawe Safari from Ella with Jeep, Permit and Transfers Included is typically 8 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
A 20-25 minute walk downhill from Ella town through tea and jungle — uphill on the way back. A tuk-tuk to the Demodara side is quieter and saves the climb. It is free, with no ticket and no official viewing area. See our Nine Arch Bridge guide.
Roughly every two hours, but Sri Lanka Railways runs 30-90 minutes late routinely, so any blog quoting exact times is quoting a timetable rather than reality. Ask at Ella station on the morning — staff will tell you what is expected and how late it is running.
Little Adam's Peak for almost everyone — 45 minutes up a stepped path for arguably the better view, out through the Ella Gap. Ella Rock is three hours return, largely unsigned, and people get lost on it regularly; take a guide or an offline map. Compared in full here.
Reserved seats open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours from December to March. Unreserved 2nd/3rd class is sold on the day and always available — you will stand, which is where the open doorways are. Send your luggage ahead by road if you have a driver. See getting to Ella.
January to March for the clearest Ella Gap views. June to September is dry but hazy from the Uva wind; October to December is wet. The real risk is cloud, not rain — at 1,000 m the view can be inside a cloud on a dry day, and mornings are clearer than afternoons in every month. See best time to visit Ella.
Two nights, which gives you two dawns — Little Adam's Peak on one, Ella Rock or a tea morning on the other, with the bridge mid-morning on day one. Our Ella 2-day itinerary sets out the order.
Do everything before nine in the morning. The Gap view is clearer in the morning in every month, Little Adam's Peak has a queue by nine, and the Nine Arch Bridge has hundreds of people on it by ten.
Starting from$156