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Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls

Top rated
4.8
Activity provider: Lanka Travel Hub
Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls
Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls 2
Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls 3
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A return day trip to Udawalawe from the Ella area for elephants, crocodiles and birds, with the Elephant Transit Home and a stop at Ravana Falls on the way back.

Highlights

  • Around 600 resident elephants on open grassland, reliably visible
  • Mugger crocodiles, water buffalo and exceptional birding
  • The Elephant Transit Home, which releases its orphans back into the wild
  • Pickup from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale
  • Ravana Falls on the return

Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls: Key Facts

PriceFrom $144 per person
Duration9 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Choose from 1 available option

Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale to Udawalawe Safari With Jeep

Departures: 4:00 AM, 5:00 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM
8 hours
English
$144
Free cancellation

Full description

Udawalawe is two hours south of Ella and is the park to take if you want to see elephants rather than hope for a leopard. It was created in 1972 to protect the catchment of a new reservoir, and the displaced farmland became open grassland — which is why the animals here are visible in a way they are not in forested parks.

The resident population is around six hundred, and herds are usually in sight within twenty minutes of entering. Water buffalo, spotted deer, jackals, mugger crocodiles on the reservoir edge, and exceptional birding: serpent eagles, changeable hawk-eagles, painted storks and a large winter influx of migrants.

The Elephant Transit Home on the park boundary is a rehabilitation centre rather than an orphanage — orphaned calves are raised with minimal human contact and released back into the wild in groups, and several hundred have gone back. Feeding is viewed from a platform at a distance. There is no riding and no bathing here, which is the point.

Ravana Falls closes the day on the road back into Ella.

Ella is a village at 1,040 metres in the southern hill country, reached by the train from Kandy that most people rate the finest railway journey in Asia, and its sights are all within a few kilometres: the Nine Arch Bridge, a brick viaduct of 1921 in a gorge of tea, which a train crosses several times a day; Little Adam's Peak, a 40-minute walk through tea to a ridge; Ella Rock, a harder three-hour climb; and Ravana Falls on the road down to Wellawaya. Mornings are clear and afternoons in the wet months bring cloud into the gap, so the walks are done early. Tuk-tuks are the transport, and every guesthouse can find one.

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

From Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale.

7:00 AM

Udawalawe gate

Permits and entry.

7:30 AM

Game drive

Three hours in the park.

11:00 AM

Elephant Transit Home

The feeding session.

12:30 PM

Return drive

North towards Ella.

2:00 PM

Ravana Falls

A stop before the last stretch.

3:00 PM

Drop-off

Back at your hotel.

Detailed Itinerary

05:00

Hotel pickup

Two hours south. The early start is what gets you into the park with the first vehicles.

07:30

In the park

Open grassland around the reservoir. Elephants are usually in sight within twenty minutes.

11:00

Transit Home

Viewing from a platform; no contact with the animals.

15:00

Ella

Drop-off at your hotel.

Includes

  • Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, the safari jeep with driver and tracker, drinking water.

Excludes

  • The national park permit and Transit Home entrance, paid at the gate, meals, gratuities.

Important information

Meeting point

Hotel pickup in Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale; confirmed after booking.

Weather

This runs outdoors, so the operator can call it off for rain, wind or sea conditions, and that decision is usually made on the day. If they cancel, you choose: another date, or your money back in full. We do not keep a booking fee on a tour that did not run.

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 9 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

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Main Tour Price
Starting from $144
$144
Tour Type
WildlifeDay TripSafari
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
We reply within 5 minutes
Free cancellation
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

Traveler Reviews

4.8/5
based on 5 reviews
Guide
4.8/5
Value for money
4.8/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
5
H
Hannah
February 23, 2026

Our Udawalawe safari was an amazing experience and completely flawless from start to finish. Dila picked us up from our hotel in Ella at 4am and we arrived at the national park a little before 6am. We met Amasha with his jeep at the entrance and before we knew it we were heading into the park. Amasha clearly knew his stuff, he would stop the car when he spotted something which we never would’ve seen ourselves! All of the guides would communicate and let each other know if there was something to be seen so we didn’t feel like we missed a thing. We saw lots of birds, crocodiles, mongooses and of course elephants, which were beautiful! Once our tour was over Dila took us back to Ella with a few stops on the way to look at the very impressive rice fields and waterfalls and he explained lots about these things too. Both Dila and Amasha were fantastic and we highly recommend anyone interested in doing a safari with drop off/pick up to book with them!

Frequently Asked Questions

Hotel pickup in Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale; confirmed after booking.
The price does not cover the national park permit and transit home entrance, paid at the gate, meals, gratuities.. Everything it does cover is listed in full on this page, so if something is not on that list, budget for it separately.
No, and anyone promising them is guessing. These are wild animals in open country. Early departures give the best odds because that is when animals are active and the light is good.
Lanka Travel Hub. We book with them directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can confirm your place with the operator before taking it as final.
We confirm your booking with the operator before we treat it as final, and we need at least one day's notice outside India. Once it is confirmed you get the meeting point, the time and a contact number for the day. If the operator cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, the safari jeep with driver and tracker, drinking water.
The duration of the Udawalawe Jeep Safari from Ella, Bandarawela or Haputale with Ravana Falls is typically 9 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$144Free cancellation