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View all Ella toursUdawalawe Safari and South Coast Transfer from Ella
The move from Ella down to the coast with a morning game drive at Udawalawe built in, plus the Elephant Transit Home feeding, and drop-off at Mirissa, Galle or Hikkaduwa.
Highlights
- A morning game drive at Sri Lanka's most dependable elephant park
- Around 600 resident elephants on open grassland, usually close to the track
- The Elephant Transit Home, which releases its orphans rather than keeping them
- The Ella-to-coast move done as a day rather than a drive
- Drop-off at Mirissa, Galle or Hikkaduwa with the afternoon intact
Udawalawe Safari and South Coast Transfer from Ella: Key Facts
| Price | From $57 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 10 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 2 available options
Morning Safari Tour
Morning / Afternoon Safari Tour
Full description
Udawalawe sits directly on the road from Ella to the south coast, which is why doing it as a day trip from either end makes no sense and doing it on the transfer day makes a great deal.
The park is the dependable one. Around six hundred resident elephants on open grassland around a reservoir, no forest to hide them in, and a fraction of the jeeps that Yala carries. Sightings are near-certain and the animals are usually close. What you will not see here is a leopard — they exist and are almost never seen — so if leopards are the point, take the Yala version instead and accept the crowds that come with it.
The Elephant Transit Home on the park boundary is the other half. It rehabilitates orphaned calves and releases them back into the wild rather than keeping them, which is the important distinction from an orphanage. Feeding sessions run several times a day and are viewed from a platform at a distance — no riding, no bathing, no contact.
After the drive it is about two hours to the coast, arriving mid-afternoon with the beach day intact.
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
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Pickup in Ella
Collection with luggage for the drive south.
Udawalawe gate
Permits, then into the park.
Game drive
Three hours among the elephant herds.
Elephant Transit Home
The feeding session, viewed from the platform.
Drive to the coast
About two hours south.
Drop-off
Mirissa, Galle or Hikkaduwa.
Detailed Itinerary
Hotel pickup
Two hours to the park. Luggage stays in the car.
In the park
Open grassland around a reservoir — the elephants are not hidden, which is the whole appeal.
Transit Home
Feeding sessions run several times daily. Viewing is from a platform; there is no contact with the animals.
The coast
Drop-off at your hotel.
Includes
- Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, hotel pickup in Ella, the safari jeep and game drive, drop-off at your south coast hotel, luggage carried throughout.
Excludes
- The national park permit and the Transit Home entrance, both paid at the gate, meals and drinks, gratuities for the driver and tracker.
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ella; the exact address and time are 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
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Traveler Reviews
Baeus, our tour guide, was so informative, very professional and took great care of us! The transport pick up was reliable and on time, we had an incredible safari experience. There was a que to get into the national park but once we were inside, Baeus took us away from the crowds and other jeeps where we got so up close to the elephants. Brillant experience! Would definitely recommend :)) thanks Baeus
We had an amazing safari experience. We were picked up from our accommodation in Ella at the scheduled time and reached the national park at sunrise, around 6 a.m. We were lucky to see many elephants up close, as well as peacocks, various birds, and buffalo. After the safari, we also visited a place where we could watch the feeding of baby elephants, which was a lovely experience. Later, we were picked up again and comfortably transferred to our accommodation in Mirissa, in the south of the island. Everything was well organized and smooth from start to finish. We highly recommend this safari!
The driver picked us up right from our hostel at 4.00 so that was wonderful. It took 2 hours to get to the safari and the driver Sugula drove very carefully and coutiously. He then dropped us off in Tangalle right at our hostel which was amazing. Maybe 60€ per person is too much but it was convenient
The driver was punctual for pick up and there was good communication before hand from the booking team. The addition of a safari on a long transfer broke the journey nicely. All in all a good day
Safari was excellent, we saw Elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, wild boar, kingfishers etc. Our guide was very knowledgeable and great at spotting all the animals. The transfer was also very smooth and on time. Would recommend!
Great trip. Our driver for the day picked up from our hotel in Ella and took us to Udawalawa national park where we met our private safari guide who took us on a 3-4 hour safari. We saw several families of elephants, getting quite close for photos. We also saw other wildlife including eagles and other birds. It was a great safari experience in a traditional safari jeep. Our driver then took us on to Mirissa dropping us off at our next hotel. Thanks for a great day
The Safari was amazing, and my guide was incredible, spotting many animals, including elephants and jackals, tortoise, deer, lizards, crocodiles and plenty of birds, plus many more. I would have missed many animals without our guide; he spoke good English. My driver was kind but didn't speak any English, which made the long journey a little quiet. He also asked me for petrol money, which I refused. The tour was £71, which I think was too expensive, but overall the experience was good and I enjoyed the Safari.
We enjoyed our time on the safari. We were hoping to see some more animals on our morning safari however we still got to see a large variety.
It was great, the staff was very accommodating