✦ Sabaragamuwa & Uva Provinces
Udawalawe
Open grasslands around a large reservoir — one of the most reliable places in Asia to see wild elephants.
Photo: M.S Dulan De Silva / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Destination guide
About Udawalawe
Udawalawe National Park was declared in 1972 to protect the catchment of the Udawalawe reservoir on the Walawe river. Its open grassland and scrub make wildlife easy to see, and herds of Sri Lankan elephants are present throughout the year, along with water buffalo, crocodiles and many birds of prey.
Next to the park, the Elephant Transit Home run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation cares for orphaned elephant calves and releases them back into the wild; visitors can watch the scheduled feeding times.
Why visit
- Wild elephants can be seen year-round
- Open landscape that is easy for game drives
- The Elephant Transit Home for orphaned calves
- Easy to combine with Ella, Yala and the south coast
Things to do in Udawalawe
- Take an early-morning or late-afternoon jeep safari
- Watch a feeding time at the Elephant Transit Home
- Look for raptors, peacocks and water birds around the reservoir
Tours that include Udawalawe
Eco
Sinharaja–Udawalawe–Gal Oya–Knuckles
Eco Sri Lanka 7-Day Journey
Rainforest, grassland, reservoir and cloud forest sit within a few hours' drive of each other in Sri Lanka. This week-long journey walks…
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Colombo → Kandy
Luxury
Yala–Udawalawe
Luxury Wildlife 6-Day Safari Tour
Dawn in Yala comes with the call of peacocks and red dust rising behind the jeep as it passes granite outcrops where…
- 6 days / 5 nights
- Yala → Udawalawe
★ Featured
Nature
Udawalawe–Sinharaja
Udawalawe and Sinharaja Nature 4-Day Tour
Elephant families cross open grassland beneath the Udawalawe dam; a few hours later, the cool green gloom of a rainforest drips with…
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Udawalawe → Sinharaja
Safari
Wilpattu–Minneriya–Yala–Udawalawe
Wild Sri Lanka 8-Day Wildlife Tour
Dawn mist lifting off Wilpattu's lake-like villus, elephants massing on the grassy shores of Minneriya, Yala's rocky outcrops where leopards sometimes rest:…
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Wilpattu → Udawalawe
Where to stay near Udawalawe
Udawalawe
Centauria Wild
A resort on Thanamalwila Road that borders both Udawalawe Lake and Udawalawe National Park.
Udawalawe
Kalu’s Hideaway
Small nature-oriented lodge near Udawalawe National Park.
Udawalawe
Mahoora Tented Safari Camp
Tented safari accommodation close to wildlife areas.
Udawalawe
The Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort
A safari resort on Thanamalwila Road, about five minutes from Udawalawe National Park, set under a canopy of trees.
🍛 Local flavours
Food to try in Udawalawe
- Buffalo curd with kithul treacle, sold at roadside stalls
- Rice and curry
- Fresh tropical fruit
Best time to visit Udawalawe
- JanUsually the best months
- FebUsually the best months
- MarUsually the best months
- AprUsually the best months
- MayUsually the best months
- JunUsually the best months
- JulUsually the best months
- AugUsually the best months
- SepUsually the best months
- OctUsually the best months
- NovUsually the best months
- DecUsually the best months
Year-round; elephants are seen in every season
Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so when one coast is rainy the other is usually dry — weather varies from year to year.
Udawalawe on the map
Destinations near Udawalawe
References / Sources
- Department of Wildlife Conservation Sri Lanka: https://www.dwc.gov.lk
- Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau: https://www.srilanka.travel
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