Udawalawe National Park Private Safari: See Elephants
Elephants are the reason the park exists.
A private safari tour through Udawalawe National Park in a 4x4 jeep with a driver-guide who has ten years of experience in the park. You choose between a four-hour morning departure at 6am or an afternoon start at 2pm, with hotel pickup included in the Udawalawe area. Park entrance tickets are optional at checkout. The jeep is open-sided, which is how you see elephants, leopards, jungle cats, monkeys, foxes, mongooses, jackals, wild boar, water buffalo and bird species as they move through the landscape.
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Step-by-step itinerary
Safari at Udawalawe National Park
- Visit Udawalawe National Park
- Observe elephants and wildlife
- Enjoy bird watching
The experience
The jeep leaves your hotel before dawn or in early afternoon, depending on which departure you pick. A driver with ten years in the park sits up front and navigates the tracks. You stand or sit in the open vehicle behind him, scanning the grassland and the tree line. The park was built as a sanctuary for animals displaced when the Udawalawe Reservoir flooded the valley, so the wildlife here is concentrated and used to vehicles moving slowly through. Four hours is long enough to cover the main routes without the day becoming a blur of stops.
Elephants are what most travelers come for, and they are the animals you are most likely to encounter. The park also holds leopards, which are harder to spot but move through the same terrain. Water buffalo graze in the open. Monkeys travel in groups through the trees. Jungle cats, foxes, mongooses, jackals and wild boar are present but less predictable. Bird species fill the canopy and the grassland edges. What you see depends on the hour, the season and how the animals move that day. The driver knows the park well enough to read the signs, but a safari is not a guarantee of sightings, only the chance to look for them in the place where they live.
Hotel pickup is included if you book from the Udawalawe area. If you want park entrance tickets, you add them at checkout for $37 per person. Without them, you still enter the park but do not pay the separate gate fee. The jeep itself is a 4x4 built for the terrain, open on the sides so you can photograph and watch without glass between you and the landscape. Morning safaris start at 6am. Evening safaris leave at 2pm. Both run four hours, though longer options of seven and ten hours are available if you want to spend more time in the park.
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Udawalawe area.
- private 4x4 safari jeep.
- driver-guide with ten years of experience in the park.
- four-hour tour (or seven or ten hours if you choose a longer option).
- national park entrance tickets available as an optional add-on at checkout.
Options for this experience
6 optionsSee 3 more options
Before you book
Prices and times updated 12 days ago
Operated by Udawalawe Wild Safari Tours
Is this one for you?Book the morning safari to catch peak elephant activity. Choose the afternoon departure if you prefer a later start, or pick the full-day option to see the park's different animal patterns across multiple hours.
Traveler reviews
Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and German.
What animals am I most likely to see on a Udawalawe safari?
Elephants are the most common sighting in Udawalawe National Park, along with water buffalo, monkeys and various bird species. Leopards, jungle cats, foxes, mongooses, jackals and wild boar are also present in the park but less predictable to encounter.
Does the jeep have a roof, or is it open to the weather?
The safari jeep is open-sided, which gives you an unobstructed view for watching and photographing wildlife. You are exposed to sun and rain, so bring sunscreen, a hat and a light rain jacket depending on the season.
What time does the morning safari start from my hotel?
The morning safari departs at 6am from your hotel in the Udawalawe area. Hotel pickup is included, so the driver collects you before the drive to the park entrance.
Are park entrance tickets included in the jeep rental?
Park entrance tickets are optional and cost $37 per person. You can add them when you book, or skip them if you prefer: either way, you still enter the park and tour it with the driver-guide.
How long is the safari, and can I do a longer one?
The standard safari runs four hours, with morning departures at 6am and afternoon departures at 2pm. Longer options of seven and ten hours are available if you want to spend more time in the park.
Udawalawe National Park Private Safari: See Elephants
4h · EN · DE
from US$ 25 per person
4.971,848 reviewsVerified traveler reviews via our booking provider