.jpg){kind=link}
From Colombo · about 15 hours
Sigiriya and Dambulla day tour from Colombo
Two UNESCO sites, about nine hours in the car
$125
per person for two, from Colombo, tickets included
Udawalawe elephant safari from Colombo
Udawalawe elephant safari from Colombo is Majeste's private day tour. It takes about 12.5 hours door to door and costs $169 per person for two, including your own car with an English-speaking driver, entrance tickets, and a private jeep with a safari driver and the park tickets. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. Nothing to pay now.
A wild elephant safari, and the Transit Home.
At a glance
| Start | Hours | Km | Per person for two |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negombo | about 13.5 | 390 | $173 |
| Airport | about 13 | 370 | $169 |
About this tour
The park where elephants are usually seen, done from Colombo as a long day. Sightings are not guaranteed. Three and a half hours each way, a three-and-a-half-hour private jeep safari and the midday feeding at the Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned calves are watched from a platform with no contact. Leopards live here but are almost never seen.
- Private 4x4 jeep safari in open scrub around the reservoir, park tickets included
- Elephant Transit Home: orphaned calves fed for release, no touching, no shows
- A reliable first safari for families
Your day
Planning times from Colombo, not promises. From another start town the times change.
Pickup in Colombo; A4 via Ratnapura or E01 via Embilipitiya.
Meet your jeep at the park gate.
Udawalawe safari, about 3.5 hours. Later than a dawn drive, so hotter; elephants are still usually seen.
Elephant Transit Home feeding, commonly given as 12:00 (we confirm the time).
Lunch near the park, paid directly.
Start the drive back.
Arrive in Colombo.
What is in the price
Included
- Private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking driver for the day
- Fuel, expressway tolls and parking
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Colombo, Negombo or at the airport
- Every entrance ticket, jeep and activity listed under tickets and fees
Not included
- Lunch is at a local restaurant, paid directly, about USD 5 to 15 a head
- Breakfast (a stop on the road, paid directly)
- Tips for the driver and any local guide, at your discretion
- Drinks, snacks and personal spending
Tickets and fees
Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
$11.80
USD 5 per adult and USD 3 per child plus 18% tax, so USD 5.90 and 3.54, infants free. The figure comes from an operator price list, not a Department page; the child band follows the Department's 6 to 12 rule.
Source
- Udawalawe Safari Help Centre price list, checked 7 Nov 2026
Udawalawe half-day safari (private jeep)
$150.86
USD 79 per jeep (up to 6) plus park tickets: about USD 72 for two adults.
Amounts are for two adults. Entrance fees for Sri Lankan residents differ. Message us and we price them for you.
Entrance fees last checked 7 November 2026. Activity prices last checked 7 November 2026. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026).
Good to know
- Seven hours in the car. Staying a night near the park gives you a dawn drive instead.
- October and November are wetter; the park stays open.
- Flat scrub scenery; this is a park for elephants, not for leopards.
Good months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
Harder months: October, November.
Optional extras
Not in the price. Add them in the price box.
- Naturalist guide for your safari
+$25 for two
USD 25 per jeep per drive, added to any safari.
Read more
- Sri Lanka entrance fees 2026: Sigiriya and parks
Sigiriya is USD 35, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura USD 30, the Temple of the Tooth LKR 3,000; a park ticket for two is USD 71.86. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Best time to visit Sri Lanka: month by month
January to March is driest on the west and south coasts, in the hills and the Cultural Triangle; May to September suits the east. Checked 7 Nov 2026.
Where the figures come from
- Udawalawe Safari Help Centre price list, checked 7 Nov 2026
- safa.lk (sister brand) retail price, checked 7 Nov 2026
- Majeste rate card, checked 7 Nov 2026
Similar day tours
From Colombo · about 13.5 hours
Kandy and Peradeniya day tour from Colombo
The Temple of the Tooth and the botanical gardens, without Pinnawala
$78
per person for two, from Colombo, tickets included
From Colombo · about 11.5 hours
Galle Fort and Madu River day tour from Colombo
Mangrove boat in the morning, the Dutch fort after lunch
$99
per person for two, from Colombo, tickets included