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Deep south, inland

Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park costs about $36 per foreign adult when two share a jeep (Department of Wildlife Conservation fee schedule, checked 7 Nov 2026). Plan 1 night here, and the good months are Jan to Sep. Udawalawe is 170 km from Bandaranaike International Airport, about 4 h by road, and is known for wild elephants and the Elephant Transit Home for orphaned calves.

Add Udawalawe to a tripHotels and rates
Elephants on the grassy shore of the Udawalawe reservoir with mountains behind
Elephants beside the reservoir in Udawalawe National ParkPhoto: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
At a glanceThings to doSights and feesActivitiesToursHotelsGetting there

At a glance

Udawalawe is the park for elephants: herds are usually seen, all year, across open scrub around a reservoir. The Elephant Transit Home nearby feeds orphaned calves at set times, watched from a platform with no contact. Leopards live here but are almost never seen, and there is little else to do in the area, so one night is enough.

Usual stay1 night
Good monthsJan to Sep
From the airport170 kmAbout 4 h by road
Hotels from$23Double room a night, breakfast included, lowest season at a standard we can name a hotel for

Month by month

  • Good month
  • A real drawback: heavy rain, rough sea or a park closure
  • Blank: neither

Months with a real drawback: Oct to Nov.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • First-time safari-goers
  • Anyone whose main wish is wild elephants

The downsides

  • October and November are the wetter months here; the park stays open.
  • Leopards are present but almost never seen.
  • Flat scrub scenery and little else to do in the area.
  • A good substitute when Yala's main blocks close in September and October.
Adult elephant and small calf seen from behind on grass beside a muddy waterhole, Udawalawe National Park
Elephant and calf, Udawalawe National ParkPhoto: M.S Dulan De Silva via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Two safari jeeps crossing open grassland with grazing cattle and hills behind, Udawalawe National Park
Safari jeeps on the Udawalawe plainsPhoto: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Things to do in Udawalawe

  • Morning or afternoon jeep safari (about 3 hours)
  • Elephant Transit Home feeding (viewing platform, no contact; feeding times to be confirmed with the Department of Wildlife Conservation)
  • Birdwatching: raptors and water birds
  • Reservoir sunset

Sights and entrance fees

Fees last checked 7 November 2026. Tickets are in the price of a tour when its itinerary lists them. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026). Entrance fees for Sri Lankan residents differ. Message us and we price them for you.

National parkAbout 3 h on site

Udawalawe National Park

Open scrub and grassland around the Udawalawe reservoir, where wild elephants are usually seen at any time of year. Water buffalo, crocodiles, raptors and water birds are common. Leopards live here but are almost never seen. The scenery is flat and the park is well organised; it suits families and first safaris.

$71.86 for two adults

Park ticket USD 25 per adult and USD 15 per child aged 6 to 12 (SAARC passports USD 20 and 10), plus USD 10 service charge and LKR 300 vehicle fee per jeep, all plus 18% VAT. Two adults sharing a jeep pay about USD 72 in park fees. Jeep hire is priced separately.

Hours: Daily 6.00 am to 6.00 pm; ticket counters 6.00 am to 4.00 pm; all vehicles out by 6.00 pm.

  • Elephants are usually seen, often close to the track, at any time of year. Sightings are not guaranteed.
  • A 3-hour morning or afternoon drive is enough. Full days are for birders.
  • Combine with the Elephant Transit Home feeding next to the park.

Sources

Herd of wild elephants grazing on grass beside Minneriya reservoir with low hills behind
NatureAbout 1 h on site

Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home

A Department of Wildlife Conservation centre beside the park where orphaned calves are raised and released back into the wild. Visitors watch from a platform while the calves come in for milk at feeding time; there is no contact and no riding. It is the better choice over Pinnawala for anyone who wants to see young elephants without supporting a captive herd.

$11.80 for two adults

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.

Hours: Feeding times are commonly given as 9.00 am, 12.00, 3.00 pm and 6.00 pm; not confirmed with the Department.

  • Arrive 20 minutes before a feeding; the viewing lasts about half an hour.
  • You watch from a distance behind a fence. Bring binoculars for children.
  • Feeding times should be confirmed on the day; we check with the centre.

Sources

Activities in and around Udawalawe

Prices are for the activity only unless the card says a vehicle is included. Last checked 7 November 2026.

  • Herd of wild elephants grazing on grass beside Minneriya reservoir with low hills behind

    Udawalawe National Park · about 4 hours

    Udawalawe half-day safari (private jeep)

    Open grassland around a reservoir, so elephants are easier to see here than in Yala, often in family groups. Leopards are rarely seen. Morning (06:00) or afternoon (15:00) drives; the afternoon is hotter.

    $76

    per person for two, activity only

  • Leopard walking toward the camera along a sand track with two safari jeeps of visitors behind it, Yala

    Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · add-on

    Naturalist guide for your safari

    An English-speaking naturalist rides in your jeep and explains what you see: tracks, calls, birds, behaviour. Worth it for birders and first-time safari-goers. The naturalist does not change your odds of a leopard.

    $13

    per person for two, activity only

Tours that stay in Udawalawe

Round tours with a night or more here. You can change the route, the nights and the hotels in the planner.

  • Sri Lankan leopard walking toward the camera beneath low branches, with an orange-lit track behind it

    8 days · Comfort hotels

    Wildlife Sri Lanka, 8 days

    Wilpattu National Park, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)

    Four parks, Horton Plains, six drives

    $1,102

    per person for two, 8 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included

  • Baker's Falls spilling in silky white streams over dark rock, with forest and heavy cloud behind

    6 days · Comfort hotels

    Hills and wildlife, 6 days

    Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)

    Kandy, Horton Plains, the train, two parks

    $744

    per person for two, 6 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included

  • Spotted deer grazing beside a villu lake in Wilpattu National Park, with a water buffalo at its edge

    14 days · Comfort hotels

    Complete island, 14 days

    Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)

    The full loop: four parks, rafting, a tea bungalow

    $1,716

    per person for two, 14 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites paid there

  • Herd of wild elephants grazing on grass beside Minneriya reservoir with low hills behind

    10 days · Comfort hotels

    Family Sri Lanka, 10 days

    Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Hikkaduwa

    Pool hotels, bicycles, elephants and a shallow sea

    $1,053

    per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included

Hotels in Udawalawe

Planning rates for a double room per night, taxes and service included. They run from $23 to $380 depending on standard and season. Rates checked 7 November 2026.

Planning rates per double room per night in Udawalawe, in US dollars
StandardLowShoulderPeakChristmas
Simple$23$25$32$38
Comfort$45$50$65$75
Superior$85$100$160$200
Luxury$160$190$300$380

Seasons here: Low 1 May to 31 Oct. Shoulder 1 Apr to 30 Apr and 1 Nov to 20 Dec. Peak 10 Jan to 31 Mar. Christmas 21 Dec to 9 Jan.

Bed and breakfast unless the itinerary says otherwise. These are planning rates built from public prices. Choose your dates and the booker shows the price for them; if a rate changes while you are booking, nothing is booked and you see the new price first. Once you book, your booking keeps its price. On a multi-day trip our 8% planning fee is added to the hotel and vehicle cost, as its own line.

There is no 5-star hotel at Udawalawe; luxury means a good local resort, and the rate is a rough figure. Tented safari camps (Mahoora, Kulu Safaris, Big Game Camp) are full board with safaris and cost two to three times the luxury rate; our prices do not cover them.

Simple

clean guesthouses and small hotels

  • Amba Kola Udawalawa (guesthouse)
  • Leel's Safari Cottage (3-star)
  • Kottawatta Village (guesthouse)

Or similar.

Comfort

3-star or good boutique

  • Jungle Paradise (3-star standard)
  • Athgira River Camp (tented camp)
  • Grand Toscana (3-star)

Or similar.

Superior

4-star

  • Kalu's Hideaway (4-star standard)
  • Centauria Wild (4-star plus)
  • Waraka, Udawalawe by Thema Collection (4-star plus)

Or similar.

Luxury

5-star or top boutique

  • Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort (4-star to 5-star)
  • Chika's Place River View (boutique)
  • Dhalaya Resort (3-star)

Or similar.

Hotels are named as examples of the standard you will get. If a named hotel is full we book one of the same standard in the same area and tell you which.

How hotel standards work

Where the figures come from

  • Majeste planning rate table, checked 7 Nov 2026
  • Booking.com city landing pages, snapshot 7 Nov 2026, checked 7 Nov 2026
  • KAYAK Sri Lanka hotel pages, cheapest and most expensive month per hotel, checked 7 Nov 2026

Getting to Udawalawe

Planning times for a private car in daylight, with one short stop and no sightseeing. Add 20 to 40 minutes to leave or enter Colombo at rush hour, and 10 to 20 percent in heavy rain or after dark in the hills.

Road distance and planning time from Udawalawe
ToDistanceTime
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)Via Thanamalwila and Lunugamvehera68 km1 h 45 min
Tangalle (Rekawa and Hiriketiya)Via Embilipitiya70 km1 h 45 min
Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Deniyaya and Kudawa)To Deniyaya via Embilipitiya and Suriyakanda; slow hill road63 km2 h
EllaA23 to Wellawaya (rockfall-prone in heavy rain), A2 to Thanamalwila, then B42790 km2 h 15 min
HaputaleBeragala, Koslanda and Wellawaya, or Beragala and Balangoda; hill road down98 km2 h 15 min
Mirissa (with Weligama)Embilipitiya, then E01106 km2 h 15 min
Galle (with Unawatuna)Embilipitiya, then E01132 km2 h 45 min
Bentota (Beruwala, Kalutara and Ahungalla)Embilipitiya, then E01184 km3 h 15 min
ColomboA4 via Ratnapura and Pelmadulla then A18, or E01 then Embilipitiya161 km3 h 45 min
AirportE01 to Beliatta then Embilipitiya, or A4 and A18 via Ratnapura170 km4 h

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Nothing to pay now. You pay in cash when the trip starts: to your driver when the booking includes our vehicle, otherwise to the person we name with the meeting point. No deposit, no card details online.

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